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Armstrong Internet Review: Plans, Pricing and Availability Compared

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Pros

• Serviceable speeds
• No contracts
• Equipment included with most plans
• Local service and support

Cons

• High cost per Mbps
• Slower upload speeds
• Data cap with select plans

See more pros and cons

• Armstrong Internet Review: Plans, Pricing and Availability Compared
• Armstrong internet review
• Armstrong internet availability and technology
• Armstrong internet data caps, equipment and installation
• How does Armstrong internet compare?
• Armstrong internet and customer satisfaction
• Armstrong internet review recap
• Armstrong internet FAQs

Armstrong mostly offers cable internet, but certain addresses may be serviceable for its fiber tiers. With Armstrong internet, you can expect decent speeds and solid pricing from this regional internet provider. Armstrong's cable internet features download speeds of up to 1,000 megabits per second, unlimited data and no contracts. You'll find faster speeds with the fiber plans and overall better value in the long run, making Armstrong's fiber plans the better choice. However, the cable plans are no slouch, offering pretty decent speeds. You'll also want to be aware of a few things before signing up. I've broken down everything you need to know below, including service areas, plan details and how the provider compares to other possible internet options near you.

Armstrong is a family-owned and locally operated internet service provider based out of Butler, Pennsylvania, since 1943. This local provider primarily offers cable internet. However, prices tend to be a little higher and speed tiers are somewhat slower than comparable cable internet services, even more so compared to fiber internet. Still, Armstrong services areas that will be your best bet for internet in rural areas where DSL or satellite are the only other options.

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It's worth noting that Armstrong internet offers both cable and fiber internet. However, most households will likely be serviceable for their cable service. According to the latest data from the Federal Communications Commission, as of June 2024, Armstrong fiber provides only 0.101% of unit coverage in the US, versus 0.249% for cable. If your address is serviceable for the fiber plans, you'll likely find better value in its cost per Mbps. For instance, the starting fiber plan comes down to 70 cents per Mbps in the first year versus $1.40 for cable. With the exception of the Zoom Express fiber plan, you can expect a price jump of $20 to $40 a month for cable or fiber.

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As mentioned earlier, Armstrong's cable and fiber service will include a price hike after a year. This is rather a common sentiment that high pricing among internet service providers, particularly cable ISPs, is the result of monopolizing a service area and then jacking the prices up simply because they can. While that may be true for some, I don't get that impression with Armstrong's Zoom internet plans. For some of its cable plans, your prices will increase by around $20 or $35 after a year. However, this is on par with other cable providers. You'll likely see a higher price jump for its fiber plans, however, the fiber plans will offer you a better overall value in the long run. Furthermore, Armstrong doesn't exploit the common ways to get more money from customers, like trap-pricing and high equipment or installation fees.

In short, don't let the sticker price immediately turn you away from Armstrong. There's a lot to like about the service, especially if you have access to its speedy fiber plans. Armstrong doesn't impose data caps on customers, meaning you don't have to worry about paying data overage fees once you've reached a certain threshold. Other cable ISPs like Xfinity and Cox impose a monthly data cap of around 1.25TB data cap. Once you've reached that threshold, you can incur an additional $10 charge for every 50GB of data used.

Armstrong's cable internet has the greatest availability in western Pennsylvania, particularly in and around its home city of Butler, but service also reaches Pittsburgh and surrounding suburbs, including Mount Pleasant, Stockdale and Cranberry Township. Coverage extends across the Ohio border, and those south of Cleveland, such as Medina and Ashland, are likely to be served by Armstrong as well.

How many members of your household use the internet?

Other Armstrong service areas include parts of West Virginia like Harrisville and southern New York throughout much of Allegany and Steuben counties. You may also find Armstrong internet in a small pocket along the Maryland-Pennsylvania border northeast of Baltimore or within a tiny sliver in Kentucky where the commonwealth meets West Virginia and Ohio.

Currently, Armstrong's fiber internet coverage is still limited across its footprint. Residents in Harrisville, West Virginia, and Salamanca, New York, will find the most coverage.

It's worth noting that Armstrong offers other internet connection types such as DSL and fiber, but it's primarily a cable provider. In nearly all service areas, Armstrong uses a cable internet network, that is, one that sends internet service via coaxial cables. There are some advantages to cable internet, such as widespread availability and fast download speeds. Common drawbacks to cable include slow upload speeds and network congestion, which can lead to slower download speeds during peak usage times.

Fiber internet overcomes many of cable's shortcomings, and Armstrong does have a very small but growing fiber network. According to the FCC, Armstrong provides 0.101% of unit coverage for fiber service. Those in Harrisville, West Virginia and and Salamanca, New York, will have the best chance at fiber service, but again, most households within Armstrong service areas will have a cable internet connection. A very select few addresses may also have access to Armstrong's DSL service, providing only 0.009% of unit coverage. But if it's slower, DSL service is all you have, consider looking for service elsewhere.

Armstrong largely operates in areas that could be considered suburban or even rural, where high-speed connections may not be the most accessible. In such areas, DSL and satellite are often the only other options, and I'd say cable internet, including that from Armstrong, will be the better choice 99% of the time. 

You're likely to get more speed and value with Armstrong, not to mention a more reliable connection. Satellite internet plans from Hughesnet and Viasat all come with a cost per Mbps of over a dollar, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a DSL plan with a cost per Mbps lower than 50 cents from any provider. Armstrong may have higher pricing than select providers around the US, but it very well may offer the best value compared to what's actually available in your area.

The good news about Armstrong's Zoom internet plans and pricing is that there isn't much else inflating the overall cost. Whether you sign up for cable or fiber service, Armstrong's service details are simple and straightforward, which is less of a headache for customers. Here are the details.

Wi-Fi equipment is included at no extra cost with Zoom and Zoom Extreme, and all plans feature whole-home coverage with simple monitoring and control using the Plume HomePass app for Android and iOS users. Plume Wi-Fi isn't the most advanced mesh Wi-Fi system, but it'll get the job done, especially considering that it's free. If you consider that most ISPs tack on an additional $15 equipment fee to your monthly bill, Armstrong's free equipment is certainly a plus.

With Armstrong internet, your service comes with no data caps. For home internet users, having no data caps means you won't need to worry about paying data overage fees or your ISP throttling your speeds once you've reached a certain threshold.

Professional installation will cost you a one-time fee of $25. Armstrong internet's installation fee is on the lower end of the spectrum, especially if you consider that most ISPs typically charge customers an installation fee between $45 to $100 or more. For instance, Spectrum and Xfinity customers will have to pay a one-time fee of $65 and $100, respectively. So, in that case, a $25 installation charge is a solid deal. For select addresses, Armstrong will offer customers free installation when signing up online.

As mentioned above, Armstrong isn't the cheapest cable internet provider, but it's not priced drastically higher than other cable ISPs, and may even be cheaper than some leading providers, like Cox. Chances are, you won't have the option of Armstrong or other cable internet providers, save for maybe Spectrum, which shares a few service areas with Armstrong. Given the option of the two, my vote would go to Spectrum for its faster speed tiers, unlimited data and better overall value.

Depending on which Armstrong service area you live in, you may also have the option of fiber internet from AT&T, CenturyLink, Frontier, Verizon Fios or others. If so, I'd recommend considering them first. That's nothing against Armstrong, but you'll get a faster, more reliable (and probably cheaper) connection with fiber-optic service compared to cable internet.

While fiber service may be offered in your area, it's possible that DSL is the only other wired connection available at your address. Just the same as fiber is preferable to cable internet, cable will be preferable to DSL in most cases. DSL plans from AT&T, CenturyLink, Frontier and Verizon start in the $40 to $65 range and may not deliver speeds fast enough to be considered broadband, so Armstrong will often be your better option, even if it does cost a little more.

Then, there are wireless connections like satellite and 5G. If your choice comes down to Armstrong or satellite, a quick look at the plans is all it will take to realize Armstrong is the better choice by far.

On the other hand, 5G home internet service from providers like T-Mobile and Verizon may be a viable alternative. T-Mobile's 5G home internet plan starts at $50 to $70 per month for speeds ranging from 87 to 415Mbps. Verizon's 5G home internet service offers a similar prices for speeds of 300 to 1,000Mbps, though availability is far more limited than with T-Mobile.

All of this is to say, don't assume Armstrong is the only option for internet in your area. There are a variety of providers with differing, or even the same, connection types in many Armstrong service areas, so you always want to be sure to explore your internet options. Armstrong may prove to be the best provider for your home or not; it all depends on your needs and what's available. 

The two big sources of customer satisfaction data for internet service providers, American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power, don't provide specific information on Armstrong, unfortunately, so it's tough to get an overall sense of what customers think of its Zoom internet service.

I can say that, although it is not a BBB Accredited Business, Armstrong does have an A-rating with the Better Business Bureau. Customer reviews on the site give Armstrong a 1.15 out of 5 stars. Not pretty, I admit, but still more or less on par for cable ISPs. Of the current complaints closed in the last year, most are in regard to cable television or billing issues, not necessarily internet service or performance.

As for service reliability, downdetector.com shows that Armstrong internet is vulnerable to outages like any internet provider would be, but reports of outages are fairly few and far between. (Disclosure: Downdetector is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.) Armstrong doesn't have the same customer base as, say, Xfinity or Spectrum, so the number of reported outages will be lower by default, but I don't see any overwhelming red flags that would indicate Armstrong internet customers frequently experience service outages.

Zoom internet speeds are average (maybe even below average for a cable internet service), and pricing is a bit on the high side, so Armstrong wouldn't be my first overall choice for internet service. It wouldn't be my last choice, either, particularly if faced with DSL or satellite as my only other internet options. Yes, Armstrong is more expensive than most, but the speeds are serviceable for most home internet use and the free equipment rental and installation takes a bit of the sting off the price.

What is Armstrong's Zoom internet?

Zoom is the brand name of Armstrong's internet service, similar to Kinetic by Windstream, Charter's Spectrum or Comcast's Xfinity. Your monthly rate will vary depending on the connection type. Armstrong offers mostly cable internet but some addresses may be serviceable for the fiber tiers. Zoom internet cable customers typically have three plans starting at $35 to $75 per month in the first year for speeds ranging from 25Mbps to 1,000Mbps. Zoom internet fiber customers will see faster speeds ranging from 50Mbps to 1,000Mbps, starting at $35 to $70 in the first year.

Zoom internet is separate from Zoom Broadband, which is a regional ISP that operates in select areas of Georgia, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas. 

What is Armstrong's Zoom Enhanced Wi-Fi?

Zoom Enhanced Wi-Fi is included at no additional cost with all plans excluding Zoom Express. The service comes with necessary Wi-Fi equipment for whole-home coverage, built-in online security features and control and monitoring via the Plume HomePass. 

Can I get fiber internet with Armstrong?

Yes, Armstrong offers fiber-to-the-premises internet connections in select areas. However, coverage is limited. According to the Federal Communications Commission, Armstrong's fiber service provides only 0.101% of unit coverage nationwide. Residents in Harrisville, West Virginia, and Salamanca, New York, will find the most coverage. The vast majority of Armstrong service areas still use a coaxial, cable internet network.

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