Internet Service - Nothing to Do with Shaving at All

Currently my wife and I have internet service via Comcast Xfinity, which is costing us $98/month. T-Mobile is now offering 5G service at $ 50/month with a month free bonus and no contract. Reviews note that the T-Mobile download speeds are not guaranteed (just saying 'most' will get at least 100Mb/s downloads), and they seem to fluctuate a lot, sometimes as low as 15Mb/s, while Xfinity speeds are more stable. I checked our download speed, and we're getting a fast 440Mb/s. 

My wife works from home around 6 hours a day 6 days a week and surfs (including streaming TikTok and YouTube, etc.) another couple hours a day, and I surf the web 6-8 hours a day or more, with a little streaming and occasional downloads of videos. We don't do much TV streaming.

So my questions are: have any of you switched from cable to T-Mobile internet? If so, what has been your experience? Have you had any issues with your download speeds (especially those of you working from home)?

Thanks.

funny you ask......

we just got the t-mobile home internet option for my office at work this past Friday. they're offering the same device/plan for both residential & small business customers. aside from having to reboot the router a few times over the past 3-4 days, the speeds have been pretty consistent considering our office location and the obstacles above & around it.

I just ran a speed test and it was 42Mbps download, 63Mbps upload. We usually see 25-60Mbps. For our needs, that's plenty fine considering the cheapest wired solutions start around $500-600/month for slow fiber at 5-10Mbps.

You might considering ordering the t-mobile device and trying it for a month or two before deciding to cancel the xfinity plan. If I'm not mistaken, you're not locked in to a contract with t-mobile so you can return it whenever you want without any further obligations.

Thanks, that sounds like a good idea.

It sounds like you have the same Comcast plan that I do. Although Comcast says that it can go up to 600 Mpbs, it only does that when running a Speedtest directly from my cable modem. Otherwise 400 or so is typical. However, my upload speed is now 20 Mbps vs 10 mbps previously when I had a lower tier.

The speed you need depends a lot on the type of things you use it for. The issue is not so much with the download speed, but the upload speed. Most Internet plans have more than enough download speed to accommodate streaming movies, even in 4K. However, they may not have sufficient upload capacity to provide a good image for a Zoom meeting or for uploading large spreadsheets or graphics files. If work files are stored "in the cloud", then you have to wait for files to be downloaded and uploaded. That can kill productivity if the Internet speed is inadequate.

I recently dumped my Xfinity cable TV service since I don't watch local or cable channels. However, when considering whether to stay with Xfinity/Comcast Internet or switch to cellular Internet, for me, the extra cost of Comcast for the higher upload and download speeds made sense. You will have to determine if it make sense for you.

Another factor to consider is whether you own your current cable modem and router. If you own a newer cable modem, that purchase will be useless if you switch to cellular. However, if you rent from Comcast, there is less incentive to keep your existing plan and equipment. If you own your own router, you can use it with either cable or cellular service.

It sounds like you have the same Comcast plan that I do. Although Comcast says that it can go up to 600 Mpbs, it only does that when running a Speedtest directly from my cable modem. Otherwise 400 or so is typical.  However, my upload speed is now 20 Mbps vs 10 mbps previously when I had a lower tier.

The speed you need depends a lot on the type of things you use it for. The issue is not so much with the download speed, but the upload speed. Most Internet plans have more than enough download speed to accommodate streaming movies, even in 4K. However, they may not have sufficient upload capacity to provide a good image for a Zoom meeting or for uploading large spreadsheets or graphics files. If work files are stored "in the cloud", then you have to wait for files to be downloaded and uploaded. That can kill productivity if the Internet speed is inadequate.

I recently dumped my Xfinity cable TV service since I don't watch local or cable channels. However, when considering whether to stay with Xfinity/Comcast Internet or switch to cellular Internet, for me, the extra cost of Comcast for the higher upload and download speeds made sense. You will have to determine if it make sense for you.

Another factor to consider is whether you own your current cable modem and router. If you own a newer cable modem, that purchase will be useless if you switch to cellular. However, if you rent from Comcast, there is less incentive to keep your existing plan and equipment. If you own your own router, you can use it with either cable or cellular service.

The t-mobile plan churchilllafemme is looking at comes with its own gateway included in the price....the modem and/or gateway you use for cable internet will not work with a cellular network as it needs a sim card.

Cable modems and cellular modems are completely different. However, if you own your own WiFi router (highly recommended), it will work with either type of modem as the connection between the two will be Ethernet.

Cable modems and cellular modems are completely different. However, if you own your own WiFi router (highly recommended), it will work with either type of modem as the connection between the two will be Ethernet.

right.

Well, we went ahead and ordered the T-Mobile service (while keeping the Xfinity on reserve, just in case). Because we already had two cell phones with them at their senior rate, they gave us a further discount on the internet, so we're getting it for $40/month. Our fingers are crossed that it will work well.

Well, we went ahead and ordered the T-Mobile service (while keeping the Xfinity on reserve, just in case). Because we already had two cell phones with them at their senior rate, they gave us a further discount on the internet, so we're getting it for $40/month. Our fingers are crossed that it will work well.

good luck...that's a great price, honestly!

having had ours for almost a week now, I'm pretty happy with it. you might have to take some time to figure out the best location to place the gateway in your house so that it gets good cellular signal...even rotating it some can improve its signal and what band it locks onto.

We have had the T-Mobile service activated for a week now, and it seems to be working well. Initially I was concerned because its tower showed 'weak' connection wherever I walked it around our apartment, but then I read online that someone else had that experience but then actually got good internet connection anyway. So I hooked it up, with the tower near a window, and we have been able to do our usual activities, including my wife doing her work and streaming, without any glitches or apparent slowness. I have used online speed tests, and the download speed is variably 100-170 Mbps, while the upload speed is 2.5-3 Mbps. These are less than what Comcast provided but seem to be adequate for our needs, so I think we'll probably keep the T-Mobile service.