The Pros and Cons of Making a Cell Service Your Home Internet Provider

Pro: Bundling can save you money

Combining fixed wireless internet access from the same provider that sells you mobile phone service can dramatically lower the cost:

• AT&T mobile customers pay as little as $35 a month not including tax for internet service, compared to $55 a month plus tax for wireless internet only.
• T-Mobile’s service costs $40 a month when bundled with a qualifying mobile phone line, $50 a month alone.
• Verizon reduces its rates to $35 to $45 a month depending on speed if bundled with mobile service but charges $50 to $70 a month alone.

All three providers offer free trials: seven days for AT&T and Verizon and 15 days for T-Mobile. The prices include a combination modem-router, which receives the broadband signal and transmits Wi-Fi throughout the house to internet-connected devices.

Con: The speed is lower than fiber-optic

Compared to fiber-optic cable, download speeds for fixed wireless are considerably less but sufficient for what most customers need, all three providers say. The speeds range from 75 to 225 megabits per second (Mbps) from AT&T and 70 to 245 Mbps from T-Mobile to 50 to 250 Mbps from Verizon.

Those speeds should be sufficient for everyone except the heaviest of users, such as households with people simultaneously playing video games, streaming 4K TV, talking to smart speakers and using video doorbells. If you’ve heard about gig-speed internet, the 1,000 Mbps and higher fiber-optic service is available mostly in densely populated areas and can be expensive because of a lack of competition.

But more than 200 rural electric and telephone cooperatives were offering gig-speed internet to their residents and businesses at the end of 2019, the most recent information available, according to the Community Broadband Networks Initiative, a project of the nonprofit Institute for Local Self-Reliance that has offices in Minneapolis; Portland, Maine; and Washington, D.C. The bipartisan infrastructure law enacted in late 2021 sets aside $42.5 billion to expand high-speed internet to underserved areas by 2030, and each state will receive at least $107 million.

“If you’re using the internet to mine bitcoins or engage in video production, fixed wireless may not be right for you,” says Rick Chandler, T-Mobile’s vice president of customer experience and portfolio management.

Like vehicle speedometers that display high speeds that no one ever travels, “companies are always talking about how fast their networks are, but most [people] don’t need it,” says Jeff Kagan of Marietta, Georgia, a wireless industry analyst. “For most people, middle- or lower-tier speeds are enough.”

Pro: You can install 5G home internet yourself

Unlike wired internet, which requires a technician to activate the service, you install the fixed wireless device yourself. The provider ships the combo modem and router to you and its smartphone app will guide you through the setup process, which typically takes 10 to 15 minutes. The app indicates the best spot in your home to place the device, generally near a window in the direction of the strongest cellphone tower.

But placing the modem where the app suggests doesn’t guarantee great service. Large homes with thick walls may break up the Wi-Fi signal before it gets to your personal computer, smart TV or other device.

To mitigate any problems, T-Mobile sells a small $99 antenna that mounts to the inside of a window. AT&T says if you’re qualified to receive its service, an antenna accessory won’t be needed. Meanwhile, Verizon offers an additional antenna at no charge if it determines during setup that one is required.

So is wireless internet right for you? If you’re comfortable with do-it-yourself installation, then Kagan suggests you give it a try.

“The service will be solid in some places, and it will get better over time,” he says.

Con: No technicians available for the ill at ease

But some people who aren’t comfortable with technology might want the option of calling for in-person help when their internet service is not up to par, Kagan says. So using what may be a more expensive system that brings broadband to your house via wires might be a better option.