TMobile internet

[3800Fiero]

I have T-Mobile for my home internet as well. It’s at least 10 times faster than what I have available to me otherwise (in a rural location. No cable, no fiber). I have had no problems steaming. As noted by others, a reboot of the router does usually fix slower than usual speed issues. The only negative we have experienced so far is it doesn’t play nice when trying to FaceTime with the kids. It will connect but the video is frozen and no sound. If I use my T-mobile phone’s hotspot it will work fine but at a lower resolution. Overall we’re happy with it.

 

[almost there]

If you have a tower close by go for it. I tried twice, they said it should work. So try it. .
But was not close enough. Not 100%. They told me to wait for 1 more tower closer to my home.
Cant wait! So sick of paying COX cable 200/month. Have had Cox for 3-4 decades.
Battle every year getting the price adjusted.

 

[isisdave]

I replaced a cable-based Frontier or Spectrum system -- I forget which -- with a T-mobile Small Business (cellular) Internet system last summer. The eight people who use it used to gripe about whatever system I used to have, but I have literally heard not one word since this went in.

The "Small Business" system is the same as the home system, and the same price, but it is not subject to throttling, they say.

More than one gateway device is available. I have the KVD21, which is a low-level device. If you need settings like port forwarding, you can ask for a smarter one. If your location is at all iffy signal-wise, be sure to get one with replaceable external antennas.

 

[Dash man]

Has anyone tried the T-Mobile Internet with a set of security cameras? The upload speeds will be more critical then. We have about five HD cameras at our Jersey Shore home.

 

[JJpop]

I replaced a cable-based Frontier or Spectrum system -- I forget which -- with a T-mobile Small Business (cellular) Internet system last summer. The eight people who use it used to gripe about whatever system I used to have, but I have literally heard not one word since this went in.

The "Small Business" system is the same as the home system, and the same price, but it is not subject to throttling, they say.

More than one gateway device is available. I have the KVD21, which is a low-level device. If you need settings like port forwarding, you can ask for a smarter one. If your location is at all iffy signal-wise, be sure to get one with replaceable external antennas.

We have had it for a couple weeks.
We live 3/4 of a mile from 5g tower.
Our Mbps ranges from 335 to 520 and upload 15 give or take.
Our ping is usually 23 to 39 and jitter in the 20’s but varies.
So far so good. We also have Ooma with no problems.

 

[YB88]

I get tempted by this sometimes, but always put off at the prospect of variable and possibly even inconsistent speeds. I too annually re-negotiate with Xfinity/Comcast and get a good price that way, although it always raises my blood pressure a bit to deal with it.

Note that earlier the month Xfinity announced their "Now" Internet offerings, which sound pretty good to me; ideally it would result in not having to deal with their slimy marketing practices once a year:
https://corporate.comcast.com/press/releases/comcast-launches-now-low-cost-internet-mobile-and-tv

Bottom line for me is insofar as I can get the speed and reliability I get from an Xfinity wired connection, I'm not tempted. Just now speedtext.net reports that I'm getting 359 mbps down and 18 up, and I think I'm paying $40 per month (until the contract ends and I have to take the initiative to negotiate it back down again).

 

[csoul]

We've had it since Jan 2022, and it generally works great. Ping is not fast enough for online gaming, in my limited testing, but more than fine for streaming and general browsing. Current speed:

We get ours as a bundle with two cell phone lines and their 55+ plan, and it's a reasonable cost.

 

[JackJester]

Yep. We have the T-mobile 5G gateway for 2 years. With T-Mobile we have 2 cell phones and the internet gateway and a 5g line on an iPad all for $125 per month. So far so good. We have enough speed to stream movies and do internet and that’s the most bandwidth we need for the 2 of us (not gamers). I have measured bandwidth speed and it can vary widely depending on weather and time of day. But it is rare that a streaming video pauses for a download update (ie spinning disk). I have moved the gateway box all over other house to get the best line of sight to the tower. We live in the cascade foothills and cell coverage is a challenge. 5g is certainly better than the DSL we used to have (yes you heard me… “DSL”) …Almost like old school dial up. Another bonus with T-mobile is we get data coverage in Canada and Mexico for that price. My neighbor has Verizon 5g and loves it, but more expensive. So I suggest you look up a cell phone tower map to help you decide which 5g tower is closest to you. Like Cellular Tower and Signal Map

 

[NgineER]

We’ve had it for a month now. Way better than Xfinity and way cheaper. Xfinity used to drop me during video calls to the extent I had to call in via phone and use my laptop for screen sharing only T-
Mobile has been great, once a week I might get a less than second blip but that is about it. I used to have long drops with Xfinity. T-mobile had a try it out deal which allowed you to try it for two weeks without obligation. Well worth the trial. If I’m in the same room as the router I get 3-600 for download and 20-ish for uploads. On the main floor o get 180-200 with 10-ish upload speeds.

 

[Randy145]

To all who have dumped Comcast (man, would I like to), what are you doing for basic TV channels?

 

[YB88]

To all who have dumped Comcast (man, would I like to), what are you doing for basic TV channels?

Just noting that while Xfinity/Comcast is my internet provider, I don't get any TV or any of the other various services that they are eager to sell to me. I want my internet provider to be JUST that, so that I retain the ability to easily walk should they get too expensive, unreliable, or whatever, and/or a better option is available.
For basic TV channels I have an over the air (OTA) antenna and a DVR. No monthly fee just a onetime (including lifetime programming) cost. Alternatively, there are a whole lot of free-with-commercials options via Roku, FireTV, smartTV or whatever. Given both options, I like the DVR better (I skip past commercials).

 

[Samtex]

I don't have T-Mobile internet but I was considering it when my local provider Jack the monthly price up. I did a pretty deep dive into it and here are a few things I found.

When it works it's great. But it does use the same data as their cell phones. What that means in busy times it can be problematic. Some towers have more subscribers, that's why they may say it's not available at your address. Some local T-Mobile stores will go ahead and sign you up anyway for the commission. But beware it may be slower at times. Urban users face a bit more of a challenge than rural customers I've been told.

Also I ran into what appears to be almost a secret model they have/are coming out with. I actually saw one at an independent T-Mobile store. Instead of 5G it uses Elon's Starlink satellite system. By the way the unit is white instead of black like the 5G models and has a built in flush antenna on top. Evidently you place it next to a window. The price I got was close to the 5G models. I did a pretty deep Google search but couldn't find anything about it, only references to satellite cell phones coming out that uses Starlink.

They have been running specials on the 5G ones, so I wonder they want to move out the older 5G models before promoting the new model?

I didn't pursue it farther because with a phone call to my internet provider i got my bill reduced a bit lower than it was and they bumped my speed up a notch. I've been doing that for years. Two companies ran Fibre to my poles so the older cable provider is facing more competition.

Anyone else seen the new model?

Samtex

 

[Broland]

I've had it about 2 months now. I left spectrum when they upped the bill to $90/month. I have TMobile cell so internet is $40/ month bundled. My speeds ave 175 down and 65 up which is good enough for our 4k streaming, email, cameras around the house streaming 24x7, Amazon etc. no buffering. No gaming. Spectrum was 300 down 9 up. I see no difference between spectrum and T-Mobile. I did have some issues for a couple of days when they upgraded the tower I use, but after phone calls all is resolved. As for now, I'm sticking with TMobile.

 

[Texas Proud]

Does anybody using this have a 'landline'? I am not a big fan of cell phones for most conversations as they cut out too much IMO... so keep a landline... it is with Xfinity so I can VOIP somewhere else if needed...

 

[folivier]

Anyone know which cell towers Tmobile uses? ATT? Verizon?

 

[JackJester]

You can use this site to filter on providers in the legend menu for cell towers: Cellular Tower and Signal Map

 

[Kayzmum]

Is any one actually using the TMobile 5G internet? How is it working for you? I'm tired of the ever escalating price and mediocre quality of Xfinity cable internet. I have TMobile phone service and it has been excellent for years with no price increase. (Not interested to know that your 3rd cousin's BIL had it three years ago and hated it, etc. )

I set it up at my mother’s place and it works fine for her.