Looking for fast internet speeds at affordable prices in Dover, Ohio? This guide will help you choose the best internet provider for you. Like many rural towns in Ohio, Dover residents don't have a lot of options when it comes to internet service. There are essentially only three high-speed internet providers operating in Dover, but all of them have widespread coverage in the city. When it comes to the best internet provider in Dover, OH, Frontier Fiber is CNET's top pick. Frontier Fiber has both the fastest speeds and the lowest prices. If you can't get Frontier, you could do a lot worse than Spectrum and T-Mobile as backups, but both come with their own drawbacks. 

Top internet providers in Dover

Dover residents essentially have three options when it comes to home internet: Frontier Fiber, Spectrum and T-Mobile Home Internet. That’s fewer than most places, but the good news is that fast speeds are available just about everywhere. According to Federal Communications Commission data, 98% of Dover households have access to 250Mbps speeds, compared to 83% of Ohio and 87% of the country as a whole.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data

Other available Dover residential internet providers

Outside of the three providers highlighted above, there aren’t many other options for internet in Dover. Here are the other ISPs operating in the area:

• Satellite internet: We’d only recommend satellite internet in rural areas where there aren’t any other options available. You can get HughesNet and Viasateverywhere in the city, but the speeds are low, the prices are high and the stingy data caps make things like streaming and online gaming impractical. Starlink is a newer satellite provider that has faster speeds, but it costs $120 a month for service and $599 for equipment. 
• Watch Communications: This local fixed wireless provider offers plans ranging from 10/2Mbps for $60 a month to 100/20Mbps for $120. It’s a slight step up from satellite, but we wouldn’t recommend it in any other situation. 

Pricing for internet providers in Dover

Dover internet prices are about average for a town of its size. Spectrum and Frontier’s introductory plans are cheaper than you’ll find in a lot of places, but there are only four plans in Dover that cost $50 or less.

How fast is Dover broadband?

If you’re looking for ultrafast internet, Dover has a number of plans available. There are four gig-speed plans available in the city. That’s more than Cleveland (which has two), and the same as Pittsburgh and Cincinnati.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data

How CNET chose the best internet providers in Dover

Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen tool, it’s impractical to personally test every ISP in a given city. What’s our approach? We start by researching the pricing, availability and speed information drawing on our own historical ISP data, the provider sites and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov.

It doesn’t end there. We go to the FCC’s website to check our data and ensure we’re considering every ISP that provides service in an area. We also input local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for residents. To evaluate how happy customers are with an ISP's service, we look at sources including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent changes; all information provided is accurate as of the time of publication. 

Once we have this localized information, we ask three main questions: 

• Does the provider offer access to reasonably fast internet speeds? 
• Do customers get decent value for what they're paying? 
• Are customers happy with their service? 

The answer to those questions is often layered and complex, but the providers who come closest to “yes” on all three are the ones we recommend. 

To explore our process in more depth, visit our how we test ISPs page.

What’s the final word on internet providers in Dover?

There aren’t a lot of options when it comes to internet service in Dover, but the ones it does have all provide good value and are widely available in the city. Frontier Fiber is the clear winner. It doesn’t have any ultracheap plans, but 500/500Mbps for just $40 a month is an excellent deal. Spectrum is the best choice if you’re looking for the cheapest possible internet, with a 100/10Mbps plan for only $30. T-Mobile Home Internet is another good backup option if you can’t get Frontier Fiber, with decent speeds at a fair price that’s guaranteed to never increase.

Internet providers in Dover FAQs