[Guide][US] Using T-Mobile's ONE+ as a replacement for your home internet. (And Satellite service comparison)

[Xanthe_2871]

I was talking with some friends at Thanksgiving dinner when this topic came up: internet in rural locations. This got me thinking, could people in this situation get better service on 4G than they do with satellite? Let's take a look at some numbers first. These are all based on my zip code (for Belfair WA), the top package for each provider, and assumes you purchase equipment up front. I'm not including cable in this comparison, because cable in major cities will be faster and cheaper than all of these, and small, local cable internet providers are different all across the country, so I'd have to list a ton!

 

Speed:

HughesNet: 10 Mbps down, 2 Mbps up.

Exede: 12 Mbps down, 3 Mbps up.

DishNet: 15 Mbps down, up speed not indicated, but probably around 2-4 Mbps.

T-Mobile: Varies widely. On the low end, 4G LTE will be be 4 Mbps down and 2 Mbps up. On the high end, +50 Mbps down, +30 Mbps up. If 4G LTE is not available in your area, this plan is not for you. Personally, I get around 25 Mbps down and 15 Mbps up in Belfair.

 

Monthly Data Allotment:

HughesNet: 15 GB during the day, plus another 50 GB between 2 AM and 8 AM. Internet stops after cap is exceeded. 

Exede: 30 GB of high speed data, can be used any time of day, plus unlimited slower data for the remainder of the billing cycle once cap is exceeded. Speeds of slower rate vary based on current data needs of other users on the network, but will never surpass 5 Mbps down and 1 Mbps up.

DishNet: 50 GB of high speed data, can be used any time of day, plus unlimited slower data for the remainder of the billing cycle once cap is exceeded. Speeds of slower rate vary based on current data needs of other users on the network. No ballpark is provided on their website, but is likely in line with Exede. 

T-Mobile: 26 GB of guaranteed high speed, unlimited data that may or may not slow down. Unlike Exede and DishNet, T-Mobile will only slow down your data if the users connected to your local tower is excessive, and your local bandwidth is limited. Exede and DishNet will slow down for everyone who's passed their limits because they use a few satellites nationally, where as T-Mobile uses hundreds of towers, so you may very well find yourself experiencing full speeds beyond 26 GB if there are not many users in your area.  

 

Monthly Cost:

HughesNet: $60 for first 2 years, then $80 a month. Requires $300 in up front equipment costs. As far as I can tell, there is no contract.

Exede: $150 a month. Add $5/month if you choose to use their wireless router, but you can also provide your own. No contract.

DishNet: $70 a month, but must be bundled with a TV subscription, so an effective $110 a month. Prices are for the first two years, after that it will increase, but the website doesn't say by how much. Requires 2 year contract.

T-Mobile: $95 a month. $70 for the base plan, plus $25 for the hotspot add on. You can add a second line for $50 if you want your smartphone to also get unlimited data, although there are some issues with that (such as video being limited to 480p and the same 26 GB then your internet might slow down stipulation). Requires a 4G LTE T-Mobile or GSM unlocked smartphone capable of producing a wireless hotspot, plus a router if you want to connect more than 5 devices to the internet through the phone. You could easily buy all needed equipment for less than $200 if you don't already have it. No contract.

 

Other things to consider:

HughesNet is the cheapest and will work well for someone who doesn't use a lot of data. It does have a high start up cost though, with $300 in equpiment. This can probably be diminished by waiting for a promotion.

Exede is very expensive. I would avoid them.

DishNet is also very expensive and requires you pay for a TV plan you might not even use. 

T-Mobile ONE is not intended to be used in this way. You'll have a smartphone for a router. You'll likely need to turn the hotspot feature on every so often if the phone crashes or is programmed to turn the feature off after a certain amount of time. This will vary based on what phone you use. You'll also need a router in the middle of your phone and your devices if you plan on using more than 5 to 8, depending on the phone's hotspot capabilities. You need to have good T-Mobile service in your area, which you may very well not have. Also, T-Mobile will kick you off this plan if you exceed 1 TB in data usage 3 months in a row, or 5 months in a year. This is a very, DIY method of getting home internet, but it could save you a lot of money, since it could be much faster than the other options and give you considerably more high speed data, depending on the available bandwidth in your area.

 

If anyone does do this, please share your results! 

[Guest]

Canada: Wind Mobile, 3G, 40 CAD/month w/2GB of 3G and unlimited data (after 2GB you get slower like 2G I guess?) + unlimited frustration over poor connection

[Xanthe_2871]

Just now, deXxterlab97 said:

Canada: Wind Mobile, 3G, 40 CAD/month w/2GB of 3G and unlimited data + unlimited frustration over poor connection

Wow. That is, awful! 

[Guest]

Just now, Xanthe_2871 said:

Wow. That is, awful! 

Cheapest home network is now on sale at 60CAD (unlimited)

 

[Xanthe_2871]

Just now, deXxterlab97 said:

Cheapest home network is now on sale at 60CAD (unlimited)

 

Is that available in rural Canada? 

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, Xanthe_2871 said:

Is that available in rural Canada? 

I don't know, I live in Toronto

[SansVarnic]

On ‎11‎/‎25‎/‎2016 at 5:39 PM, Xanthe_2871 said:

<snip>

T-Mobile: Varies widely. On the low end, 4G LTE will be be 4 Mbps down and 2 Mbps up. On the high end, +50 Mbps down, +30 Mbps up. If 4G LTE is not available in your area, this plan is not for you. Personally, I get around 25 Mbps down and 15 Mbps up in Belfair.

<snip>

Yes T-mobile does vary, I get 10-14 down and 4-5 up with 4G LTE in my area.

I don't use T-mobile One though.