If you are curious about if Broadband Q Wireless is worth it in 2024 then this is the only review you need to read today.
Broadband Q is another one of the many Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNO) that serves the rural communities and also focusses on the hospitality business.
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In some of the rural areas, it is difficult to provide wired internet probably due to poor infrastructure in such localities.
This is what makes MVNOs like Broadband Q instrumental because they offer the much needed high-speed internet solutions to rural communities.
Basically, they provide 4G LTE internet in the areas where there are very few options for internet and the ones that are available are not quite reliable.
Since they mainly deal with wireless internet solutions, Broadband Q has a service coverage area that covers many of the US residents and thatโs commendable for sure.
Their internet services are accessible in many of the states and the people who benefit the most are the rural folks that are ever looking for fast and reliable internet.
All said and done, we would like to go through the services that Broadband Q has to offer and rule out if this company will be the best fit depending on your internet needs.
Without saying too much, letโs dive right and see what this company has on its plate.
Table of Contents
Internet packages and pricing
The Broadband Q wireless internet plans are principally based on the amount of data that is included in each of the plans.
This means that they donโt follow the conventional ways of the other MVNOs that create internet plans based on the carriers they have contracted with.
There are three plan options;
- The silver plan- it costs $99 per month and with it you receive 30GB of data for that month.
- The Gold plan- it costs $129 per month and with it you receive 50GB of data for that month.
- The Platinum plan- it costs $149 per month and this is the only plan that allows the subscribers unlimited data.
Plan | Data Cap | Speed | Price |
Silver Plan | 30GB | 50Mbs | $99 |
Gold Plan | 50GB | 50Mbs | $129 |
Platnium Plan | No Cap | 50Mbs | $149 |
For all the plans, the customers will get 50Mbs download speeds.
If you stay in a rural area, then you must be aware of just how difficult it is to find an internet provider that will offer such speeds.
With this, you can stream the latest movies and shows on Netflix or Hulu, browse the web on several devices and even play online games.
Thus you no longer have to say goodbye to the movie nights and gaming dates with your friends.
With that said, you shouldnโt forget that there are data caps and once you surpass your limit, Broadband Q throttles the internet speeds.
Always double check your data usage regularly to ensure you donโt end up with slower speeds for the rest of the month.
Additionally, the data limits may not be suitable for UltraHD streaming since this will eat up your data faster.
Instead, configure the streaming settings on your devices to play at 480p quality.
It will ensure you can stream every day and still not reach the data limit sooner.
Moving on, the people with the Platinum plan have less to worry about because they can enjoy unlimited data for the entire month.
Network performance
As it is with the MVNOs, they donโt guarantee that you will receive the exact internet speeds that are advertised.
The company states clearly that the speeds of their internet service will depend on your proximity to the cell data towers.
Other factors that determine the speeds include the weather conditions, the elevation of your home and the topography of your particular area.
All these are things that in one way or the other are bound to affect your internet speeds.
In case you feel your area might be affected by such factors hence incapable of receiving the best speeds, you can raise the issue with Broadband Q before making any purchases.
They may carry out a pre-assessment of the area and let you know the best approach.
Remember that Broadband Q is an MVNO and that means it relies on carriers to deliver internet services to the customers.
The network capability of the carrier will also be a determining factor of how good your internet connections will be.
What happens is Broadband Q typically signs contracts with well-known US mobile carriers like Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T.
After that, the company makes use of any capacity left on these cell towers to provide internet to the rural communities of the US.
The current network capacity on the cell towers is another vital factor in the internet connections of the customers.
The MVNOs customers tend to face Deprioritization.
This chiefly means that when the cell towers are congested, the carrier customers are given the first priority in terms of speeds and internet quality.
In this case, the Broadband Q customers may experience slower speeds at certain times simply because there is congestion on the carrier cell towers and not everyone can enjoy high-speed internet.
However, this is something that doesnโt last long and once everything is back to normal, the internet speeds get back on track.
Phone services
Itโs not typical for MVNOs to offer home phone services.
Well, it looks like Broadband Q is different from the others because in addition to wireless internet, they also provide a home phone service.
Each internet plan consists of a three months free phone service.
After the three months are over then you can decide if you want to keep the service or not.
If you opt to keep it, it will cost you $39.00 per year.
Well, thatโs quite an affordable home phone service from Broadband Q.
Equipment and fees
Your modem and router
Obviously, you will need some equipment for your internet.
While other internet companies usually recommend the modem modes that will work well with their service, Broadband Q seems to have left out that piece of information.
There is no mention of the exact model of the equipment that the users should purchase but they have routers.
In the FAQs section, we found out that they have a commercial-grade wireless router.
The commercial-wireless router and modem come with two 2.4 GHz antennas, two 5.0 GHz antennas and multiple ports.
The router itself is already configured and set up and once you get it there is absolutely no set-up required.
All you have to do is plug it in and proceed to browse various websites or stream some content online.
Another option for those who donโt want a router is to get a mobile hotspot.
It will still supply your internet devices with a stable connection.
It is enlightening to see that the equipment from Broadband Q has a two-year warranty.
This gives the users peace of mind and a sense of security since they know in case there are any issues, they donโt have to spend money replacing them.
The company will take care of the equipment that experiences issues within the warranty period to prevent the frustrations associated with equipment fiasco.
That said, the router or mobile hotspot from Broadband Q does not belong to you.
You donโt own any of that equipment and when you cancel their services, you must send them back to the company.
Itโs important you take this seriously and return the equipment or you might be charged a hefty fee for not following through with it.
There is no information whatsoever about whether the customers can use their own equipment and devices.
The best thing to do is call Broadband Q and directly inquire on this.
They will let you know if you can get your own equipment and the models that are compatible with their services.
Service fees
Users typically pay for month-to-month prepaid services and that means no additional fees.
The only fees that should be on your mind are the monthly plan fees.
However, donโt celebrate just yet and as you might know, internet providers will always have other fees up their sleeves.
Before you can use their services, there is an equipment activation fee of $199.00 that must be paid.
Though itโs only a one-time charge that will add on to the bill of your first month of service.
Aside from that, there is a $20 shipping fee.
Hence, your first monthly bill will include the activation fee and the shipping fee.
All in all, Broadband Q has only a few fees and they are all straightforward.
Customers donโt have to worry to stumble upon numerous hidden fees that tend to appear on their monthly bills out of nowhere.
Data overage
If you are a heavy internet user, itโs inevitable to surpass the data caps and if you can afford, the platinum plan would be more suitable because it comes with unlimited data.
However, those on a tight budget can still get any of the other two internet plans.
With that said, keep in mind Broadband Q charges quite a lot if you go over the data cap.
For instance, their data overage charges are at $10 per GB which is higher than what the other providers have to offer.
Itโs almost as if Broadband Q is discouraging its customers from going over their data caps by charging a high overage fee.
To remain in the good books, ensure you use the plan data frugally.
For one thing, you donโt have to pay hefty amounts of money for additional data.
Secondly, your internet speeds will not have to be throttled.
In the end, itโs all for your own good and many of us know the thwarting and annoyance of slow internet that wonโt even load a page in peace.
Pros
- There are no contracts
- Excellent accessibility and coverage
- The plans have unlimited streaming services
Cons
- The data in the majority of the plans is very limited
- Super high prices on data overages
- Performs on a heavily managed network
Customer service
There are definitely ways for users to reach the broadband Q customer service.
You can send an email or directly call them through the number provided on their website.
There is a Facebook page too but it doesnโt seem to be that active.
Therefore, you are better off with the other two options.
There is not enough information online to give us a crystal clear picture of how responsive customer support is.
Though I did come across a few customers who have left reviews online concerning the Braodband Q customer service.
One particular customer complained about the service not working and when she reached out to the customer support, the reps were allegedly apathetic, rude and even hung up on her.
There are so many complaints of the service not working and the customers not receiving any help from the customer support to get back online.
But the main concern is supposedly the rude and unaccommodating customer service reps.
while you cannot win with everyone, Broadband Q needs to do something about the mottled customer service.
The customers are also not happy with the fact that they are not given the option of choosing the type of device to use.
Apparently, the company just ships either a modem or router without any agreements with the customers.
Another mishap is that people cannot directly order services online.
Rather they must sign up, fill out an information form on site and wait for customer support to call them and finalize the purchase process.
FAQs
Is broadband q any good?
For everyday users who require reliable internet, broadband q is a viable choice.
It has good coverage in the rural areas.
What is the best internet service for rural areas?
There are lots of options for the rural areas and some of the renown ISPs already have coverage there.
But broadband q is also a great solution for the rural folks.
Does Broadband Q has Data caps?
Yes, Broadband Q discourages excessive use of data by imposing a straightforward soft cap on their data.
If you exceed the data limits, your internet will be throttled.
Conclusion
If you are a heavy internet user who is interested in streaming and gaming, you will surely need the platinum plan because it comes with unlimited data.
But itโs also very expensive and before spending such a hefty amount, look around for other services that might be available.
All said and done, Broadband Q has good enough coverage for the rural areas.