For the past few years, we've all been watching 5G roll out for our phones,
but did you know it can also replace your entire home internet connection without all the messy wires?
Okay, I'm interested. But can what is essentially a glorified cell phone connection
really replace cable or even fiber? Well, it depends.
Wireless internet to the home certainly isn't new, but 5G offers advantages previous technologies don't.
Satellite internet often has limited speeds and high latency,
making it generally unsuitable for real-time applications like gaming.
And although satellite internet constellation services like Starlink try to solve these problems,
your mileage may vary. There are also wireless ISPs or wisps that commonly use different frequencies than 5G
to beam internet signals from access points on towers or buildings
to home modems with antennas attached. While these kinds of connections typically don't have latency issues as severe as satellite links,
you usually need a clear line of sight between the access point and the home antenna,
as those signals tend to be beamed in one direction.
Modern 5G home internet aims to provide higher speeds and more acceptable latency
without needing a clear line of sight. Think about how you can often get a 5G connection on your phone just fine indoors, for example.
And whereas satellite internet and wisps are usually targeted at folks in underserved
rural areas that might not have adequate options for a wired internet service,
5G is trying to make inroads even in areas where consumers could easily get cable or fiber.
But what exactly is the appeal? Well, a big one is convenience.
If you don't already have cable or fiber lines running to your house,
you don't have to wait around for a technician to come and do an install between the hours of
7am and 11pm. And even for people who do have cable and fiber connections ready to go,
you aren't tied to wherever that cable or Ethernet jack is when it comes to modem placement.
Just plug in the 5G receiver anywhere you have a power socket,
and if your signal isn't great, pick it up, plug it in somewhere else.
Another possible advantage is cost. Although this aspect is going to vary quite a bit,
depending on which providers are in your area and exactly what they charge,
it's possible to get more than adequate speed for less money than a wired connection,
especially if you're using the same provider you get your phone service from and snag a bundle
discount. But this doesn't mean you should run out and buy a 5G home connection right now,
as there are certainly a number of potential pitfalls.
Let's start with the most obvious thing to consider here. You need a good 5G signal in your house.
And even if you have that, 5G speeds simply aren't high enough everywhere to compete with cable or
fiber. If you're in the market and you already have a 5G phone,
one strategy is to run a speed test on your phone to get some kind of rough idea of the
performance you'll get on home 5G. But you won't know for sure until you get your 5G modem up and running.
Speaking of performance, you might see bigger swings in speed and latency than you would on
a wired connection due to the less consistent nature of wireless signals and variable loads on
the network. Unfortunately, this is really a try it and see kind of problem.
Some folks have had no problems gaming on 5G home connections,
while others have had latency swings that have resulted in serious hiccups during gameplay.
And while these issues are certainly possible with wired connections,
you'll be more susceptible to them with 5G generally speaking.
Also, you really need to be aware of exactly what you're signing up for.
A while back, we did another video explaining that there are several different flavors of 5G,
from the ultra-fast but very short-range millimeter wave
to low-band 5G that's not that different from 4G LTE performance.
And unfortunately, some of the faster versions of 5G don't penetrate through walls as well as 4G.
If you're in doubt about exactly what kind of 5G technology and ISP you're considering offers,
be sure to ask, especially as some providers that advertise 5G
will often fall back to a 4G LTE connection if the actual 5G connection reaching your home
is in a bad mood. But also remember that a lower-band connection can actually give you better signal strength.
In fact, low-band 5G around 700MHz is often marketed as rural broadband,
with reliability as a big selling point. But speaking of low-band connections,
a good number of network operators that advertise 5G home internet
still use a 4G backbone after the signal gets to the tower.
So keep in mind that both speed and latency may suffer as a result.
Finally, don't forget about upload speeds. If you're fortunate enough to have an ISP in your area offering fiber,
they'll usually offer upload speeds that are just as fast as download speeds.
But as is the case with most home cable connections,
you might be hard-pressed to get super-goddy upload speeds with 5G home internet.
But all of this said, if you're in an area with good 5G coverage,
aren't super worried about online gaming performance or other latency-sensitive applications
like video conferencing, and you can stand to save a few bucks,
5G home internet might just be worth looking into. Especially as latency doesn't matter as much if you're just trying to
download large files or watch YouTube. As long as you wear your tinfoil nightcap to bed.
Just joking. But I'm not joking when I say thank you for watching.
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