WEBVTT

00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.760
For the past few years, we've all been watching 5G roll out for our phones,

00:00:03.760 --> 00:00:09.520
but did you know it can also replace your entire home internet connection without all the messy wires?

00:00:10.560 --> 00:00:16.560
Okay, I'm interested. But can what is essentially a glorified cell phone connection

00:00:16.560 --> 00:00:21.040
really replace cable or even fiber? Well, it depends.

00:00:21.040 --> 00:00:27.520
Wireless internet to the home certainly isn't new, but 5G offers advantages previous technologies don't.

00:00:27.520 --> 00:00:30.880
Satellite internet often has limited speeds and high latency,

00:00:30.880 --> 00:00:34.880
making it generally unsuitable for real-time applications like gaming.

00:00:34.880 --> 00:00:40.160
And although satellite internet constellation services like Starlink try to solve these problems,

00:00:40.160 --> 00:00:47.920
your mileage may vary. There are also wireless ISPs or wisps that commonly use different frequencies than 5G

00:00:47.920 --> 00:00:51.760
to beam internet signals from access points on towers or buildings

00:00:51.760 --> 00:00:59.600
to home modems with antennas attached. While these kinds of connections typically don't have latency issues as severe as satellite links,

00:00:59.600 --> 00:01:04.800
you usually need a clear line of sight between the access point and the home antenna,

00:01:04.800 --> 00:01:08.400
as those signals tend to be beamed in one direction.

00:01:08.400 --> 00:01:13.920
Modern 5G home internet aims to provide higher speeds and more acceptable latency

00:01:13.920 --> 00:01:21.520
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.

00:01:21.520 --> 00:01:27.120
And whereas satellite internet and wisps are usually targeted at folks in underserved

00:01:27.120 --> 00:01:31.280
rural areas that might not have adequate options for a wired internet service,

00:01:31.280 --> 00:01:37.360
5G is trying to make inroads even in areas where consumers could easily get cable or fiber.

00:01:37.360 --> 00:01:41.600
But what exactly is the appeal? Well, a big one is convenience.

00:01:41.600 --> 00:01:44.880
If you don't already have cable or fiber lines running to your house,

00:01:44.880 --> 00:01:49.280
you don't have to wait around for a technician to come and do an install between the hours of

00:01:49.360 --> 00:01:54.800
7am and 11pm. And even for people who do have cable and fiber connections ready to go,

00:01:54.800 --> 00:02:00.160
you aren't tied to wherever that cable or Ethernet jack is when it comes to modem placement.

00:02:00.160 --> 00:02:03.280
Just plug in the 5G receiver anywhere you have a power socket,

00:02:03.280 --> 00:02:07.760
and if your signal isn't great, pick it up, plug it in somewhere else.

00:02:07.760 --> 00:02:13.440
Another possible advantage is cost. Although this aspect is going to vary quite a bit,

00:02:13.440 --> 00:02:17.520
depending on which providers are in your area and exactly what they charge,

00:02:17.520 --> 00:02:22.480
it's possible to get more than adequate speed for less money than a wired connection,

00:02:22.480 --> 00:02:26.960
especially if you're using the same provider you get your phone service from and snag a bundle

00:02:26.960 --> 00:02:32.240
discount. But this doesn't mean you should run out and buy a 5G home connection right now,

00:02:32.240 --> 00:02:35.280
as there are certainly a number of potential pitfalls.

00:02:35.280 --> 00:02:40.880
Let's start with the most obvious thing to consider here. You need a good 5G signal in your house.

00:02:40.880 --> 00:02:46.480
And even if you have that, 5G speeds simply aren't high enough everywhere to compete with cable or

00:02:46.480 --> 00:02:49.920
fiber. If you're in the market and you already have a 5G phone,

00:02:49.920 --> 00:02:54.720
one strategy is to run a speed test on your phone to get some kind of rough idea of the

00:02:54.720 --> 00:03:01.280
performance you'll get on home 5G. But you won't know for sure until you get your 5G modem up and running.

00:03:01.280 --> 00:03:05.760
Speaking of performance, you might see bigger swings in speed and latency than you would on

00:03:05.760 --> 00:03:10.880
a wired connection due to the less consistent nature of wireless signals and variable loads on

00:03:10.880 --> 00:03:16.080
the network. Unfortunately, this is really a try it and see kind of problem.

00:03:16.160 --> 00:03:19.680
Some folks have had no problems gaming on 5G home connections,

00:03:19.680 --> 00:03:24.240
while others have had latency swings that have resulted in serious hiccups during gameplay.

00:03:24.240 --> 00:03:27.360
And while these issues are certainly possible with wired connections,

00:03:27.360 --> 00:03:31.120
you'll be more susceptible to them with 5G generally speaking.

00:03:31.120 --> 00:03:35.680
Also, you really need to be aware of exactly what you're signing up for.

00:03:35.680 --> 00:03:40.560
A while back, we did another video explaining that there are several different flavors of 5G,

00:03:40.640 --> 00:03:44.400
from the ultra-fast but very short-range millimeter wave

00:03:44.400 --> 00:03:49.200
to low-band 5G that's not that different from 4G LTE performance.

00:03:49.200 --> 00:03:55.120
And unfortunately, some of the faster versions of 5G don't penetrate through walls as well as 4G.

00:03:55.120 --> 00:04:00.880
If you're in doubt about exactly what kind of 5G technology and ISP you're considering offers,

00:04:00.880 --> 00:04:04.960
be sure to ask, especially as some providers that advertise 5G

00:04:04.960 --> 00:04:10.480
will often fall back to a 4G LTE connection if the actual 5G connection reaching your home

00:04:10.720 --> 00:04:17.280
is in a bad mood. But also remember that a lower-band connection can actually give you better signal strength.

00:04:17.280 --> 00:04:23.200
In fact, low-band 5G around 700MHz is often marketed as rural broadband,

00:04:23.200 --> 00:04:28.240
with reliability as a big selling point. But speaking of low-band connections,

00:04:28.240 --> 00:04:32.480
a good number of network operators that advertise 5G home internet

00:04:32.480 --> 00:04:36.720
still use a 4G backbone after the signal gets to the tower.

00:04:36.720 --> 00:04:40.800
So keep in mind that both speed and latency may suffer as a result.

00:04:41.440 --> 00:04:47.920
Finally, don't forget about upload speeds. If you're fortunate enough to have an ISP in your area offering fiber,

00:04:47.920 --> 00:04:52.320
they'll usually offer upload speeds that are just as fast as download speeds.

00:04:52.320 --> 00:04:55.360
But as is the case with most home cable connections,

00:04:55.360 --> 00:05:00.480
you might be hard-pressed to get super-goddy upload speeds with 5G home internet.

00:05:00.480 --> 00:05:04.320
But all of this said, if you're in an area with good 5G coverage,

00:05:04.320 --> 00:05:08.800
aren't super worried about online gaming performance or other latency-sensitive applications

00:05:08.800 --> 00:05:12.880
like video conferencing, and you can stand to save a few bucks,

00:05:12.880 --> 00:05:19.200
5G home internet might just be worth looking into. Especially as latency doesn't matter as much if you're just trying to

00:05:19.200 --> 00:05:23.840
download large files or watch YouTube. As long as you wear your tinfoil nightcap to bed.

00:05:25.760 --> 00:05:30.400
Just joking. But I'm not joking when I say thank you for watching.

00:05:30.400 --> 00:05:33.600
Hey, like the video if you liked it, dislike it if you disliked it.

00:05:33.600 --> 00:05:38.720
Check out our other videos, comment below with video suggestions, and don't forget to subscribe and follow.

00:05:40.160 --> 00:05:40.880
You're funny.