Internet

[klcdenver]

I recently got a T-Mobile home wireless box. It actually is as good or better than Spectrum internet that I got rid of. Took a trip to the ranch 80 miles from the house and brought it along. It is working great in the motorhome. I was thinking it might not work outside of my area code but no problem. Just plugged it in and it worked just like at home. I can stream Netflix and Paramount very good with it. Price is also right. If you have a T-Mobile cell the internet is 30 per month or 40 if no cell. 

[CLIFF918]

I did the same with Verizon home. It worked all the way from Florida to Vermont 

Cliff

[Just Jim]

same here with the T mobile wireless.  It is easy to use and fairly cheap.  I have T mobile phones so I had a good idea of the coverage in my area. 

[Mark B]

I have the T-Mobile at my vacation house and it works great. I also have it at my main house and it's garbage but I keep it so I can use it in the coach. It's worked great on my last three trips. I did some testing in my truck using the 120-volt outlet and drove around my local area to test the speed. Two blocks away from my house I was getting 632 down and 36 up. Other tests averaged over 200 down. It's very dependent on location. I have kept the cable just for the speed and consistency. During the day I can get 30 down and 3 up, but in the evening it's useless for streaming. <5 Mbps or less down and less than 1 up. I would still recommend it.

[waterskier_1]

I just checked and neither Verizon or T-Mobile have Home Internet at my address.  😔

  -Rick N.

[DBRV.0]

5 hours ago, waterskier_1 said:

I just checked and neither Verizon or T-Mobile have Home Internet at my address.  😔

There must be a reason, such as they believe your location will result in poor reception, thus you will "send it back".  I was in a similar situation, then towers popped up that changed the status.  There must be line-of-sight between antennas, yours and theirs, and it cannot be a long distance.  If you have a cell phone of a provider, and that works, I would expect it likely that they would make Home Internet available.  Check out websites that might show cell towers, then determine if the distance is great or something (like a hill/mountain) exists between you and their tower(s).  With a quick search, I found antennasearch.com as an example.

FWIW, I have Verizon LTE Home Internet.  When I first purchased it a few years ago, I found that there was not a place inside my home that had a strong enough signal for the unit to connect.  I tried everything.  In contrast, my cell phone worked reliably in 75% of the space indoors, so I implemented "wifi calling" on my phones to make calls work.  My issue was that foil on my [custom] house wall and roof sheathing degraded signals.  Out of frustration, I put the LTE unit on my balcony floor where it could "see" the blinking-light cell tower.  That worked and I got 35MB down.  It's not supposed to be a weather proof unit, but I had no choice and it sat out there for years.  I now have that unit sitting above the passenger seat of my Monaco, and I get 55MB down, but I am currently stationary.

Edited December 2, 2023 by DBRV.0

[waterskier_1]

11 hours ago, DBRV.0 said:

There must be a reason, such as they believe your location will result in poor reception, thus you will "send it back".  I was in a similar situation, then towers popped up that changed the status.  There must be line-of-sight between antennas, yours and theirs, and it cannot be a long distance.  If you have a cell phone of a provider, and that works, I would expect it likely that they would make Home Internet available.  Check out websites that might show cell towers, then determine if the distance is great or something (like a hill/mountain) exists between you and their tower(s).  With a quick search, I found antennasearch.com as an example.

FWIW, I have Verizon LTE Home Internet.  When I first purchased it a few years ago, I found that there was not a place inside my home that had a strong enough signal for the unit to connect.  I tried everything.  In contrast, my cell phone worked reliably in 75% of the space indoors, so I implemented "wifi calling" on my phones to make calls work.  My issue was that foil on my [custom] house wall and roof sheathing degraded signals.  Out of frustration, I put the LTE unit on my balcony floor where it could "see" the blinking-light cell tower.  That worked and I got 35MB down.  It's not supposed to be a weather proof unit, but I had no choice and it sat out there for years.  I now have that unit sitting above the passenger seat of my Monaco, and I get 55MB down, but I am currently stationary.

I'm sure you are right.  I don't havre 5G service on my cell phone at home.  I get no AT&T at home - it switched to WiFi calling, so I switched to Verizon.  I get two bars of 4G.  I live in an older suburb and they are using.5G in the urban areas - eventually they will get it.  As you said,  5G is design for densely populated areas where there is"line of sight" to the tower. Each tower can handle many more simultaneous connections, but only for short distances which is why large, densely populated cities were first to get it.  And that was usually in the urban areas.  That sad. I was surprised when my nephew told me he installed T- Mobile Home internet at the farm in Wyoming.  It's a very small town, but I'm not sure what other options there were for internet. Maybe one tower can support the whole town 🤔.

I'm going to input some of the places I stay often in Arizona, and a couple of the bases I stay on, and see if they support one or the other.  Have you tried using you device outside your state?

  - Rick N 

[Will52]

T-Mobile is nonexistent in Yellowstone National Park no phone no nothing FYI

[Mark B]

1 hour ago, waterskier_1 said:

I'm sure you are right.  I don't havre 5G service on my cell phone at home.  I get no AT&T at home - it switched to WiFi calling, so I switched to Verizon.  I get two bars of 4G.  I live in an older suburb and they are using.5G in the urban areas - eventually they will get it.  As you said,  5G is design for densely populated areas where there is"line of sight" to the tower. Each tower can handle many more simultaneous connections, but only for short distances which is why large, densely populated cities were first to get it.  And that was usually in the urban areas.  That sad. I was surprised when my nephew told me he installed T- Mobile Home internet at the farm in Wyoming.  It's a very small town, but I'm not sure what other options there were for internet. Maybe one tower can support the whole town 🤔.

I'm going to input some of the places I stay often in Arizona, and a couple of the bases I stay on, and see if they support one or the other.  Have you tried using you device outside your state?

  - Rick N 

My main location is in the Santa Barbara area, I have traveled to and used the T-Mobile in Northern California, Southern California and Arizona, mostly in Lake Havasu. I also use it while driving and occasionally it drops out but is pretty solid. We stream podcasts, books etc. My phone is with AT&T and I have a iPad from Verizon that I can hot spot. This works for me and is easier than a dedicated pepwave or similar system.

[JetAburner]

Good to know, thanks. We just recently dumped ATT and now our 5g phones and the T mobile wireless work great. None of them work perfect everywhere, but will definetly give it a try on the road.

[DBRV.0]

1 hour ago, waterskier_1 said:

....  Have you tried using you device outside your state?

Not yet, but I have moved the device 90 miles from my original purchase location and there were no surprises.

[waterskier_1]

Have any of you who have 5G internet access checked your upload speed?  I need at least 12MB upload reliability (server, scurry, cameras, streaming from my devices, etc.)?

 

  - Rick N 

 

[Paul J A]

1 hour ago, Will52 said:

T-Mobile is nonexistent in Yellowstone National Park no phone no nothing FYI

What is??

 

[waterskier_1]

1 hour ago, Will52 said:

T-Mobile is nonexistent in Yellowstone National Park no phone no nothing FYI

This is not surprising.  They did have internet at the campground office, and other Park buildings (Visitor Center).  This is true for many National Parks that are not co-located near cities.  Mesa Verde,  Yosemite, Kings Canyon/ Sequoyah are examples where any cell service and very limited WiFi are available. I use Dish Network so I had TV, and stopped a locations where those services were available while touring the area.  If internet service is a very high priority, Starlink may be your best option. 

  - Rick N 

[Larry Laursen]

I have the Verizon Home internet box.  I have used from AZ to WA, MI to UT and AZ to MI with good results.  Worked in some remote locations in California and Colorado.  I can stream Prime video at about 10Mbs.  With my cellular plan, it costs $25/mo.  I do get 5G at my house in AZ.

[Bill R]

I also have a T-Mobile Home Internet Box but it is dedicated for my coach ($35/mo promo).  It stays there all the time.  Given that my coach is at covered storage when not in use I can access information on the coach from anywhere.  Mainly the MicroAir T-Stat to monitor coach temp, and an inside security camera that I can also use to look at the power panel (got that idea from @Frank McElroy)

The reason I like the T-Mobile box is that there is no data download limit or limit on throttling.   Also the box works great while in motion.  DW loves that for her computer while on the road.  Been on 10 trips with the box and never out of signal  I do use a WiFi repeater and weBoost with this set up.  

[eddie4ne]

We have both a Tmobile gateway and a Cricket ATT 100G/mo sim in a mofi4500 modem. When we were on our trp to Alaska we took them both. They both worked most everywhere but the Tmobile seemed to have  better signal overall.  When we crossed into Canada and when we were in Alaska both the Tmobile and hubby’s Visible phone were dead as a doornail! A couple of times we connected the mofi to an omni directional antenns to boost the ATT signal, but mostly just used the paddle antennas that came with the modem. Ed’svisible phone plan is not Visible+ but just the $25 plan. My Cricket phone $25 plan worked great through Canada and Alaska…except in some of the more remote State and Provincial Parks. 

At home we pipe in sunshine so these devices struggle to get a good signal. We have 2 yagi antennas connected to the mofi and therefore we get an acceptable signal but now have added Starlink to the mix! Starlink gets a much better signal!! We are trying to decide which to eliminate because we DON’T need 3 bills for internet!

Sharon

[hadarrowjr]

T-Mobile tower home internet will work fine until you get to an area where there’s no room for another 911 number. The tower is designed for a fixed location. While traveling through Tennessee and Kentucky we had excellent connectivity with the tower until we stopped in George Town Kentucky. I called T-Mobile and was informed that there was no room on the area 911 for another number. It started working again in North Carolina. It’s still worth traveling with it but it’s a hit and miss on coverage. Just my experience. 

[saflyer]

On 12/1/2023 at 3:34 PM, Just Jim said:

same here with the T mobile wireless.  It is easy to use and fairly cheap.  I have T mobile phones so I had a good idea of the coverage in my area. 

That’s the issue, coverage. I wonder if the towers that home 5G internet uses are special ones different from the cellphone system. I’ve used T-Mobiles service identifier where you put in an address to find if that location has home internet available. Many times it returns a negative response but I am able to use my T-Mobile phone there. Might be a crapshoot getting home internet service in any given location.

[saflyer]

On 12/1/2023 at 9:40 PM, DBRV.0 said:

There must be a reason, such as they believe your location will result in poor reception, thus you will "send it back".  I was in a similar situation, then towers popped up that changed the status.  There must be line-of-sight between antennas, yours and theirs, and it cannot be a long distance.  If you have a cell phone of a provider, and that works, I would expect it likely that they would make Home Internet available.  Check out websites that might show cell towers, then determine if the distance is great or something (like a hill/mountain) exists between you and their tower(s).  With a quick search, I found antennasearch.com as an example.

FWIW, I have Verizon LTE Home Internet.  When I first purchased it a few years ago, I found that there was not a place inside my home that had a strong enough signal for the unit to connect.  I tried everything.  In contrast, my cell phone worked reliably in 75% of the space indoors, so I implemented "wifi calling" on my phones to make calls work.  My issue was that foil on my [custom] house wall and roof sheathing degraded signals.  Out of frustration, I put the LTE unit on my balcony floor where it could "see" the blinking-light cell tower.  That worked and I got 35MB down.  It's not supposed to be a weather proof unit, but I had no choice and it sat out there for years.  I now have that unit sitting above the passenger seat of my Monaco, and I get 55MB down, but I am currently stationary.

Therein is part of the problem, as far as I know none of these modems have options for external and preferably roof mounted antennas so finding a good spot in your home is key. I’m right on the ragged edge of T-Mobile home internet service and all of the usable locations in my house have a building limiting line of site to the tower. It works but could be better. A roof antenna would solve the problem. I saw some YouTube videos about making your own external antenna attachment but it was way beyond my ability. Recently a T-Mobile customer service person hinted an external antenna model is available. I’ll have to check that ou.

As an aside my modem drops its connection to the tower and has to be rebooted manually. Not good if, like me you use the service for your home security system while on a trip. Midway through out last trip that happened and we had no home security for the rest of the trip.

 

[lake49068]

I also have the T-Mobile internet "tower" and it provides excellent service for streaming even though we live in the south central Michigan boonies.  We do take the tower with us on trips and it is plugged in near the kitchen table strapped to the shade valence...worked well all the way from the boonies, through the UP to NW Iowa and home.  HOWEVER, last winter while at our Fort Myers RV site (just west of Camping World off I-75), it wouldn't work...T-Mobile cell phones provided minimal service as well.  So when one goes from "boonies" to a major metropolitan area (Fort Myers) the service is not guaranteed.  Neighbors suggested getting an AT&T hot spot which we did out of desperation and it worked but marginal at best.  We're getting ready to depart for Fort Myers and I'm bringing along the AT&T hot spot (deactivated when we returned home in April) "just in case" but wondering if anyone has had any luck with a cell booster that works with T-Mobile in the Fort Myers area.  

[DBRV.0]

49 minutes ago, saflyer said:

Therein is part of the problem, as far as I know none of these modems have options for external and preferably roof mounted antennas ...

Funny that you should mention external antennas.  My little Verizon LTE unit has a port for such.  When I bought it, I had Verizon agree to send me an antenna because my signal was too weak when it was indoors.  It was for free for customers who needed it - it was not for all customers.  That's why my unit sat outside.  Weeks turned into months, then a year.  Their excuse was "backordered", or something similar.  Finally, they told me that they were unavailable, but I could buy one.  This year, I bought one for it for the Monaco, with the intention of setting it up if I needed it.  It's still sitting in the basement.  One day I'll get to it ...

[Just Jim]

5 hours ago, saflyer said:

That’s the issue, coverage. I wonder if the towers that home 5G internet uses are special ones different from the cellphone system. I’ve used T-Mobiles service identifier where you put in an address to find if that location has home internet available. Many times it returns a negative response but I am able to use my T-Mobile phone there. Might be a crapshoot getting home internet service in any given location.

I don't think there is any difference in the actual towers... the young person at the T Mobile store with multiple hair colors and additional holes in the head told me that the home unit is just basically a really big antenna.... much larger than what you would have in a small cell phone.

[waterskier_1]

5 hours ago, saflyer said:

That’s the issue, coverage. I wonder if the towers that home 5G internet uses are special ones different from the cellphone system. I’ve used T-Mobiles service identifier where you put in an address to find if that location has home internet available. Many times it returns a negative response but I am able to use my T-Mobile phone there. Might be a crapshoot getting home internet service in any given location.

I don't think the 5G towers (or hardware at the towers) is different from a 5G cellphone.  But the 5G towers use different hardware than the 4G towers.

-Rick N.

[lonrhodes]

I work for T-Mobile independent retailer. Here are a few things I've learned about the Home Internet program over the last 2 years.:

#1) they use the same towers for home internet as well as cellular phones.

#2) Home Internet devices are designed to use "excess capacity" and are lower in priority than wireless phones. 

#3) The home internet terms of service state that router is designed to be used at the location provided at sign up. Although no one that I know of has ever had an issue as long as there is either 4G or 5G T-Mobile signal available. This could change in the future.

#4) We have a list of customers whose address didn't qualify one day but we check them once a week. Eventually when service is expanded, a new tower goes up or a tower site is upgraded to take advantage of new spectrum their address will qualify.

Her is a link to a 1 minute video segment that should explain the what and why of the program. This clip is from their Q3 2023 financial call. This is how they qualify an address for unlimited data. T-Mobile home internet strategy:

https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxJ04ED9nOJMScHpsC0X0pXP_hg3IcSHke?si=TQZlEGn4zbsiak-o