T-Mobile 5G Home Internet: Everything You Need To Know

Many people wonder why we need 5G, many claim that “4G LTE is already fast enough”. And while that’s probably true, 5G isn’t all about speed. 5G is about new applications, just as 4G LTE was. Do you think we would have ever been able to watch 4K videos on our smartphones on 3G connectivity? Nope. It’s just too slow for that. But 5G has many more applications than just better streaming video. Like replacing your existing home internet.

And that’s where T-Mobile 5G Home Internet comes into play. It’s a new-ish service from T-Mobile that essentially makes it your ISP. It doesn’t need to plug into a coax or phone line either. It just plugs into the wall and you’re good to go. T-Mobile has offered Home Internet for a couple of years already, but recently upgraded it to 5G, which is going to allow for better speeds and coverage.

In this article, we’re going to attempt to answer all of your questions about T-Mobile 5G Home Internet and hopefully help you decide whether it’s worth it to switch or not.

What is T-Mobile 5G Home Internet?

T-Mobile has wanted to break into the home internet game for a while, and 5G is going to be how it does it. Essentially, using its 5G network to power all of the WiFi devices in your home. The service runs on the same network that your phone does (if you use T-Mobile). So you won’t be getting Fiber like what Comcast and AT&T offer to customers.

T-Mobile has launched 5G and 5G UC across the country, so you’re going to get some pretty fast speeds – gigabit speeds in some areas. As well as great coverage from the 5G network. Making Home Internet very useful. And it’s pretty inexpensive too.

Sign up for T-Mobile 5G Home Internet

How much does it cost?

Unlike Verizon, T-Mobile offers a single plan for its 5G Home Internet service. It’s going to cost you $50 per month. There’s no equipment fees, no data caps and no contracts included. Just a straight up $50 per month plus whatever applicable taxes and fees – which will vary by State.

If you decide not to use autopay, it’ll be $55 per month. Not a huge difference, but if you really want to save money, then autopay is the way to do it.

This is actually very competitive with the traditional home internet services. For example, AT&T offers gigabit fiber for $70/month in a lot of areas. Which is going to be a lot faster, but maybe not $20 faster.

Unfortunately, no. T-Mobile does not offer a discount for existing T-Mobile subscribers. This is good news if you’re on AT&T or Verizon and want to get T-Mobile 5G Home Internet. But bad news for existing T-Mobile subscribers that wanted to save even more.

You can sign up for T-Mobile 5G Home Internet online, or via a T-Mobile store.

T-Mobile has a few different benefits available right now for those that are looking to switch. For example, you can get a year of Paramount Plus “on us”, or a year of YouTube TV for $54.99 ($64.99 per month after the first year). These are really great promos for those that are cutting the cord. If you still need phone service for a landline, Ooma can bring you home phone service for just $9.99/month.

T-Mobile says that there is no data cap with its 5G Home Internet service. So you can use as much bandwidth as you want, and need. This isn’t much of a surprise, as we have also seen a lot of cable and traditional ISP’s eliminating their data caps as well – including Comcast.

Perhaps the only downside to these 5G Home Internet plans, is that you don’t really know how good the download and upload speeds are going to be. And if they are going to be constant or not. T-Mobile says that “5G Home Internet customers will see average download speeds in excess of 100Mbps”. Honestly, that’s not very fast for $50/month. It’s almost worthwhile to use AT&T’s Fiber service instead.

Typical download speeds are 35-115Mbps. So this is not for those that work from home, or do a lot of online gaming. Upload speeds are typically between 6-23Mbps.

Sign up for T-Mobile 5G Home Internet

Where is T-Mobile 5G Home Internet available?

T-Mobile claims that its 5G Home Internet service is available for over 30 million households in over 40 different states. That means its covers even more of the US than Verizon’s 5G Home Internet service does – at least for now. However, T-Mobile does not offer a map to show you where it covers. But you can put in your address to see if it is available in your area.

If you live in the city or even the suburbs, you’re likely fine, and will have service from T-Mobile. But if you live out in the sticks, where getting Internet is already tough, T-Mobile’s 5G Home Internet is likely not going to be available to you. But that is expected to change as its 5G network grows and matures.

Is it easy to set up?

Setting up T-Mobile 5G Home Internet is pretty simple. Once you receive your new router, just plug it in, download the T-Mobile Internet app and follow the directions. It shouldn’t take to long to get setup. And T-Mobile’s award-winning customer support is available if you do run into any issues.

How does T-Mobile 5G Home Internet compare to competitors?

The main competitor for T-Mobile in this space right now is Verizon, which also offers 5G Home Internet service. However, it does seem to be better, at least on paper. Verizon typically offers 85-300Mbps speeds, versus T-Mobile’s 35-115Mbps speeds. That also comes from Verizon having C-Band and mmWave rolled out in a lot more areas than T-Mobile does. So we’d expect that to change over time.

Verizon also offers bonuses for existing customers, where the service can be as low as $25 per month (half off, if you have a qualifying unlimited line). Otherwise it is the same price as T-Mobile.

On the coverage side, T-Mobile actually wins, for now. As mentioned before T-Mobile 5G Home Internet is available in over 30 million households, while Verizon’s is really only available to about 20 million households. Again, this will change over time, as both want to cover 100% of the US, and that is far from 100%. Considering there are 122.8 million households in the US, as of 2019.

Should I switch to T-Mobile?

If you don’t work from home, and really only need internet to check Facebook, maybe pay your bills and a few other things, then yes, T-Mobile 5G Home Internet should be fine. But if you do work from home, do a lot of streaming, or even gaming, then it may not be the best choice, due to those somewhat slower speeds.

The ping should be pretty good, but if you’re playing eSports at about 50Mbps, you’re not going to have a good time. And if you’re really looking to save money, Verizon might be the better option, if you already use Verizon.

Sign up for T-Mobile 5G Home Internet