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3.3

Overall Score

Author: Kaitlyn Short

LAST UPDATED: August 29th, 2024

In 1933, Midcontinent Communications (Midco) was created to bring the leading technologies and media to the north plains. 

Over its almost 100 years in business, Midco has continually innovated and upgraded the service it provides to its customers. 

Midco offers download speeds up to 940 Mbps and upload speeds up to 20 Mbps. Customers can also bundle services for deals.

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Currently, Midco’s 300,000 customers enjoy fast broadband internet service with quick uploading and downloading speeds. Midco is committed to providing the best service for the areas it serves.

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The Good

  • Fast Speeds
  • Bundling Options

Fast Speeds

A major factor of internet service is the speeds that the companies provide for their customers. This is one of the major ways that Midco stands out among their competition within the industry. It offers quick downloading speeds that range up to 200 Mbps. While the downloading speeds are standard for the industry, Midco's uploading speeds are more impressive. Uploading speeds are a great deal slower than the downloading speed and are often overlooked. These speeds are:

  • Midco Xstream 25: 25 Mbps (downloading), 3 Mbps (uploading)
  • Midco Xstream 75: 75 Mbps, 7 Mbps
  • Midco Xstream 120: 120 Mbps, 12 Mbps
  • Midco Xstream 200: 200 Mbps, 20 Mbps

The speeds of the top three tier packages, (Midco Xstream 75, 120, and 200) are faster than those offered by other internet service providers. This can be important for customers who want to add content to the internet such as videos, and pictures.

Bundling Options

Many companies offer package deals with their internet service including phone and TV streaming.

Midco offers package deals along with smart home services. Providing smart home services is a unique aspect of this industry. Smart home services can include home security systems that can be monitored remotely through a mobile device. This innovative form of security is a huge empowerment for customers to feel safer when leaving their home.

Some packages also include the ability to control other aspects of the home remotely such as temperature, lights, and locks. These extra features can be very convenient for customers who are interested in home automation.

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The Bad

  • Lack of Antivirus Options
  • Customer Support

Lack of Antivirus options

Internet service providers have become a very large industry with high competition. Companies in this industry must stay competitive by offering high-quality services and competitive prices. Many companies in the industry offer online security features such as access to antivirus and anti-malware software.

These extra security features are extremely beneficial for customers to take advantage of. The internet can be a dangerous place, especially for personal information. Access to antivirus and anti-malware software can help protect customers from online threats.

Unfortunately, Midco does not offer this overall security to their packages. They do offer some security on their Midcontinent email accounts, but it only protects Midco email addresses. This should not be a deal breaker, but it can be a deciding factor if the customer is choosing between Midco and a company who does offer overall security.

Customer Support

Midco's customer support is lacking comparatively in the industry. Some other internet service providers offer their customers 24/7 technical support. This is convenient for customers who need assistance with their service outside of normal work hours. Midco does not offer this consistent support but they do offer an extensive forum and discussion board for customers to get answers and support.

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The Bottom Line

Midco is a really great option for internet service in the north plains. It provides fast upload speeds and average download speeds at a great price. 

Midco also offers package deals that include smart home services. However, it only offers service in four states North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. This leaves most of the country not covered by their service. The limited service area is a major drawback to the company.

Overall, the company offers great service for competitive prices. We recommend customers in the service areas to try Midco's services.

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Star Rating

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1.6

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107 Reviews

Review Breakdown

5 grade

7%

4 grade

6%

3 grade

0%

2 grade

7%

1 grade

79%

Sentiment Criteria

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Quality

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Justin Lawrence, KS

Generally solid provider with some hiccups. I have their gig service and am regularly able to get 800-900 Mbit/s on speed tests. This did require good quality network gear and some performance tuning -- do not expect these kind of rates out of any router you get at Best Buy ;). Service outages are infrequent, but often enough to be annoying. Like many other ISPs, their upload/download ratio is way out of balance. I've got 1000/20. I'd much prefer 500/50 instead. As always with all online reviews, I'd just ignore all 1 and (most) 5 star entries here (I really wish review sites would filter out people that only leave extreme reviews...) -- so many with unreasonable complaints, people that don't understand networking, writing in the heat of irritation, etc. As a side note, the "Lack of Antivirus options" complaint is just silly. Keep ISPs out of that business. Providing end system protection should either be user education or directed to appropriate professionals. Networking vendors should focus, on ya know, networking.

5 years ago

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Peter Mandan, ND

I've relocated to North Dakota and I've asked around who has the best price/services for internet. Many people have recommended Midco, their services have been reliable and the prices are competitive. 1Gbps Internet I weekly do speed tests via wifi and hardline. I get relatively pleasant results via. Understanding that if the device is connected via wifi, the speed will drop slightly. I do get under 10ms ping response time and over 400mbps via wifi. Hardline, I do get closer to the 1Gbps and under 5ms latency. I'm very satisfied with the Internet services. Basic Cable Cable services have been decent. I've had the suite package with all the channels. Unfortunately, the price was too much for me and downgraded to more basic. My household doesn't really watch TV anyway. I replaced the TiVo DVR unit for the basic cable box. I've noticed the basic cable box is much smaller and has a very dated looking user interface. I'm surprised seeing that kind of menu/guide in this day in age. Smart Home System A technician was scheduled to my home and he was very courteous. He was knowledgeable with the products and specifications with units. The camera system does have a small latency with the live feed, but nothing too concerning for me. The only gripe that I have is that I was informed that the web portal version of the smart home is discontinuing and no longer being supported. The only way to access the live feed is through the mobile app. The app is perfectly fine, I would like to have the option to remote into a web portal that I may have access to the live feed. Other than that, the services have been pretty good.

6 years ago

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Melinda Huntimer Sioux Falls, SD

Ben from Midco is my " Hero of the Day"! Long story short, I switched from a cable platform to an internet platform...forewarning ~ everyone will be converted to internet eventually! Due to the type of tv I have, [smart, but not that smart] plus surround sound, etc., Ben spent 4 hours at my house figuring everything out!! But, he was a trouper and had a "never give up" attitude. Dude was awesome!!! I've always had pretty good luck with Midco. There's only been a couple of times they've been unable to solve an issue, otherwise, they've been great! Highly recommend!!📺

1 year ago

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Travis Sioux Falls, SD

Apparently I must be an oddity based on the reviews here. My only major complaint is price, beyond that I've had mainly good experiences. I've rarely had issues with internet and I have the lowest package. The few times I've had to contact customer service I haven't had much problem and I've been able to get prompt service. The only other complaint I have is that their basic DVR boxes don't seem to be the greatest and I've had a few shows not record on me.

5 years ago

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Brittany Sioux Falls, SD

I've had Midco for four years now, and I've never had any problems. There's been the odd service outage due to severe weather or people digging without first getting underground lines marked, but other than that, nothing. And the main review is wrong - they do offer 24/7 technical support. They also offer support via social media from something like 9 am to 7 pm.

8 years ago

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Alan

Good Service and quick respose on trouble calls

5 years ago