Midco Internet Speed Test

Midco — formerly Midcontinent Communications — is a regional internet provider serving the Upper Midwest: North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Kansas. They are not a national giant like Xfinity or AT&T, but in their service area, Midco is often the best option available, especially since their aggressive Fiber Forward initiative has been rolling out multi-gigabit fiber to communities that previously only had cable.

What sets Midco apart from many regional providers is that they offer no data caps on any plan, no contracts required (though they offer a 3-year price lock option), and they have been steadily upgrading infrastructure while larger ISPs in rural areas have stagnated. If you are a Midco customer, this speed test will tell you whether your connection is performing as advertised — or if something needs attention.

Midco Internet Plans at a Glance

Midco offers three connection types: Fiber, Cable, and Fixed Wireless. Fiber is the best, cable is solid, and fixed wireless is a rural fallback. Here is what each tier actually delivers:

The big takeaway: Midco Fiber plans are symmetrical — upload matches download. Cable plans are not. If you work from home, do video calls, or upload large files, this distinction matters enormously. A 1 Gig cable plan giving you 50 Mbps upload is a very different experience from a 1 Gig fiber plan giving you 1,000 Mbps upload.

Fiber vs Cable on Midco — What Actually Changes

If Midco Fiber has reached your address, switching from cable is worth serious consideration. Here is why the technology matters beyond just the headline download number:

• Symmetric upload: Fiber gives you the same upload speed as download. Cable gives you a fraction — often 20-60 Mbps upload regardless of your download tier. This affects Zoom calls, cloud backup, Google Drive sync, and any live streaming you do.
• Latency: Fiber typically delivers 1-5 ms ping to regional servers. Cable averages 10-25 ms. For gaming, that difference is noticeable.
• Congestion: Cable internet shares bandwidth with your neighbors through a shared coaxial node. During peak evening hours (7-11 PM), you may see speeds drop. Fiber uses dedicated strands — your connection is yours alone.
• Reliability: Coaxial cable is susceptible to signal degradation over distance and from corroded connectors. Fiber optic cable is immune to electromagnetic interference and does not degrade over residential distances.

What Your Speed Test Results Should Look Like

On a wired Ethernet connection directly to your Midco modem or ONU:

• Fiber 125: ~118-125 Mbps down, ~118-125 Mbps up
• Fiber 500: ~475-500 Mbps down, ~475-500 Mbps up
• Fiber 1 Gig: ~920-950 Mbps down, ~920-950 Mbps up
• Fiber 2 Gig: ~1,800-2,000 Mbps down, ~950-1,000 Mbps up (requires 2.5GbE adapter)
• Fiber 5 Gig: ~4,500-5,000 Mbps down, ~4,500-5,000 Mbps up (requires 5GbE adapter)
• Cable 1 Gig: ~900-950 Mbps down, ~45-50 Mbps up
• Cable 1.25 Gig: ~1,100-1,250 Mbps down, ~50-60 Mbps up
• Latency: 1-5 ms (Fiber), 10-25 ms (Cable)

If you are testing over Wi-Fi, expect lower numbers. A Wi-Fi 6 device near the router typically gets 400-700 Mbps. An older Wi-Fi 5 device may cap at 200-350 Mbps. This is not a Midco problem — it is the physical limit of wireless technology. Always test wired first to isolate whether a speed issue is your ISP connection or your wireless setup.

Midco Equipment: ONU, Modems, and Routers

One of the more confusing parts of any ISP setup is the equipment. Here is what Midco uses:

Fiber customers get an Optical Network Unit (ONU) installed by a Midco technician. The fiber cable from the street terminates at this device. You cannot replace the ONU — it is Midco's property. From the ONU, you connect your router via Ethernet cable. Midco offers a wireless gateway for lease, but it maxes out at 1 Gbps. If you are on the 2 Gig or 5 Gig plan, you must use your own router with a WAN port rated for your plan speed (2.5GbE for 2 Gig, 5GbE for 5 Gig).

Cable customers use a DOCSIS 3.1 modem. You can lease one from Midco (which includes managed firmware updates) or use your own Midco-approved modem. Using your own modem eliminates the monthly rental fee, but you are responsible for firmware updates and troubleshooting.

For better Wi-Fi coverage, Midco offers Wi-Fi pods for rent — mesh satellite units that extend your wireless network to dead zones. If your home is under 1,500 sq ft with the router centrally located, you probably do not need them. If your home is larger or has multiple floors, they can make a real difference.

How to Log Into Your Midco Router

To access your Midco modem or gateway settings:

1. Connect to your Midco network (wired Ethernet is most reliable)
2. Open a browser and go to 192.168.0.1
3. For Midco-provided modems: try username cusadmin with your current Wi-Fi password
4. For ARRIS modems: try admin / password
5. Check the sticker on the back of your modem for default credentials — Midco technicians may have changed them during installation

You can also manage your Wi-Fi settings through the Midco Wi-Fi app (available on iOS and Android), which lets you change your network name, password, view connected devices, and run basic diagnostics without logging into the router's admin panel.

Troubleshooting: My Midco Speed Is Slower Than Expected

Before calling Midco support, work through these steps:

1. Test wired first. Connect your computer directly to the modem or ONU with an Ethernet cable and run this speed test again. If wired speed matches your plan but Wi-Fi is slow, the problem is your wireless setup — not your ISP connection.

2. Restart your equipment. Unplug the modem and router (or ONU and router) for 30 seconds. Plug the modem/ONU back in first, wait for all lights to stabilize (about 2 minutes), then plug in the router. This clears the modem's session table and forces a fresh connection to Midco's network.

3. Check your Ethernet cable. A damaged or Cat5 cable will bottleneck your connection. For gigabit speeds, you need at least a Cat5e cable. For multi-gig plans (2 Gig or 5 Gig), you need Cat6 or better. A bad cable is an incredibly common and overlooked cause of slow wired speeds.

4. Verify your device supports your plan speed. Many laptops have 1 GbE Ethernet ports — they physically cannot exceed ~940 Mbps. If you are on the 2 Gig plan, you need a USB-C to 2.5GbE adapter or a laptop with a built-in 2.5 GbE port. Check your device's network adapter specifications.

5. Check for bandwidth hogs. Other devices on your network streaming 4K video, downloading game updates, or running cloud backups can consume significant bandwidth. Pause those activities and retest.

6. Test at different times. Cable customers may experience slowdowns during peak hours (7-11 PM) when neighbors are heavily online. If speeds are fine at 2 PM but slow at 9 PM, congestion on your local node is the likely cause. Fiber customers generally do not experience this issue.

7. Contact Midco. If wired speeds are consistently below 80% of your plan speed after working through these steps, call Midco at 1.800.888.1300 (available 24/7). They can run remote diagnostics on your line and dispatch a technician if needed.

Midco's Fiber Forward Initiative

Midco has been investing heavily in fiber expansion through their Fiber Forward program. As of 2025, they have expanded symmetrical 1 Gbps and 2 Gbps plans to more communities, and the 5 Gig tier is now available in select fiber markets. They also acquired SCI Broadband to extend their reach into rural Minnesota.

If Midco Fiber is not yet available at your address, it is worth checking periodically. Their expansion is ongoing, and communities that only had cable a year ago may now have fiber as an option. You can check availability at midco.com or call 1.800.888.1300.

How Midco Compares to Regional Competitors

• CenturyLink / Lumen overlaps with Midco in several markets. CenturyLink offers fiber in some areas but their DSL service is notoriously slow. In markets where both have fiber, pricing is comparable, but Midco's local customer support is generally better reviewed.
• Starlink is an alternative in rural areas where Midco's fixed wireless or cable does not reach. Starlink delivers 50-250 Mbps with higher latency (25-60 ms). If Midco Fiber or Cable is available, it will outperform Starlink in both speed and latency.
• Spectrum competes with Midco in some Wisconsin markets. Spectrum offers higher cable speeds on paper but has data caps in some areas and does not offer the same symmetrical fiber experience that Midco provides.

No Contracts, No Caps — What Midco Gets Right

Give credit where it is due. Midco includes several customer-friendly features that many larger ISPs do not:

• Unlimited data: Every plan, no caps, no overage charges. Period.
• No contracts: Month-to-month service is the default. If you want price stability, they offer a voluntary 3-year price lock.
• 24/7 support: Call 1.800.888.1300 any time. They also have local offices in their service area where you can talk to a person face-to-face — something increasingly rare in the ISP world.
• Local presence: Midco is headquartered in Sioux Falls, SD and operates as a regional company. Technicians are local, not contracted from a third party.

Answers to Common Midco Questions

Do I need a special adapter for 2 Gig or 5 Gig plans?

Yes. Most computers have standard 1 Gigabit Ethernet ports that cap at ~940 Mbps. For the 2 Gig plan, you need a 2.5 GbE USB-C adapter or a router/PC with a 2.5GbE port. For the 5 Gig plan, you need a 5 GbE port or 10GbE adapter. Without the right hardware, you will never see speeds above ~940 Mbps regardless of your plan.

Does Midco throttle streaming services?

No. As a regional ISP, Midco does not engage in traffic shaping or throttling specific services like Netflix, YouTube, or gaming. Your traffic is treated equally regardless of destination.

Can I keep my phone number if I switch to Midco?

If you are switching from another provider that offers phone service, yes — Midco supports Local Number Portability. Contact Midco before canceling your old service to initiate the number transfer.

What is Midco's support number?

Technical and billing support: 1.800.888.1300, available 24/7. You can also visit midco.com for live chat and account management.