Reprinted from TidBITS by permission; reuse governed by Creative Commons
license BY-NC-ND 3.0. TidBITS has offered years of thoughtful commentary
on Apple and Internet topics. For free email subscriptions and access to the
entire TidBITS archive, visit http://www.tidbits.com/
AT&T Joins T-Mobile, Verizon in Deploying 5G Home Internet
Julio Ojeda-Zapata
AT&T has joined T-Mobile and Verizon in providing 5G home Internet
service, a wireless alternative to traditional wired forms of
residential broadband.
I wrote about the T-Mobile and Verizon services last year ('[1]5G Home
Internet Is a Good Alternative To Wired Broadband,' 31 March 2022).
Each involved setting up a router-style device that creates a local
Wi-Fi network and taps cellular bandwidth for the backhaul link to the
Internet. I tried out both services with temporary access provided by
the carriers.
AT&T was a no-show then but has recently been testing an equivalent
service in a few spots around the country. In August 2023, the carrier
[2]made it official, offering [3]AT&T Internet Air in portions of 20
major US metropolitan areas'including my hometown of Minneapolis-St.
Paul.
I've been trying out the $55-per-month AT&T Internet Air, which I am
paying for because the company didn't furnish tech-test access. I've
also been retesting the T-Mobile service with access provided by the
carrier. Verizon didn't provide access, and I couldn't revisit its
service on my dime because my residential address is not listed as
qualifying for it (a fact that didn't stop the company from helping me
out last time).
I've found that AT&T Internet Air provides solid, if not spectacular,
performance at a reasonable cost. I would have been more excited about
it last year, but my broadband landscape has shifted since I tested the
T-Mobile and Verizon services.
At that time, the cellular services consistently outpaced my wired
[4]Xfinity Internet connection and often left it in the dust. But a
recent Xfinity hardware upgrade brought improved performance at no
extra cost. Plus, some home Internet users increasingly have access to
other super fast wired-broadband services'such as Lumen Technologies'
[5]Quantum Fiber in the Twin Cities and other metro areas'at a
reasonable cost.
Wired improvements hardly render the wireless services obsolete.
Everyone has to weigh speed, convenience, cost, and reliability when
picking among Internet services in their areas, and in many cases, the
wireless variants will be contenders.
Not everyone can avail themselves of wireless Internet connectivity,
however. Although the T-Mobile and Verizon services are broadly
available across the contiguous United States, the AT&T service is less
so for now (see the [6]accompanying chart excerpted below). Even within
official service areas, not everyone can sign up because carriers
determine eligibility for each postal address, its proximity to cell
towers, and the strength of the 5G signal at that location based on
network congestion and other factors.
The AT&T All-Fi Hub
Last year, I was enchanted with the minimalist routers Verizon and
T-Mobile sent me. Verizon's device is [7]a cute white cube with a red
checkmark logo. T-Mobile went for a more dignified tone with its
[8]tall-ish, dark-gray rectangular obelisk. I can only imagine the
industrial-design conversations in AT&T labs: 'Let's make our cellular
thingie bigger and weirder!' And so they did.
What I unpacked initially reminded me of the gigantic airships of the
late 1800s'though, upon further inspection, AT&T's All-Fi Hub more
resembles a Bluetooth speaker. Regardless, it's a beast compared to the
rival routers. I couldn't tuck it onto a bookshelf, as I had with the
others, so I found a table and put it in one of my third-floor windows
facing the street to confound my neighbors and optimize my 5G signal.
The All-Fi Hub is white plastic with a black base. The back has a
couple of big cutouts for a vent and two Ethernet ports, a USB-A port
(not intended for consumer use), and a reset button. A big Wi-Fi
Protected Setup button is in a corner.
As you saw in the first two photos, the front of the All-Fi Hub
features a data readout made up of big white dots that display [9]Lite
Brite-style patterns to convey [10]useful information'paired, often
redundantly, with a multi-colored notification light.
The All-Fi Hub alone might not be sufficient to broadcast a good signal
into all corners of a large home with multiple floors or thick walls,
so it supports similar-looking extender gadgets for an extra $10 per
month (up to five extenders for that single additional price). This
sets the AT&T Internet Air service apart from its competitors, which
offer no such hardware. But the cost would still add up significantly
over several years.
Setting Up AT&T Internet Air
AT&T's Internet Air service, like its competitors, is designed for
[11]self-setup. It's supposed to be so easy that a technician visit
isn't necessary. No such in-person help exists, though there is phone
support. I ran into a few hiccups, and I was glad I could get help
quickly.
My biggest error was not registering and paying for my service on my
laptop before trying to set up the All-Fi Hub. That caused a world of
hurt. Don't be me. Things went fairly smoothly after I got past the
registration phase.
Setup mostly happens using AT&T's [12]Smart Home Manager app, which
runs on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, though it is not 'verified' for the
latter. There's also a Web version of Smart Home Manager, but it's bare
bones'assuming you can get it to load. AT&T's website is lousy and
apparently not intended for service setup. Stick with the app.
To start, you scan a QR code on a sticker on the All-Fi Hub's base.
That is when you log in to the account you previously set up. You're
then prompted to find a spot in your home with a strong cellular signal
based on elevation (typically the highest floor in the house and near
the ceiling at that location) and direction (based on where the closest
cellular tower is). The All-Fi Hub's info dots coalesce into signal
bars and speed readings while a light at the base shines green, yellow,
or red'indicating an excellent, adequate, or poor signal.
You're also nudged to customize your network SSID and password'be sure
to change at least the password.
The Smart Home Manager app remains useful after setup. You can use it
to run speed tests, test signal strength, track data usage, monitor
automatic AT&T ActiveArmor security scans, gauge if you're on the best
Wi-Fi channel for reduced interference, configure user profiles and
per-device permissions, set up guest access, and troubleshoot hardware
problems.
How Fast Is AT&T Internet Air?
No Internet service is worth the price if it cannot reliably and
consistently provide decent download and upload speeds. AT&T Internet
Air passed the test in my location. On paper, it is slower than its
competitors, but in real-life use where I live, it achieved approximate
parity.
AT&T promises download speeds of 40 to 140 Mbps, and that has roughly
been my experience, with downloads sometimes surging to 250 or 300
Mbps. The advertised uploads of 5 to 25 Mbps also approximately match
what I have seen.
Those are relatively large ranges, partly due to the unpredictability
of cellular connections. If you have regularly performed speed tests on
your iPhone, you've surely noticed that numbers can be all over the
place. Wired Internet service is a lot more consistent, in my
experience.
When I tested it last year, [13]T-Mobile 5G Home Internet regularly hit
200 Mbps and often peaked at 250 Mbps. The carrier advertises downloads
of 72 to 245 Mbps. T-Mobile didn't perform as well this year, with
downloads in the 100 Mbps to 150 Mbps range, but the service remains
quite reliable.
That's not the case for everyone. TidBITS publisher Adam Engst told me
his parents tested the T-Mobile 5G Home Internet service in upstate New
York because it promised significantly faster throughput than their DSL
connection. They found the performance wildly variable but always
better than their DSL connection, particularly for uploads.
Unfortunately, the service dropped entirely a number of times during
the trial, causing them to return the cellular hub and stick with their
usually reliable DSL.
In comparison, [14]Verizon 5G Home Internet regularly exceeded 250 Mbps
and sometimes topped 300 Mbps in my testing, roughly matching its
advertised downloads of 85 to 300 Mbps. The service is capable of much
greater speeds, in the neighborhood of 1 Gbps, but only in the nooks
and crannies of certain cities (including Minneapolis and St. Paul)
where it supports a turbo-charged flavor of 5G called 'millimeter wave'
(I don't qualify).
Because I didn't have the Verizon option at my disposal this time, I
checked with a neighbor who has it. Steve and his wife Lana signed up
about a year ago after experiencing reliability issues with their
Xfinity service. Verizon was, until earlier this month, their primary
Internet source, it has been reliable, and they have no major
complaints. They reported download speeds of about 150 to 200 Mbps and
uploads around 15 Mbps, which is a major slowdown compared to my tests,
but not a dealbreaker.
Wireless vs. Wired
Steve, however, recently signed up for Quantum Fiber (while keeping
Verizon as a backup for now). That gave his residence a considerable
speed boost with 'symmetrical' uploads and downloads'about 800 Mbps up
and down'which isn't far off Quantum's advertised gigabit performance
for $75 per month. 500 Mbps costs only $50 per month, similar to
Verizon's service.
If Quantum proves dependable, Steve says he'll eventually drop Verizon.
I'm of a similar frame of mind: Why would I use a wireless service if I
could get much faster wired broadband for a similar price?
I investigated the T-Mobile and Verizon services last year with a big
question in mind: could either replace Xfinity broadband? The answer
was a tentative yes. Back then, I wrote that my wired broadband 'has
been reliable for the most part, but I fret about the bang for my buck.
Am I paying too much for the Internet speeds I'm getting?'
At the time, my Xfinity downloads hovered around 100 Mbps with
single-digit uploads, which I found profoundly unsatisfying in light of
what the wireless services gave me. But when I visited an Xfinity store
earlier this year to swap out my near-obsolete modem for a [15]new
model, a staffer told me that it would boost my speeds dramatically for
no extra money.
Indeed, I now see consistent downloads of about 1 Gbps, a tenfold
increase, and uploads of up to 100 Mbps, eight or nine times faster
than I experienced before. As a result, I now have zero interest in
wireless home broadband.
Who Is Wireless Internet For?
But that's just me. AT&T Internet Air or one of the rival wireless
Internet services could be perfect for your household, based on various
factors.
* It may be your best option: You might not have access to high-speed
wired Internet where you live (Quantum, for instance, can only
serve the minority of homes in its Twin Cities territory where it
has installed fiber). If one or more of the wireless services work
there, you are golden.
* It's fast enough (for many): Not all subscribers are power users
with dozens of online-connected devices in their residences and
demanding needs such as online gaming and high-res streaming. Some
just want a reliable and reasonably speedy service, and one of the
wireless ones could be more than sufficient.
* It's convenient to set up: You can do it yourself, following simple
instructions. No technicians will tromp into your house. Nobody
will string unsightly cables from the alley to your house and drill
holes into walls to poke cords through (which would have happened
at my home with a Quantum installation a couple of years ago if I
hadn't aborted it at my alarmed wife's request).
* It's minimal and flexible: The equipment is unobtrusive'well, not
so much AT&T's All-Fi hub'and there are no unsightly wires other
than the power cord. As a result, you have flexibility in where to
put the device. My Xfinity router, on the other hand, is an eyesore
that's tethered via coaxial cable to a wall port beneath my
standing desk.
* It is mobile (kind of): When you submit your address for service
eligibility, you attest you will use it only at that address and
won't lend it to a friend or take it in your camper on a
cross-country road trip. But if you are moving across town or to
another eligible city, you can ask to have the hardware registered
to the new address. Encore setup is then a breeze.
* It could be a bargain: Wireless carriers are all about incentives,
some of which apply to the home Internet services. AT&T, for
instance, will take $20 off your $55 monthly bill if you're using
an eligible phone plan (but there is no requirement to be a
pre-existing AT&T customer). Further, AT&T Internet Air has no
annual contract, no overage charges, and provides a 12-month price
guarantee. T-Mobile and Verizon take a similar approach.
* You have little or nothing to lose: All the services have free
trials, so you can see if the speed and reliability are sufficient
for you. AT&T is stingiest with a one-week test period, while
T-Mobile provides 15 days, and Verizon offers a full month of free
use. The trial period may not be enough time for you'but you can
take an extra month at your own expense, with no lock-in, and ditch
the service if you're not satisfied.
The Bottom Line
I have come away satisfied with AT&T Internet Air, if not blown away by
the service. Its speeds aren't spectacular, especially compared to
wired broadband options available to me, but they're more than adequate
for average Internet users and'at least based on my real-life use'are
roughly on par with those T-Mobile and Verizon provide.
Wireless broadband performance tends to be more variable than wired
alternatives, no matter which of the services you choose. However,
reliability is more critical, and in my weeks-long testing, AT&T proved
to be quite dependable'at least, no less so than its competitors. I
experienced infrequent, extremely brief service interruptions, but that
also happens with my Xfinity service and was also the case in my
T-Mobile and Verizon testing.
I approve of the fact that AT&T Internet Air offers its own Wi-Fi
extenders'as Xfinity has done for years and Quantum has recently begun
to do'instead of making customers look into third-party products. There
is a good chance you wouldn't need the extenders, though. My AT&T
All-Fi hub, placed in a central location in my home, gave my
three-floor residence decent coverage, much as my newer Xfinity router
also does. I wish the AT&T All-Fit hub were smaller and less obtrusive,
but that's a minor gripe.
If you're looking into wireless broadband, you should consider AT&T
Internet Air alongside the services from T-Mobile and Verizon. Choosing
among them would come down to availability in your location, price,
performance, and reliability.
References
Visible links
1. https://tidbits.com/2022/03/31/5g-home-internet/
2. https://about.att.com/blogs/2023/internet-air.html
3. https://www.att.com/internet/what-is-internet-air/
4. https://www.xfinity.com/learn/internet-service
5. https://www.quantumfiber.com/
6. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQJp5u071N1jNOyFrmLklLg9DUEavwji1eWn0p1FWbEns_llIyfDCdaHkgKhrCfGpSYOOA21L2AlhTB/pubhtml
7. https://www.verizon.com/about/sites/default/files/2022-06/5g-home-hero-YT-1230x690.jpg
8. https://i0.wp.com/tmo.report/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/new_gateway_featured.png?fit=600%2C400&ssl=1
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lite-Brite
10. https://www.att.com/scmsassets/support/internet/what-do-my-all-fi-hub-lights-mean-cgw450.pdf
11. https://www.att.com/scmsassets/support/internet/aia-user-guide.pdf
12. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/smart-home-manager/id1258654743
13. https://www.t-mobile.com/home-internet
14. https://www.verizon.com/home/internet/5g/
15. https://corporate.comcast.com/press/releases/comcast-wifi-6e-fastest-router-gateway-10G-low-latency#:~:text=Device%20to%20Date-,Comcast%20Launches%20New%20WiFi%206E%20Gateway%20%E2%80%93%20Its,Powerful%20WiFi%20Device%20to%20Date&text=Consumers%20will%20experience%20faster%20speeds,connected%20devices%20in%20their%20homes.
Hidden links:
16. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQJp5u071N1jNOyFrmLklLg9DUEavwji1eWn0p1FWbEns_llIyfDCdaHkgKhrCfGpSYOOA21L2AlhTB/pubhtml
17. https://tidbits.com/wp/../uploads/2023/10/All-Fi-Hub.jpg
18. https://tidbits.com/wp/../uploads/2023/10/All-Fi-Hub-in-place.jpg
19. https://tidbits.com/wp/../uploads/2023/10/All-F-Hub-back.jpg
20. https://tidbits.com/wp/../uploads/2023/10/All-Fi-Hub-extender.jpg