Well, if you’re not a resident of Texas, you won’t see Astound, powered by Grande internet in your area. And those low prices don’t last forever. But if you call the great state of Texas home, let’s dig into the details and find out if Astound, powered by Grande Wi-Fi internet service is right for you. Usually, we recommend fiber internet over cable or DSL because fiber speeds tend to be more reliable. But with 400, 600, 940, or even 1200 Mbps, we think Grande’s cable plans should do the trick for most anyone. The Internet 1200 and 940 plans also come with the fastest upload speeds. That’s perfect if you upload lots of photos or plan on starting a career as a famous YouTuber in the new decade. Astound Broadbands’ 400 Mbps plan is its cheapest offer out there, and it is certainly both affordable and provides enough data for most folks. Here’s how Astound internet prices compare to Spectrum and AT&T Fiber, two other ISPs that serve the great state of Texas. Astound’s (formerly Grande) Wi-Fi internet download speeds are comparable to big names like Verizon Fios, Xfinity, and Frontier. That’s good news because if you go with Astound Broadband, you may pay less for higher speeds. We should also note that the Reviews.org weighted speed score isn’t a representation of Astound Broadband’s (formerly Grande) actual download speeds. Instead, it’s a combination of the average download speeds, upload speeds, and latency that Astound internet users saw in more than 1 million speed tests taken in 2019. A lot of ISPs cap off your data around 1 terabyte (TB), which is plenty for most users. However, if you’re constantly streaming or downloading online games, you might hit that 1 TB cap before the month is up. But with Astound’s unlimited data, your speeds won’t be throttled and you won’t get a passive aggressive email at 2 a.m. on the 28th of the month that warns that you’ve almost hit your data cap. If you’re unsatisfied with Astound Broadband, powered by Grande, you can tell them goodnight and go home without facing any early termination fees or other messy breakup problems. No muss, no fuss.
Whole-home Wi-Fi equipment (non-Internet 940 plans): $9.99/mo. for one eero base and one beacon. Whole-home Wi-Fi equipment (Internet 940 plan): $9.95/mo. for two eero Pro 6 devices. Additional devices cost $10.95/mo. Wi-Fi modem/router combo: $17.00/mo.
The monthly fee for Astound’s equipment isn’t bad. We’ve seen these fees as high as $20 per month elsewhere. But you’ll likely save money if you purchase your own modem and router combo.
Installation fees: All of the offers we came across had free installation with a coupon code. If you don’t see an option for free installation, call up Astound and ask. Activation fee: $9.99 Early termination fee: None, Astound Broadband (formerly Grande) doesn’t require contracts.
It’s hard to pinpoint just how bad or good Astound Broadband is when it comes to customer service since the latest American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) report doesn’t rate Astound (formerly Grande) individually. Instead, it’s lumped in with a bunch of other ISPs in the “All Others” category.2 You still have the option to call an agent, and it shouldn’t take you more than seven rings to get your problems solved. Grande has 24/7 support, which is more than you can expect from other companies. Here’s how to get a hold of Astound Broadband (formerly Grande) in case you need to get them on the horn:
Online chat Phone number: (866) 2GRANDE (1-866-247-2633) Twitter: @grandecom Facebook: @GrandeCommunications
Astound Broadband’s great speeds at decent prices—and without data caps or contracts, even, are what makes it such a big deal. We’re just ugly crying in our corner over here because it’s available only in Texas.
Prices and plans: Astound Broadband (formerly Grande) has some of—if not the—cheapest prices for the download speeds it gives you. That’s what we call a high-value internet plan. Speed: Astound Broadband (formerly Grande) earned a spot in the top five for the fastest large internet providers in the US. And even when you count smaller providers, it’s still speedy enough to earn eighth place. Contracts, equipment, and fees: “No contracts” is what we like to hear. And we also love that Astound Broadband (formerly Grande) offers free installation and lets you bring your own equipment if you want to. Customer service: Listen, with few exceptions, internet customer service is just a mediocre experience at best. We doubt Astound Broadband (formerly Grande) is much different, though the ISP does offer online chat assistance, which we highly recommend using.
