Rise Broadband Reviews 2019

Pricing & Packages | Modem & Router | Features | Customer Service | Final Recommendation

Rise Broadband is a wireless internet provider that covers 19 US states, with the greatest coverage area being Texas, Colorado, and Illinois. The technology they use to offer their services is known as fixed wireless internet and is a good alternative for places where cable doesn’t deliver satisfactory connections or is nonexistent.

While their residential plans are a popular pick among customers who have had enough of slow internet speeds provided by cable, the technology they used to deliver internet services does have its faults too.

How Rise Broadband Internet Works

Essentially, Rise Broadband offers fixed wireless internet. This technology is like LTE in some ways, which is why it’s often mistaken for 4G LTE internet. But, the technology works differently.

Rather than broadcasting the signal in all directions like LTE towers, Rise Broadband uses focused point-to-point wireless technology. This means that the signal is pointed directly towards each subscriber from their terrestrial access points. So, anyone who has a direct line of sight to these access points will enjoy a seamless connection.

Users will need an antenna installed on their home to get the signal from these towers. Therefore, if you live in an area where there are lots of obstructions – trees, hills, or high buildings – you might not get a good enough signal to use their services.

Note: Before you can register for these services, a technician will visit the home to determine whether the location has a clear line of sight to get a clear signal from the tower.

Packages and Pricing

Rise Broadband offers a variety of packages, but it’s difficult to find all of them listed on their website. The only way those interested in their plans can check the available speeds and pricing in their area is by putting in their address.

Once you do so, you’ll be informed that you can choose between two available options:

• Speeds up to 25Mbps for $29.95 (Includes plans with 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25Mbps speeds)
• Speeds up to 50Mbps for $39.95 (Includes plan with 50Mbps speed)

These prices are valid for 12 months. After the 12-month period is over, the price for each deal increases by $10 for the following 12 months.

For more details of each plan, applicable fees, and the actual height of the monthly bill, we advise website visitors to contact Rise Broadband via chat or call them directly to get an accurate price.

Network Management and Performance

Rise broadband advertises speeds up to 50Mbps, but in reality, these sorts of speeds are rarely met, mainly because of the technology they use to deliver their internet services. They state that many of the factors and conditions that affect their internet speeds are “beyond Rise Broadband’s control.” The factors that play a big role in network performance include:

• User hardware – computer, phone, router capabilities
• Type of connection used – Wi-Fi usually has lower speeds than a cable connection
• Number of devices used at the same time – the higher the number of devices, the higher the chance internet will be slower
• They also state that large file downloads can affect the bandwidth they can deliver.
• They also cite the actual website and service as a limiting factor. If only one page or service is slow but other sites/services work fine, it’s not an internet speed issue; it’s a site/service issue.
• Network congestion is also a critical factor. If many customers use the same access point at the same time, the network will slow down.
• Weather is another limiting factor. Severe weather will heavily impact internet performance, as it can damage access points and make them inoperational.

Rise Broadband states that their “Internet packages are advertised as ‘up to’ certain speeds reflecting performance under ideal conditions. Without purchasing an expensive ‘dedicated’ internet connection, no Internet Service Provider can guarantee package speeds at all times.”

Users interested in their services should know “ideal conditions” are rarely met in reality, so you should expect lower speeds as a norm.

Fees

Rise Broadband has quite a number of additional fees that can quickly add to your monthly bill.

Most importantly, they are one of the very few providers that don’t offer anything towards residential installation. Usually, providers will waive the initial installation fee if users order services online, but with Rise Broadband, customers can only expect to get a 50% discount at best.

They only reserve the discount for those customers who sign a two-year contract. The standard installation fee is $149 and can be cut in half with a 2-year contract. That would bring it down to $74.50, which isn’t that affordable either. Also, if existing customers decide to upgrade their service plan, they will have to pay $150 for the upgrade.

The equipment rental fee is $10.99, and each month customers have to pay a recurring carrier cost recovery fee of $4.84. Rise Broadband explains that this fee helps cover the costs associated with building and maintaining their internet network.

Rise Broadband also has data caps that depend on the type of agreement and internet speed available to customers, so it’s important to ask about this before signing your agreement.

The overcharge fee, once you reach the data cap, is charged for each 10GB above the cap and will be $3.50 per 10GB.

Other fees that users have to look out for include:

• Unreturned equipment fee is $300 or the cost of equipment, whichever is greater.
• Early termination fee – $10 per month for each remaining month of the contract
• If users wish to receive a paper statement for the services, they will have to pay $5 per month for this.
• The convenience fee is the most interesting fee listed on their site, and it’s explained as the fee that is applied to any phone payments made by getting assistance from their call center representatives. The fee will be $10 for each use!

Fees Related to Late Payments and Insufficient Funds

Rise Broadband is very detailed about due dates and how much time customers have to cover payments before their service is interrupted or officially disconnected.

• The payment due date is set 15 days after the invoice date.
• The payment late date is set eight days after the bill due date.

If you miss paying the bill, your internet service will be:

• interrupted 25 days after due date
• officially disconnected 35 days after

Finally, the outstanding account balance will be submitted to collections 55 days after the due date and to get services back, you’ll have to pay a reconnect fee.

If the reconnect was requested after the service was interrupted or officially disconnected, customers will have to pay:

• $35 + the first month of service if the equipment wasn’t retrieved
• $100 + the first month of service if the equipment was already retrieved

In case the reconnect was requested after the account balance was submitted to collections, then users will have to pay $149 plus the first month of service and setup of account autopay.

Your Modem and Router

Rise Broadband customers will get a WRT500 wireless router that supports speeds of up to 300Mbps and have the latest encryption protocols alongside a one-year product warranty. Plus, customers can enjoy the managed router service from Rise Broadband that won’t cost anything extra. The router comes with an easy setup and connection so it can be used straight away.

The router comes with tech support that will troubleshoot all internet equipment, and if there are issues with the router or if it breaks, Rise Broadband will ship a new one within 3 to 5 business days.

Features and Benefits

Rise Boradband offers several additional services to their internet plan users:

PC Care service

Rise Broadband offers PC care services to its customers, giving them access to 24/7 support for computers and laptops. For $9.99 per month, customers will get tech coverage for hardware and software errors, PC tuneups, networking issues, and repair up to $500 per year. This package covers 1 PC or 1 mobile device.

If you choose the Premium Technical Support service plan, you will get everything from the PC care service plan, plus:

• support for their operating system
• content backup and share support
• virus/malware/spyware detection and removal
• service for third-party devices like printers and scanners
• setup and troubleshooting services for mobile devices
• TV and video support for smart TVs, game consoles, and Blu-ray devices

Paperless Billing

Customers can enroll in paperless billing and get all their monthly bills to the designated email address, which ensures they will always receive their bills on time and reduce their monthly bill by an additional $5 per month.

Rise Broadband Referral Program

Customers can earn $50 worth of free service for themselves and a friend they refer to Rise Broadband.

Customer Service

Rise Broadband is available via phone, email, and live chat services.

Their tech support is available 24/7 only with the above-mentioned PC Care or Premium Tech Support service. For customers who don’t use these features, they can contact tech support by calling 877-910-6207:

• Monday and Friday between 5 AM to 10 PM MT
• Saturday and Sunday between 7 AM and 8 PM MT

While this makes tech support available for the most part of the day, it falls behind other providers who are available 24/7 to all customers.

Their customer care line is available by calling 844-816-9149:

• Monday and Friday between 6 AM to 8 PM MT
• Saturday and Sunday between 7 AM and 5 PM MT

Customers can also reach them via support@risebroadband.com.

Depending on the specifics of your request, customers can also reach them via billing@risebroadband.com and info@risebroadband.com.

Rise Broadband has a large and extensive FAQ section on their website that users can browse and search through. The section covers everything from technical aspects to plans, pricing, general questions, and billing and payment. Still, it’s very difficult to find actual pricings, and visitors are advised to contact the provider directly with such inquiries.

As for customer reviews, the biggest complaint is that the service seems unreliable at times, with many customers citing that they can’t get maximum advertised package speeds and customer support doesn’t seem to have a resolution for their connectivity issues. On the other hand, positive reviews cite they have great technicians and no issues with connectivity with a good line of sight to the tower, so chances are that many negative reviews might have some line-of-sight issues.

Ways to Save on Rise Broadband

Go for contract deals

In addition to internet services, Rise Broadband offers a home phone service and DIRECTV and DISH Network that allow bundling satellite TV, with partnership agreements depending on location.

Bundle All Services

Users will get better prices for contract deals, and the longer the contract, the more data is included in the plans.

Opt for paperless billing

When users choose only paperless billing, they will save an additional $5 off the monthly bill.

Our Recommendation

Rise Broadband can be an alternative to traditional broadband services and is able to deliver speeds up to 50Mbps. But, the speeds vary by location, and since the technology used for services requires line of sight, the service is heavily impacted by location to the tower among other things.

For those with a clear line of sight, the service usually works great, but take note that Rise have quite a few fees on top of their packages to watch out for! If you have no other options in your area, Rise Broadband can be a valid choice, but if you do, shop around and compare first!