dslreports logo

Review by TheGameGoat See Profile

  • Location: Huron, Beadle, SD, USA
  • Cost: $110 per month
  • Install: about 1 days
High, stable download speeds. Very seldom outages. No data limits. Quick, reliable, human, brain-possessing tech support.
Upload speeds are pretty much 20 mbps max for every level of service.
Best ISP in the US.
Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection Reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

I've been using Midco now for about 9 years and Midco is one of only a few ISPs available in my area, and to be honest I count myself lucky for that because Midco is, in my opinion, the best ISP in the US. With no limits on data, stable speeds, and a reliable connection, Midco has always been great to me. Crossing my fingers that they run fiber optic in my area soon.

member for 3 years, driveby review (so far)
updated 3 years ago







Review by ji See Profile

  • Location: Minneapolis, Anoka, MN, USA
  • Cost: $85 per month
  • No Cap
Great value, no contracts, wonderful routing
Buggy website, better to order over phone
One of the few decent DOCSIS providers out there!
Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection Reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

Been running for a few months now so I will make a detailed review

I recently got this service along with my new house Gigabit for 65/mo+modem/fees, except when trying to order through the website there were countless glitches in their work-order system that made them forget about me until I made a call. After that got a self-install kit (Hitron CODA45, dual port, no LACP ) and was immediately rolling. No issues were ever noticed apart from the ordering hiccup

About a month in Midco joined the MICE exchange (Unheard of for a bigger ISP to be coming in as a route server user) and I noticed vastly better performing routes once they got on the route server, so it only keeps getting better!

member for 10.9 years, 669 visits, last login: 4 days ago
lodged 3.3 years ago


dcshobby
Premium Member
join:2004-11-24
Rochester, MN

dcshobby

Premium Member

No MICE

They actually haven't turned up their MICE connection yet. Traffic graphs show no traffic yet so I'm not sure how you're seeing routes through there yet.

ji
libera anima vestra
Premium Member
join:2013-04-20
Minneapolis, MN

ji

Premium Member

Re: No MICE

i have a VPN with a connection to there, so that could also be it and silly me didnt realize it

Review by BanSam See Profile

  • Location: Rapid City, Pennington, SD, USA
  • Cost: $91 per month (24 month contract)
  • Install: about 5 days
Speed, Price
None
Glad to be in a Competitive Market
Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection Reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

So I ordered the 1Gig package, the real world speed I get hovers around 900, which really isn't bad. I have to pay a $50 installation fee for a tech to come and check the line, but that seems par for the course nowadays.

I've had the service for close to 3 years now, and it's overall been rock solid.

We did however go through a month of pretty rocky service. But the good news about being in market too small for the Comcraps or Verizon to be interested in is that we have true competition.

As soon as I called them and said I was tired of the service and was going to move to VAST 1Gig, they instantly dropped the price by $20 for 2 years.

One additional note, the original install came with a Hitron wireless modem. Never could get the wifi to work very well and used my own Asus for wifi and disabled the wifi in the Hitron. When the increased the modem rental fee to $7/month I simply downgraded the modem to the non wifi version

member for 6.9 years, 319 visits, last login: 2.5 years ago
updated 4.2 years ago


Review by Shango See Profile

  • Location: Lawrence, Douglas, KS, USA
  • Cost: $100 per month
Reliable, easy enough to deal with, good download speeds.
Not enough upload speed to go with the fast downloads.
Solid provider, needs more upstream.
Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection Reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

Generally happy with the services. I've been a customer of the ISP in various incarnations for a while (Sunflower Broadband -> Knology -> WOW -> Midco), I'd say Midco and Sunflower being the best incarnations.

I'd really like to see better upstream numbers. I upgraded to the current 1000/20 package from a 110/10 package; so the download to upload ratio dropped by over half. Given the number of cloud services, desire to upload videos and photos, etc., more upstream is required.

Would also like to see better IPv6 support. Only one /64 prefix delegation supported, which becomes problematic when one wants more VLANs -- I can get multiple public IPv4 addresses. How about at least one PD per IPv4 address?

member for 7.2 years, 93 visits, last login: 1.2 years ago
updated 5 years ago


Review by unit_shifter See Profile

  • Location: Moorhead, Clay, MN, USA
  • Cost: $6 per month
  • Install: about 3 days
  • No Cap
Without question THE BEST ISP i've even ever heard of
Not available everywhere in state, cheapest service tier $40 unless you get Lifeline (then its best Lifeline avail)
Cancel and convert, don't even waste time with others.
Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection Reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

I've used multiple tiers of Midco's service in the past from the 25down/3up basic to 50down/6up the 100down/10up speed (which has since been upgraded to 120down/12up I think) to now the Lifeline/"obamaphone ISP" level and no matter what you use the service has been absolutely top tier. I've had a handful of connection hiccups once in a great while but it's a rarity and I can't even rule out it's on the side of my LAN or router. A few times tech support has been mildly slow to respond but that's like a 12 minute wait, vs the horrific nightmares I used to have for Comcast (1hr plus) and Qwest/CenturyLink (2hrs then they hang up on you and you start over) who I used both of in the past.

They are so far above and beyond everyone else there's no comparison with the possible exception of fiber to the home solutions with equal upload speeds if they are true no caps and haven't oversold their upstream bandwidth.

They have new even faster 200mbit and I think 300mbit speeds in some areas now and even a gigabit speed coming though none have more than 20meg upload. Perhaps the only thing I wish they had was more upload available even if as an extra charge.

They say no caps and they mean it - I was doing HEAVY software development for awhile and needed to mirror 45 TERABYTES of data from work and then push updated data back for months at a time so I went to the 100meg speed. I beat that modem like a pinata keeping a NAS mirrored at home and acting as an alternate/unofficial server point for groupware from work at other times. They never complained, I asked outright if they minded and they said no, they'd just upgraded their network and it made no difference to them.

They have periodically upgraded all existing speeds without any price increase I remember. (100/10 became 120/12 later, 50/5 became 75/6 I think, etc.)

They have the absolute best Lifeline service - which my girlfriend qualifies for (and i'm no longer working from home) - under $6/month including a rental modem with no deposits, for 25down/3up internet NO CAPS go ahead and pull 6 terabytes a month if you want. Go netflix CRAZY. It's the same identical service that's the $40 tier, no degrading or cheating you out.

The only people that might not want Midco are cheapskates who don't qualify for Lifeline and don't want to pay $40/month for basic even if to avoid hassle, caps, and random overage charges.

Advertised speeds have always been the REAL speeds. When I upgraded to 50down and 100down I absolutely maxed my pipe every day of the night or day, including evenings and weekends. None of this "up to" crap. The only reason I eventually dropped back down was my slow older NAS couldn't keep up and make use of the 100down properly. I'd NEVER not gotten full maximum speed from any test I did at least in my area code and network. Reputation is this should be true in most places.

Renting a docsis modem for $3/month was affordable. If standards ever upgrade or it burns out sounds like you just get another.

I never had to agree to any contracts it was always month by month. I adjusted speeds up and down and was prorated parts of months accordingly, the change was instant.



member for 7.5 years, 24 visits, last login: 5.3 years ago
lodged 6.7 years ago


Anon0e616
@midco.net

Anon0e616

Anon

Midco service

I cnt wait to get rid of this service!!! The hold times for any simple question are ridiculous, the prices are ridiculous and you get No help!!!! If I could rate Midco below zero I would! Dnt waste your time or money. A complete joke!

Anon8df02
@midco.net

Anon8df02

Anon

Re: Midco service

I completely agree if it wasn't for lack of competition I would drop this horrible isp. Midco seems great to those who run standard speed tests especially with ookla as it connects to their home network in your city which don't provide you with accurate results. Realistically that 8ms ping is 80ms and that 75mbps your suppose to be getting is really between 55&65. Then you take into consideration how many times you lose your internet for days at a time every year and other times your ping is so bad you would actually load pages faster on a better isp that only have you 40mbps. Gaming has always been subpar with the high ping and slow upload for what your paying. You also need to take into consideration that high download speeds and low upload speeds are the biggest cause of bufferbloat which at times with heavier congestion or midco just not performing right that night will make it impossible to play certain games like rl or big fps like pubg as the real game play on the server is not the same as the game play on your tv due to severe ping fluctuation which you can't even get use to and adjust your playing accordingly. It's sad when you can honestly say that a 5mbps dl satellite isp played more accurately on cod bo2 than midco did at 60mbps. Service is junk, techs takes weeks to get there, customer service is kinda a joke, modems that they provide burn out every 2 to 4 years. Great for streaming movies and downloading torrents provided you have service at that time but gamers may want to look elsewhere as there is some good competition springing up in rural areas outside of major cities i can't remember what it was but it started with a B. I love how 3/4 of the people run under 60ms ping and I'm sitting between 80&160 keep up the good work midco by increasing download speed every year and my bill every 4 to 6 months rather than work on the other 2 areas which should have been taken care of before 2010.

Review by ColeStorm See Profile

  • Location: Vermillion, Dakota, MN, USA
  • Cost: $99 per month
  • Install: about 16 days
Great video quality and speed...Quality installation
over 2 weeks from order to install
Drop that aging DSL for a brand new network
Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection Reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

Recently switched from an aging Century Link DSL 1.5mb circuit and land line to a triple play bundle with Midcontinent. I will not go into how substandard the former DSL was. I was disappointed that it was going to be over 2 weeks to install. The installer was incredible - very informative and courteous and did the entire install in less than 45 minutes which included running a new line. I opted for their mid-tier plan along with expanded HD cable and basic telephone service. They have rebuilt their entire network in my town this summer.

The new modem, which will support gigabit service when they launch it is a little larger than a deck of cards. I have been told that this is uncapped service.

So far the picture quality is amazing. I have a Motorola HD box which offers less pixilation and clearer picture than I had from Comcast at my previous residence.

My speed tests are over 70mbs on the download and 7 on the upload. Have not run into any issues in the three weeks that I have had it. On the telephone side I did run into a problem where for an hour I could not make ANY outgoing calls because it said all circuits were busy. This cleared up on its own and have not seen a repeat.

Overall, this is a great value and a great product. Thanks Mid-continent for serving the small rural communities that the big boys are neglecting. If MidCo is an option for you, drop that DSL and go for it.

member for 22.7 years, 5613 visits, last login: a few hours ago
updated 8.6 years ago


Review by rekabbelac See Profile

  • Location: Grand Forks, Grand Forks, ND, USA
  • Cost: $53 per month
  • No Cap
Solid connection. Good prices, deliver on promised bandwidth. Support is great.
Occasional peering routing issues (but rare).
If Micontinent is an option for you, you should choose it!
Connection Reliability:
Tech Support:
Value for money:

I originally had a 20 down / 4 up package, got bumped up to a 60 down 6 up package without a price increase about a year ago. I provide my own modem and equipment.

member for 8.7 years, driveby review (so far)
lodged 8.7 years ago


madashell
@midco.net

madashell

Anon

burying cable

I had tv problems in may. they came out quickly and put a new cable in WHICH HAS LAID IN MY YARD FOR 3 MONTHS!!!! I CALLED 4 DIFFERENT TIMES AND WAS TOLD IT WAS THE CONTRACTORS FAULT WHO BURIED THEM. NOW AFTER 4 MONTHS THEY COME OUT PUT FLAGS ALL OVER MY YARD AND TELL ME IT COULD BE ANOTHER MONTH BEFORE IT IS BURIED!!!!!!! I AM DISABLED AND HAVE A HARD TIME GETTING ON AND OFF MY RIDING LAWN MOWER AND YET I HAD TO DO THIS ALL SUMMER LONG SO THAT I WOULD NOT RUN OVER THE CABLE. WHEN I CALLED AND TALKED TO A MANAGER SHE LAUGHED AT ME BECAUSE I WAS SO UPSET AND SAID THERE IS NOTHING SHE COULD DO. I ASKED TO TALK TO A HIGHER UP AND SHE SAID SHE WAS THE HIGHEST MANAGER THERE!!! THEY CAN WAIT UNTIL WINTER NOW BECAUSE I AM SICK AND TIRED OF DEALING WITH UTTER INCOMPTENCE!!!! LIFE IS HARD ENOUGH FOR A CRIPPLED PERSON AND I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO DEAL WITH THESE IDOTS!!!! MIDCONT MIGHT HAVE GOOD CABLE SERVICE BUT ARE TERRIBLE WITH THE OUTDOOR SERVICES. THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT PEOPLE AT ALL!!!!!






Review by Phoenix Gold See Profile

  • Location: Aberdeen, Brown, SD, USA
  • Cost: $107 per month
  • Install: about 5 days
fast reliable and cheap
promotional pricing will end after 24 months
60/6mb internet, expanded cable and HBO = $107 a month
Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection Reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

reliable, fast and cheap. Walked into a a midco store and the guy set me up with a good tv/internet bundle- 60/6mb, top tier cable package and HBO. Including modem rental and cable card rental for $107 with tax. The midco cable card install was easy too.

member for 22.3 years, 1470 visits, last login: 2.5 years ago
lodged 9.5 years ago







Review by volta88 See Profile

  • Location: Zimmerman, Sherburne, MN, USA
  • Cost: $60 per month (month by month)
  • Install: about 7 days
Ripping speeds, friendly and inteligent customer service
nothing really
Highly reccomend
Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection Reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

I've had midco for about a year now (formerly US Cable) and what really prompted me to write this review was after I was forced to get windstream at my business.

Going from my midco line, to the windstream line at work really puts the overall value I'm getting into perspective. At my place of business, I'm paying 80 bucks for 12 down and 1 up, in both cases I'm only getting about 80% of that though, even though I'm literally 1 mile from their main pipe in the center of town.

With my midco line, in many cases I'm getting far and above what I'm paying for (12/1.5) with my actual download speeds many times in the 15 Mb range and uploads into the 2.2 Mb range.

In comparision, it's a far faster, far more stable connection at a better cost, and at 5pm when my windstream line is clogged and bogged down, I'm pulling the same speed on the midco line as I would at 2 or 4 in the morning.

When you call customer service, they know what they're talking about and aren't going to dick you around, much more than I can say about windstream's reps, to whom I had to explain the difference between megabit and a megabyte (no, I'm not kidding unfortunately.)

Just my experience thus far, but these dudes know what they're doing, and have made me a very happy customer.

Update - 11-11-12 - They've just expanded their service in my zip code, I'm now getting about 34 megs down and 5 up, wow. What a massive difference in speed. Line is still stout as ever, and still blazing fast. Highly recommend.

As an aside, still on my windstream line at the office in town. Hurts, but one day I'm praying a suitable provider will pull a line over to that side of town. For now, I come home to do my large uploads.

member for 11.8 years, 3 visits, last login: 10.7 years ago
updated 10.7 years ago


NextDoor
@myvzw.com

NextDoor

Anon

MidCon

Hey Dan. Good review.

Review by Deft See Profile

  • Location: Grand Forks, Grand Forks, ND, USA
  • Cost: $97 per month
  • Install: about 7 days
Excellent Download/Upload for the Price
Nothing
Possibly the best still in North Dakota
Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection Reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

1st time i got it was 3yrs ago and all i had was a 3mb down/ 128mb up 29.99/mth.. then after about 8 months they came out with an upgrade.. to 256mb up 29.99/mth then after a year or more they sent out Midco Max which is what i have now. and thats 5mb down and 512 up 49.99/mth.

The Tech was excellent both times (since i moved) and both EARLY!! so yea all in all if youre in the ND area and are within the 2800 feet i think.. definitly get MIDCO dont get that crap DSL.. just isnt the same.

***UPDATE** I've moved back to GF,ND its been 2yrs since ive had Midco and WOW they just updated yet again!!! i now have 10mb/1mb down its just amazing! and the Price is unreal 99$ for 1 YEAR!! thats of course without taxes! but you cant beat that hell no!

*****UPDATE**** Recently went to a new package of 89,95 for 6mths and get unthrottled download *16meg* and 768 up, also get 30HD Channels all HBO channels and 200+ channels with that rate..

******UPDATE***** Went to another new Package and its even better 114.00 for ONE YEAR no CONTRACT same as above but with phone and midco just upgraded their servers yet again! now i get 25mbps down and 2mbps up! woohoo!

****UPDATE***** Still on same package as above wont be downgrading nor upgrading being im to the most upgradable stuff

****UPDATE*** Downgraded to do financial issues but still great service! and always up to date on everything.. (TV, Internet) dont use phone line. i believe they have a 50/15 internet now.. which is the DOCSIS 3.0.

******UPDATE****** under same tier as before. still great service and now they are advertising 100/50 on tv but hasnt showed up in Grand Forks. but i would assume in the South Dakota area its there.

member for 20.5 years, 3840 visits, last login: 7.3 years ago
updated 11.1 years ago