CenturyLink Internet 2026 Video Review

Hey there, and welcome back to compare internet.com, where we give you the straight talk on the best internet deals. Today we're gonna review CenturyLink, a national provider of DSL Internet Service. We're gonna go over availability, pricing speeds, reliability equipment, and customer experience. Let's start with availability. CenturyLink is a brand owned by the parent company, lumen Technologies. CenturyLink offers DSL Internet to 2.2 million customers, mostly in Western US and in Florida. It's important to know that CenturyLink is a DSL only brand because as a DSL connection affects how fast your internet speed will be. Women Technologies also has a brand called Quantum Fiber that offers all fiber internet, but this review focuses solely on DSL from CenturyLink. Let's start by looking at CenturyLink's pricing. DSL customers often pay more for slower speeds than they would get with their cable or fiber counterparts. That's because DSL is the oldest internet technology on the market other than dial up. In addition, DSL speeds vary widely, sometimes even based on the wiring in your home. So you will pay the same $50 for your plan, whether your speed is 10 megabits per second, or a hundred megabits per second. Hmm. But in better news, CenturyLink does not use data caps on their DSL plans, so you won't have any unexpected monthly overage charges. Overall, we give CenturyLink 3.5 stars for pricing. Unfortunately, DSL just doesn't give you as much for your money as cable or fiber. Next, we'll explore reliability and performance. DSL was really fast when it came out in the 1990s, but unlike wine and cheese technology does not age well. Slower DSL may not support data intensive activities like ultra high definition streaming gaming or video conferencing. 15% of CenturyLink's DSL customers have speeds below 10 megabits per second. 35% of their customers have speeds below 25 megabits per second. Just so you know, if you don't get over 25 megs per second, you don't have what the FCC defines as high speed internet. So we have to give CenturyLink three stars for reliability and performance. DSL is just having trouble keeping up with today's digital needs, but if you're lucky and you're one of the 28% of their DSL customers who get over a hundred megabits per second, you'll be much happier. Let's move on to equipment and installation. For $15 a month, you can rent a CenturyLink Modem router, but you do have the option of using your own router and avoiding the fee. Just be aware that their tech support won't back up. Your personal router professional installation usually costs $99. Fortunately, you'll have a self-install option for only $15 in many locations. So we give CenturyLink 3.5 stars for equipment and installation. The fees are on the higher end, but at least you can often avoid them. Time to check out CenturyLink's customer support in this area. The variation in DSL performance is affecting how customers feel about their internet survey. In a recent national survey, CenturyLink was rated for both DSL service and what has now become quantum fiber. They're all fiber service. The all fiber service outscored, CenturyLink's, DSLs by over 16 points in customer satisfaction. So we give CenturyLink DSL three stars for customer experience and support. It's an uphill battle for a DSL only provider to satisfy customers given the technology's slower speeds. Here's a recap of what to expect from CenturyLink. Internet CenturyLink's DSL base Internet service earns an overall rating of 3.3 stars. Here are questions to ask yourself. If you're considering CenturyLink, can I get download speeds above 25 megabits per second? Is there fiber or cable internet available in my area? If you don't have access to fiber or cable, it's worth checking out CenturyLink in a rural area with few providers you may find. DSL is your best option. And that's the straight talk on CenturyLink. Come back and see us. For more reviews and info to see which internet providers cover your area. Visit our website@compareinternet.com. We have detailed plans and prices to help you find the best internet provider where you live. See you soon.