T-Mobile Home Internet Review

There’s just one T-Mobile Home Internet plan—which keeps things simple when you sign up, although it doesn’t give bargain discounts to low data users. This plan delivers unlimited data and download speeds that are typically around 25 Mbps. Equipment rental is included in the price, which is a bonus, and there’s no installation cost, either: it’s a simple plug and play setup. No installation is required.

If you’ve ever wished you could use a mobile hotspot for home internet and somehow get unlimited data, that’s essentially what T-Mobile LTE Home Internet is. Mobile hotspot devices have limited amounts of high-priced data, which makes them impractical for household internet use. 

T-Mobile Home Internet has unlimited data. And although you can’t carry your T-Mobile internet modem with you while traveling, it is an outstanding home internet solution for rural and underserved areas. T-Mobile’s home plan delivers an unlimited supply of data through T-Mobile’s nationwide LTE network, and it works in many areas where the cable lines don’t go.

The biggest drawback to T-Mobile’s Home Internet service is that it isn’t available everywhere yet. And we’re not just talking about the remote areas without cell phone service—there are hundreds of hopeful rural towns that aren’t covered yet. Plus, T-Mobile manages the traffic by limiting the number of customers in each area. So, in some areas, there is a waiting list to sign up.

T-Mobile has been working on LTE home internet since 2019, when a small number of customers were invited to participate in the plan.² Although T-Mobile has made huge strides in building out the network—leaping from three metro areas to over 450 cities—but coverage is limited in the states with service. There are still there are still 23 states without the option of T-Mobile Home Internet service, including many areas with T-Mobile cellular service.

The good news is that T-Mobile is pushing to rapidly expand their home internet service, thanks to the Sprint merger and the increasing demand for internet connectivity due to COVID-19.

T-Mobile wireless internet service is available in parts of 27 states. You can check the list of rural communities and cities with T-Mobile home internet or enter your address on the T-Mobile website to find out if you can get T-Mobile internet in your home. 

If T-Mobile isn’t available in your area yet, you may still be able to reap the benefits of LTE home internet through another provider, such as Verizon, UbiFi, Ladybug Wireless, or Wahoo. A few of these LTE home internet services are portable, which means you can take it with you in a truck or RV for internet on the go. Others—like T-Mobile—only work in a fixed location (at your home or business). 

The chart below compares T-Mobile Home Internet with other LTE home internet services.

Yes, T-Mobile Home Internet is a good option for rural areas or homes with few options. T-Mobile’s service is reliable and offers steady (although not dizzyingly fast) speeds and an unlimited amount of data. Monthly service includes the use of a modem/router that creates a Wi-Fi home network, so there are no equipment costs.

In many rural areas, T-Mobile Home Internet tops any other internet option. As with any LTE service, your speed can vary based on your proximity to T-Mobile cell phone towers. This is why 4G LTE home internet service providers advertise “speeds up to” a certain number of megabits per second (Mbps). 

T-Mobile advertises that speeds are usually 25 Mbps or more, with the disclaimer that actual speeds will vary. And speeds will be increasing in the years ahead. 5G is several years away for most rural areas, but once it expands across the nation, 5G networks will deliver even faster speeds for T-Mobile customers.³

You will want to make sure that you can get good T-Mobile reception in your area, so check T-Mobile coverage maps and talk to a T-Mobile representative for specific information (such as the closest T-Mobile tower to your home). 

T-Mobile’s new LTE internet service is a great option for folks who can’t get cable or fiber. We love the fact that T-Mobile LTE Home Internet gives small towns and rural areas a way to get unlimited data at broadband speeds.

If you can get T-Mobile LTE Home Internet in your area, we recommend you try it out. It doesn’t require a device purchase (yay!) or any kind of contract. Since there isn’t a contract, you can cancel and return the modem/router at anytime. So if you’re suffering with data caps and sluggish speeds on your current plan, try T-Mobile out. It might just be the solution you need to keep connected.

Learn more about the best 5G home internet providers.

LTE home internet is a new type of ISP that delivers an internet connection through cell phone networks. Although not as fast as fiber or cable, LTE internet is much less expensive to install than other types of internet and offers more data and lower latency than satellite internet. Using existing cellular towers, LTE internet delivers ample internet speeds for streaming, video conferencing, email, browsing, online shopping, and most other online activities.^4,5

T-Mobile Home Internet can work for gaming but it may not work with some gaming systems because the T-Mobile modem/router combo doesn’t have port forwarding or bridge mode. As far as internet download speeds go, T-Mobile Home Internet is fast enough to support most online gaming, although the latency (averaging 30 to 50 ms) is a little higher than recommended for fast-paced games.

No, T-Mobile LTE Home Internet does not have a data cap. Customers have unlimited data on this internet plan.

Yes, you can stream with T-Mobile home internet service. Video streaming services recommend internet with at least 3 to 5 Mbps download speeds, and T-Mobile provides adequate speeds for streaming, even on multiple devices.

No, you don’t have to pay for T-Mobile internet installation because it’s self-installed. You will have a box delivered to your home that contains a router/modem and instructions. All you have to do is plug it in, select the network on your devices, and install the backup battery in the modem.

T-Mobile’s LTE Home Internet/Wi-Fi plan connects your home network to the internet using cellular data. The T-Mobile modem/router converts the cellular data signal into a Wi-Fi signal you can use to connect your devices.