Lumen Fiber Reviews 2024: Is It Worth the Investment?
Lumen Technologies (formerly CenturyLink) is a telecommunications company that offers internet, telephone, television, and networking solutions to residential and business customers in the United States. Lumen has fiber internet service under the Quantum Fiber brand in some regions.
Fiber internet is a means of transmitting data through the use of beams of light through glass fibers which makes it offer high speeds. Cablevision offers speeds up to 1 Gigabit per second which is much faster than most cable or DSL connections.
Lumen wants to deliver their high-speed fiber service to other neighborhoods since fiber infrastructure grows in many parts of the United States. They promote Quantum Fiber as offering fast and secure broadband internet for households with numerous users and devices, as well as high bandwidth consumption for activities such as streaming, gaming, video calls, and managing smart homes.
Lumen Fiber Download/Upload Speeds
Lumen Fiber has an equal download and upload speed therefore it is fast whether you are downloading or uploading data. This makes fiber different from cable internet, which generally offers comparatively slower upload speeds.
Lumen Fiber speed tiers include:
- 500 Mbps: 500 Mbps download and 500 Mbps upload
- 1 Gig (940 Mbps): 940 Mbps download / 940 Mbps upload
- 2 Gig (1.8 Gbps): 1.8 Gbps download / 1.8 Gbps upload
Lumen Fiber gives a new level of online experience with blazing fast 940 Mbps+ speeds. Everyone can stream, game, and work in one house without any lag or buffering. One can transfer massive files within a few seconds and benefit from the most recent advancements such as video calling and cloud storage.
Lumen Fiber Reviews: Pros
Here are some of the major advantages of Lumen fiber internet service:
- Fastest speeds available: There is no other consumer Internet technology that provides faster or more reliable speeds than Fiber Optics. Lumen’s 1 and 2 Gig plans annihilate cable’s best.
- Symmetrical bandwidth: The download/upload speeds are equal to allow interactive usage such as video calls, online gaming, smart homes, etc.
- Great for 4K/8K streaming: Ultra HD streaming on the internet entails a speed of 25 Mbps and above. Lumen Fiber’s 500 Mbps and up have the bandwidth to spare for the highest quality Netflix, YouTube, sports, and more.
- Lag-free gaming: Multiplayer online gamers require 5-25 Mbps to play and have seamless battles without lags. Lumen’s 940 Mbps and up offer near-infinite bandwidth for gaming traffic.
- Supports multiple users: Lumen works with more than thirty connected devices at once – great for smart households and children/adolescents who love to overload the WiFi with their computers, phones, videos, etc.
- Reliability: Fiber optics offer the best connectivity among all the carriers listed above. It does not change with extreme weather like cable/DSL and ping rates are low for real-time response in gaming and video chatting.
- Future-proof: Modern fiber networks are also optimized for the far greater demands in the future. Fiber optics make your home ready for the future and offer better connectivity.
Lumen Fiber Reviews: Cons
However, Lumen fiber is not without some downsides:
- Availability limited: Fiber requires significant infrastructure deployment to reach consumers, making it less prevalent than cable in many areas. The expansion plans of Lumen Fiber do not suggest that the company has the intention of providing nationwide coverage shortly.
- Costly build-out: In areas where fiber has not been installed before, costs range between $500-$1000 to make the connections, adding to the expenses that home buyers have to meet. This expense can also increase the time it takes to get your money back on your investment.
- Can’t support old hardware: Indeed, most of today’s routers, computers, and devices should work well with Lumen’s gigabit speeds, but old hardware may not deliver fiber speed. Replacing or upgrading existing devices such as WiFi routers or other outdated hardware entails costs.
- Contracts required: Lumen Fiber demands 1-3 years contracts based on the running promotions at the time of subscription. Although they allow for lower initial costs, they also limit choice and the ability to switch providers.
Lumen Fiber Internet Packages and Prices
Lumen Fiber subscription costs include:
- Monthly charges for Internet service
- Taxes, surcharges, and equipment fees
- That could be one-time installation charges of $500-$1000 in case build-out is required.
Lumen advertises the following standalone Quantum Fiber internet prices, though promotions vary by region:
- 500 Mbps: $65/month
- 1 Gig: $65/month
- 2 Gig: $80/month
TV packages with 140+ cable channels begin at $80 per month more added.
Lumen also provides package discounts if you opt for home phone service and/or DirecTV streaming plans. Outlets, equipment rental, HD tech fees, and activation charges might also be charged.
Is Lumen Fiber a Good Investment in 2024?
Lumen Fiber is introducing fiber-optics technology that has been steadily on the rise in terms of speed, improvements, and future readiness. As of now, however, the availability is still quite limited, although we anticipate that they will significantly increase the geographic scope of their offerings over the next 2-3 years.
For households with increasing connectivity requirements for streaming media, smart homes, online gaming, and more devices, current availability already makes Lumen Fiber a worthy – while expensive – investment based on its delivery speed.
If gigabit internet seems like overkill for your family’s average Internet usage today, it makes sense to let Lumen extend its regional reach before leaping. But their fiber speeds and premium technology will only get even more attractive as super-fast internet keeps becoming more essential.
