I’ve had four internet service providers since I moved into Hiddenbrooke 12 years ago. When I had a home-based business producing online conferences for up to 500 people, I relied on Xfinity/Comcast’s copper line with my Verizon mobile phone back-up. But now that I’m in retirement mode, I like Verizon Home’s month-to-month contract and the discounts I get because I already have my mobile phone service with them and I am retired military.
But since I’m no expert, I asked a couple neighbors who work in the internet service industry what advice they would have for new Hiddenbrooke residents and those unhappy with their current service. Here are the five fastest-to-slowest technology options that they told me on the condition that I wouldn’t mention their names:
1. AT&T Fiber is the fastest and most reliable option, if you can get it. A handful of Hiddenbrooke homes now have access to this fiber optic cable network and the crews been tearing up our side streets lately appear to be preparing to connect more. Folks who have had AT&T residential fiber outside of Hiddenbrooke say it is that it’s more reliable and consistent than Xfinity, but that its customer service is similarly terrible. AT&T’s website is offering lightning-fast 1 Gbps symmetric (download and upload bandwidth). Click on the button below and type in your street address to check availability and, if not, do what I did and give them your email address to notify you when you can get it. I haven’t spoken to any in-the-know neighbor who wouldn’t choose this option if they could.
2. Comcast Xfinity or Comcast Business is the next-best option, if speed and reliability are important. Their shared copper-cable network infrastructure is the same for both services but if you tell them you want a home business account they will charge you much more for a 4-hour Service Level Agreement for support with a chance to interact with someone who knows better than its Tier 1 overseas support for residential customers. They offer 1 and 2 Gbps downloads and roughly 100 Mbps uploads. Details at:
3. Starlink for personal or business is an option if you want wireless speed. This low-earth-orbit satellite service from Elon Musk claims speeds up to 150 Mbps down and 25 Mbps up in Hiddenbrooke with a residential dish. Business clients get priority over Personal, use a slightly larger (and slightly more expensive) dish which results in speeds up to 220 Mbps down with still 25 Mbps up. Starlink’s technical constraints aren’t ideal for competitive gamers and day traders, but the rest of us probably won’t notice the latency issues. Before you install a roof dish, you are supposed to have approval from the Hiddenbrooke Property Owners Association. Details are in Chapter 5 of the rules posted at https://hiddenbrookeonline.org/harc/. Learn more:
4. Verizon 5G Home and T-Mobile 5G Home are wireless cellular technology options that offer great value and decent coverage. These providers share a network that offers 85–250 Mbps down but only 5 Mbps up which make it similar to a mobile phone on their network. For me, it helps that I can see the Verizon tower outside an upstairs bedroom window where I’ve placed their router. I understand that Verizon’s 5G business tier now has a 400 Mbps option which looks to be a better offering than Starlink’s Business tier so long as you’re okay with Verizon’s potentially 5x slower upload speed. Learn more at:
5. AT&T U-verse? Don’t bother pursuing this now-ancient copper twisted pair ADSL service that is also used to deliver landline phones otherwise known as Plain Old Telephone Service. Even if you qualify for their low-income household discounts, you are better off asking about similar price considerations from those providers listed above.
Still have a landline phone? If so, consider keeping it instead of opting for home phone service from AT&T Fiber or Comcast/Xfinity should they try to cross-sell their home phone service. Someone who wants maximum voice phone service reliability should stick with their copper phone line because the fiber and cable options require power to operate. That means they won’t work during a power outage. To be fair, AT&T Fiber and Comcast/Xfinity phone services do include battery backup but I’m told by others that they don’t do a good job of maintaining the backup batteries. However, the mobile phone companies will deploy additional backup power for their cell towers and/or mobile cell sites in the event of a lengthy power outage.
Need for speed. Be aware that all the services above are subject to slowdowns when all of our Hiddenbrooke neighbors get online at peak times. The best way to check your network’s current wi-fi gateway speed is through the tool provided by current provider, but there are also less-reliable network speed tests online, probably from the prospective internet service provider who is angling for your business. Also, internet speed is subject to the limitations of equipment you are connecting regardless of the network’s potential.
Third-party wi-fi routers and network extenders. Our neighbor experts tell me that if you’re a non-technical user it’s best to use the gateway your service provider gives/sells/rents you rather than installing your own so the provider can’t blame you when you complain about network issues such as performance or security. If you have issues with wireless drop-off or coverage throughout your home, Verizon has a wi-fi extender solution that may be free or low cost.
You better shop around. I hope this information helps. I’ve tried not to get too technical or give pricing which is ALWAYS subject to change. By now, I think we’ve all learned that it’s wise to shop around and be prepared to switch as technology advances, prices drop, and online needs change.
Thank you! Very helpful.