T-Mobile 5G Home Internet Service Review
T-Mobile has been providing 5G home internet service for a over a year now and for some people it works well. For others, not so much. While we have written extensively on the early release of their product, we thought we should take another look.
Does T-Mobile 5G Home Internet Service Work?
Yes, but it depends on location. As always, the best option for internet service is fiber. If you can get fiber to your home, get fiber, but if you live close to 5G towers, then T-Mobile might be a good option. If you live far from a 5G tower, then you might want to go with cable internet.
T-Mobile has been expanding coverage, especially in the suburbs while Verizon 5G has been focused on cities. Both are decent options if you can’t get fiber or hate the cable company but it all depends on proximity to 5G towers.
And remember, if your phone is 5G capable, but you can’t get 5G service at your home, then 5G home internet service will probably not work in your home.
Pros and Cons of T-Mobile 5G
| Pros | Cons | ||
| T-Mobile 5G Fixed Wireless | $30-$50 | – Lower price – No monthly equipment rental fee – Save more money if bundled with cell phone plan | – Limited availability – Still in its early phase – Reliability is dependent on distance from towers – Device positioning in the home is not always optimal |
Device Placement
One of the biggest challenges for FWA is location of the T-Mobile gateway. Quite often, the T-Mobile device needs to be placed near a window on one side of the house. This means that the WiFi signal it distributes in the house will be weaker at the far end of the home. For small homes or apartments this might not be an issue but for larger homes (1000+ SQft) it can be a deal breaker.
To solve this problem, we recommend getting a WiFi 6 mesh network to cover the entire. home.
T-Mobile Fiber
Some neighborhoods will soon have access to T-Mobile fiber. This is not to be confused with T-Mobile 5G. They are completely different services. The fiber is better than the 5G but the 5G is better than satellite.
No TV Bundle
Going to T-Mobile 5G internet service from Xfinity means that you will lose bundled TV services. This is a good thing. TV from Xfinity or DirecTV or Dish is over priced and you should never subscribe to TV service from these companies as they charge Broadcast TV fees.
Instead, you should install a NEXTGEN TV antenna to get your local stations. Chances are if you are in a good location for 5G, then you are probably in a good spot for NEXTGEN TV.
After getting an antenna for your major broadcasters, then subscribe to streaming services like Sling or Philo to get your cable networks.
