What Is 5G Home Internet? Here Is Everything You Need To Know (2024)

5G is the latest wireless standard for cell phones, but it also makes up the backbone for an emerging type of Wi-Fi. Dubbed 5G home internet, it’s a fixed wireless setup that gets you internet service over a router that connects to outdoor radio towers and small cell transmitters.

This fast, cost-effective form of wireless internet is often pitched as a competitive alternative to cable. Available mostly in urban areas, a 5G home internet plan from Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, or Starry Internet gets you solid speeds at a bargain price (usually $50 a month or less). As an added plus, it almost always comes with unlimited data and doesn’t require a contract or fees for installation or equipment.

5G home internet gives you a lot of advantages—but also some technical limitations to keep in mind. Read on for our full breakdown of what 5G is, how it works, and why (or why not) you should get it.

Jump to: Is 5G home internet worth it? |Best 5G home internet plans |How 5G home internet works |5G home internet alternatives

Jump to:

• Is 5G home internet worth it?
• Best 5G home internet plans
• How 5G home internet works
• 5G home internet alternatives

5G home internet is worth it if you want a budget internet plan but you don’t necessarily need fast speeds. While 5G speeds are solid for most small to mid-sized households, the real selling point for this internet service is the fact that it’s cheap and comes with a lot of extra perks.

The upside: 5G home internet plans usually cost a flat fee of $50 a month and get you solid speeds to support a handful of computers, phones, and smart devices. On top of that, you also get lots of additional perks and promotions, including unlimited data and no fees for installation or equipment.

The downside: Most 5G home internet providers offer a limited number of plans to pick from—usually just one or two. 5G can’t deliver the multi-gig or symmetrical speeds of a fiber internet plan, and you may have to deal with fluctuating and inconsistent speeds. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it’s not ideal for activities like VR, hard-drive backups, and livestreaming.

Pro tip: Test your internet speeds

Unlike fiber or cable, 5G works over a wireless network. Your internet connection is likely only going to be as good as the cell service you get in your area. Take a speed test to monitor your connection regularly and get an idea of the speeds you get.

Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T all have 5G home internet offerings. Verizon’s 5G plans boast of the fastest speeds, but the three providers are all fairly equal in terms of pricing and perks.

Whoever you go with, you get a plan that costs $50 or $55 a month, along with unlimited data and no contract requirement. You can get a discount on your bill when you bundle it with a wireless phone plan from the plan’s respective provider. T-Mobile and Verizon also offer generous promotions and perks to new customers.

Read disclaimers.

5G home internet works by transmitting data over a fixed wireless internet network to your home router from a nearby radio transmitter.

Unlike cable or fiber connections—which sends internet through wired home broadband infrastructure—5G runs over a wireless connection maintained by networks of radio towers. Cellular companies have rolled out 5G networks across the country over the past several years. But 5G home internet is mostly limited to urban areas because it uses the shorter-range frequencies of C-band and mmWave to deliver the fastest possible speeds.

Prior to 5G coming out a few years ago, radio and cellular frequencies typically weren’t used to support internet customers on a wide scale. But 5G represents a notable step forward for wireless networking. Since 5G harnesses previously underused frequency spectrums, that means it’s fast and reliable—although you may experience a less-consistent download speed since the signals are traveling through the air.

Pro tip: Learn the ins and outs of 4G vs. 5G

Take a look at our 4G vs. 5G guide to learn the difference between these two wireless standards.

Want to expand your mind even further? Step into the future with our explainer on 6G, a tech type that technically doesn’t exist yet.

Fiber internet is the best alternative to 5G home internet. A basic fiber plan costs about the same as (or usually a little bit more than) 5G home internet plans, but you get a much faster connection, with better upload speeds and much more consistency.

You can also get cable internet if you don’t want 5G home internet. Although 5G home internet service is itself touted as a worthy alternative to cable, 5G still can’t quite beat cable in terms of gigabit speeds or all-around reliability.

However, cable internet service comes with a lot of extra baggage too—including fees for installation and equipment, data caps, and annual contracts. 5G goes much easier on the wallet.

• Fiber vs. 5G Home Internet: What’s the Difference?
• How Fast Is 5G Home Internet?
• Best 5G Hotspots
• Is 5G Home Internet Worth the Money?

Best 5G home internet plans (return to top)

*w/ Auto Pay. Available in select areas.

†w/ Auto Pay. Regulatory fees included in monthly price for qualified accounts. See full terms. Delivered via 5G cellular network; speeds vary due to factors affecting cellular networks, including data prioritization.

^‡AutoPay and paperless billing required. Monthly State Cost Recovery Charge in TX, OH, NV applies. . Service subj. to Internet Terms of Service at att.com/internet-terms. Offers may be modified, or discontinued, at any time without notice. Other conditions may apply to all offers.

^§Available in select areas only. Price per month with Auto Pay & without select 5G mobile plans. Fios plan prices include taxes & fees. Plan availability varies. Check availability at starry.com/internet. *New customers save $10/mo off select plans for their first year of service. Terms & Conditions Apply.