T-Mobile Home Internet Review

T-Mobile’s Home Internet Plans Overview

What we really love about T-Mobile’s approach to home internet is how easy it is to understand. With many internet providers, just trying to figure out the plan is a headache — so much so that the Federal Communications Commission has adopted new rules to make internet providers more transparent about their pricing through the use of broadband labels (like FDA food  labels).2 Here’s our breakdown of T-Mobile’s offerings:

Internet Only Plans

*$35 device connection charge
**Paramount+ not available for Puerto Rico plans

Plan Details

With T-Mobile’s Rely Home Internet plan, you get unlimited data for $50 per month with auto pay (including taxes) and no data caps. Unlike most internet providers, such as Cox and Xfinity, there are no equipment rental fees. There also are no annual contracts, which means no early termination fees. An added bonus is that you can save $15 on any voice line when you bundle with a T-Mobile Home Internet plan.

There’s a trade-off for that straightforward simplicity though. T-Mobile’s 5G internet isn’t as fast as some other providers we’ve reviewed. T-Mobile guarantees download speeds between 72 and 245 Mbps with all plans. There are much faster plans from other providers, but those are still decent speeds for the average user.

Here’s a quick summary of all three of T-Mobile’s plans:

• Rely Home Internet: You get all the basics for reliable Wi-Fi with a low monthly rate. The plan comes with fast speeds, unlimited data, and a 5G gateway. It costs $50 per month with auto pay (or $55 per month without auto pay), with a $35 device connection charge.
• Amplified Home Internet: You get the same benefits as the Rely plan, plus faster speeds, a more advanced 5G gateway, and advanced cyber security. With advanced cyber security, you get safe browsing to help block malicious links and anomaly detection to protect against cybercriminals. You can manage all of that through the T-Life app. The plan costs $60 per month with auto pay, and there is no device connection charge.
• All-In Home Internet: This plan has everything the Amplified plan includes — fast speeds, an advanced 5G gateway, and advanced cyber security — plus Hulu and Paramount+ subscriptions. (Paramount+ is not available in Puerto Rico.) It also comes with a mesh access point to enhance Wi-Fi coverage throughout your home and 24/7 live assistance with video support from Assurant Personal TechPro. The plan costs $70 per month with auto pay, and there is no device connection charge.

You may even experience faster download speeds than advertised. We ran several speed tests using T-Mobile’s internet service, and there were multiple occasions when our download speeds were over 400 Mbps. That increased the value of T-Mobile’s service in our book, because we got more than 150 Mbps of extra speed for the same price.

Taking a speed test using T-Mobile's internet connection

For comparison, Spectrum boasts faster speeds and bundled savings. T-Mobile and Spectrum both offer internet for about $50 per month with auto pay, T-Mobile doesn’t lock you into an annual contract to get the best rates.

T-Mobile Speeds in Context

Although 72 to 245 Mbps is a good deal faster than an entry-level Hughesnet satellite plan — and more than covers moderate browsing, emailing, and (standard-definition) streaming needs — T-Mobile can’t hit the heavy-duty speeds of some of our top-rated internet providers for seniors, such as Xfinity, Cox, and AT&T. If you or a grandchild enjoys online gaming, T-Mobile may not have the juice to support it. The speeds are fast enough to connect to several devices simultaneously, however. We could work from home, take Zoom calls, and stream shows concurrently without issue.

Expert Insights

From Taylor Shuman, Senior Tech Expert

You don’t need blazing-fast download speeds to do everything. According to Netflix, you don’t need more than 5 Mbps to stream your favorite movies and series in HD. That’s only 4 Mbps more than you need to send emails.

For about $30 more than T-Mobile’s $50 per month plan (with auto pay), you could be cruising the internet with AT&T’s Internet 1000 plan, which gives you super-fast download speeds up to 940 Mbps. (Check out our AT&T Internet review for the whole story.) CenturyLink Gigabit Fiber Internet is another prime contender for older Americans going full steam online, even if it’s a little pricier at $65 per month. The silver lining here for any T-Mobile holdouts is that T-Mobile has the best 5G cell phone coverage in the nation.

Easy Setup

T-Mobile delivers its service via its own 5G gateway device using the latest Wi-Fi 6 technology. Wi-Fi 6 is a significant advancement over previous generations of Wi-Fi technology, with double the channel width and much faster connections — fast enough to stream 8K videos!

The gateway device — which looks a little like a first-generation Amazon Alexa — serves as your router and should be able to cover your entire house. The specific model of gateway you receive may vary based on the plan you choose.

Using our T-Mobile Gateway

Our installation experience was a breeze. We visited the T-Mobile store, and the representatives were kind and helpful. They gave us equipment and everything we needed to set up our connection when we got home. We simply plugged in the device near a window, and it was ready. It took only 30 minutes to get our connection up and running!

One thing to note: The location of the device matters. Placing it near our workstation, for example, gave us a stronger signal. We only moved it occasionally when we needed a faster signal in certain parts of the house. Since it’s a small tower, we could quickly move it around, which wasn’t much of a hassle. We could view our connection and equipment status in the mobile app to ensure everything was running properly.

We could easily view our connection and equipment status in T-Mobile's mobile app.

If you live in a larger home or just don’t want to deal with moving your equipment regularly, however, we recommend upgrading to the All-In Home Internet plan. It includes a Mesh Access point for extended coverage. Since the equipment relies on T-Mobile’s network and we have strong coverage in our area, we had consistent speed and didn’t experience any outages during testing.

Using the T-Life App

After setting up our 5G Gateway, we downloaded the T-Life mobile app. The app, available for iPhones and Android devices, is your command center. We could see our signal strength and speed, share our Wi-Fi password, restart our equipment, view data usage, and more.

Viewing our equipment status and settings in T-Mobile's T Life app

If you’ve got grandkids around regularly, you can set up grandparental controls to limit screen time. We found using the mobile app very easy and convenient. We could do things like control who was logged in, change the password, and see usage.

Expert Insights

From Taylor Shuman, Senior Tech Expert:

T-Mobile’s internet app doesn’t have a content filter to restrict the websites and apps the little ones aren’t allowed to visit, but it lets you set the days and times they can go online. If you’re looking for more advanced parental controls, you may want to consider providers, such as Xfinity, that let you monitor what websites your child visits and filter out inappropriate content.

Does T-Mobile Offer a Senior Discount for Internet?

T-Mobile isn’t running any senior discounts for internet at the moment, but the $50-per-month plan with auto pay and no data caps feels designed as an alternative to expensive plans with more fine print. Without auto pay, your bill will run $55 monthly. That may not sound like a sharp increase, but that $5 adds up!

Auto pay is one way to save with T-Mobile, but it isn’t the only way. You don’t have to pay the monthly equipment rental fees you would with, say, AT&T. Those fees add up. Because there are no annual contracts, you won’t be charged any extra cancellation fees. This is a plan with value baked in. T-Mobile also has Unlimited 55+ cell phone plans, which offer discounted rates for seniors. You can bundle these plans (or any other T-Mobile voice line) with your T-Mobile internet plan to score a $15 discount.

T-Mobile also offers perks and discounts for customers through the T-Life mobile app. You can save on live events, win prizes, and score free stuff or deals from many brands every Tuesday.

Viewing T-Mobile's discounts and perks in the T Life app

Is T-Mobile Available in My Area?

Availability is the first thing you should check if you’re considering switching to T-Mobile. Enrolling in a T-Mobile 55+ Unlimited cell phone plan means you get access to nationwide service. They now cover 326 million people in over 9,100 cities and towns across all 50 states and Puerto Rico.

The good news is that it’s easy to find out if you’re eligible for T-Mobile internet. Just head to the T-Mobile website and enter your home address. They’ll tell you quickly if there’s coverage in your area.

T-Mobile Bundles to Get the Best Deal

You’re in luck if you’re searching for a senior phone plan to go with your home internet, because T-Mobile offers an internet and phone bundle. Add any voice line, including T-Mobile’s 55+ package to your home internet plan to save $15 on your internet plan. Head to our T-Mobile review to learn more about T-Mobile’s cell phone plans for seniors.

Using an iPhone on T-Mobile's service

How Does T-Mobile Compare to Other Internet Providers?

T-Mobile’s no-nonsense internet service isn’t a one-stop entertainment shop. You’re essentially paying for an internet connection. If daily entertainment means surfing hundreds of TV channels, you may want to look at Spectrum’s internet plans or AT&T’s internet deals. You can bundle TV and internet to get the most bang for your buck. The downside to both options is that the freedom to surf so many channels comes with price hikes after the first year, contracts to sign, and equipment rental fees.

If you don’t need hundreds of channels and your idea of a perfect Saturday night is popcorn and Netflix, signing up for a T-Mobile plan makes more sense — especially if you aren’t a heavy internet user. For $50 and change — Netflix’s Standard plan will run you about $15 monthly without ads — you’re good to go.

If you are looking for a new internet provider but need help understanding what to look for, check out our 2024 internet buyer’s guide for seniors. It’s got links to reliable reviews and plenty of other resources for seniors — from food delivery guides to advice on how to speed up your internet connection.