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At a time when the price of really just about everything seems to be going up, there is
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a way that you can save money on your home internet service. Over the past few years, I've tested fiber internet, cable internet, and 5G home internet services
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And in our video today, I'm going to break down the pros and the cons of these services
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Let's start with the two big disruptors. They're right behind my shoulder. I'm talking about 5G home internet services from T-Mobile and Verizon
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These companies are stealing away customers, especially from cable internet providers. In fact, T-Mobile, a wireless company, is now calling itself the fastest growing home
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internet provider. And as you're about to see in this video, it's leading to better deals industry-wide
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Both services start at $50 a month at recording time. The price is lower, though, if you've got a qualifying phone plan
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In Verizon's case, it cuts that starting price in half. Now, besides the affordable pricing, people choose these plans because they get rid of
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some of the gotchas that customers really hate. With both services, there are no contracts, equipment is included, no data caps, easy
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self-installation, and the price does not go up after the first year
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In fact, T-Mobile has a price lock guarantee, and the company says it will never raise your
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monthly rate for 5G home internet. There are also money back guarantees, so you can test these services risk-free
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And if you have an early termination fee with your current provider, T-Mobile and Verizon
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will cover that too, up to a limit. In just a couple years, these 5G services have proven to be a real threat to cable companies
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And I've got proof. And here it is. Cable companies Spectrum and Xfinity have created websites to highlight some of the
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drawbacks of T-Mobile's 5G home internet. I want to go through the claims on Xfinity's website
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First, Xfinity says it is faster than T-Mobile's 5G home internet. Now, I've tested data speeds for both T-Mobile and Verizon services
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Take a look here. As you can see, T-Mobile's download speeds averaged more than 100 megabits per second
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and Verizon's 5G home internet averaged nearly 200 megabits per second. If you've tried either service, let me know the type of speeds you get down below in the comments
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And of course, your experience with 5G home internet will not be the same as mine
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It may be better, and it may be worse. It all depends on the signal at your address
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So is Xfinity cable internet faster? Yeah, for a lot of people, it is
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Not everyone, though. This brings me to the second point Xfinity makes about reliability
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I'll show you this fine print from T-Mobile. And yeah, it's true
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Home internet customers may experience slower speeds than wireless customers. As a T-Mobile customer, I have been impacted by this deprioritization
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And third, Xfinity talks about T-Mobile not being compatible with some live TV services
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I reached out to the major live TV providers, and I learned this issue is mostly with Hulu's
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live TV streaming plan. To be clear, the live TV plan, not the basic plan
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And the reason, it's because 5G home internet services use dynamic IP addresses, not static
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I personally use YouTube TV as my primary live TV streaming service, and it works very
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well with both T-Mobile and Verizon's plans. Three months ago, I actually cancelled AT&T Fiber to rely solely on these 5G home internet
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services, not just for personal use, but also to run michaelsage.com. So far, no regrets, but I'll keep you updated
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The way I see it, for everyday internet tasks like streaming video and browsing the web
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Verizon and T-Mobile 5G home internet get the job done. But for heavy gamers, I've got another recommendation, and I'm going to share that later on
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One problem with these services, they're just not available everywhere. So I'll drop links below where you can check your availability
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Now for a lot of people, cable is their best and only option
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Not everybody has access to multiple internet providers, but companies like Spectrum and
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Xfinity, they are responding to this pressure from the 5G competitors. As someone who had Xfinity internet for many years, I made a list of the things that I
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just don't like about it. The price goes up after the first year, Wi-Fi equipment costs extra, there's a data cap
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in many places, so no unlimited data, and a contract is required
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But now look at this, a limited time deal from Xfinity, and it removes most of those
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sneaky fees that cable internet providers are known for. This $25 a month price, it lasts for two years, equipment is included, and there is no contract
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You gotta wonder, would Xfinity really be offering this deal if Verizon and T-Mobile
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services didn't exist? Back to Xfinity's website about T-Mobile's service, it talks about speed and reliability
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What it doesn't talk about is the pricing frustrations that customers have expressed
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for years. And this is the primary reason why I think people are willing to try anything besides
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cable internet. Now, for those of you who like Xfinity's service, or maybe you've got no other option
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you can get a discount on your internet bill if you sign up for Xfinity Mobile
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That's a wireless service, runs on Verizon's network. I've tested Xfinity Mobile several times since it launched in 2017, and I can tell
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you it's both affordable and reliable. I'll have a link to my updated review below
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Now I want to talk about fiber internet providers, and depending on where you live, this could
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be the most expensive option. I'll use AT&T Fiber as an example, my former provider
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And these plans range in price from $55 to $80 a month
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But a fairly recent change has been AT&T's pivot to straightforward pricing
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And that means no equipment fees, no annual contract, no data caps, and no price increase
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after 12 months. Sure sounds familiar, doesn't it? Fiber internet providers like AT&T, they heavily promote gig speed plans, but most
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people just don't need anywhere near that speed. I think the 300 megabits per second plan is adequate for most households
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I do like fiber internet, and I think it provides the best overall experience, and that's especially
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true for people who do a lot of online gaming. And I also like that fiber internet provides equal upload and download speeds
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So if you upload a lot of large files to the internet, you're going to notice that
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difference immediately. Cable and 5G home internet upload speeds, they are just much slower
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With fiber, you may have to pay about $100 if a technician needs to come out to your
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home to install it, but you may be able to get this fee waived, especially with the increased competition
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AT&T Fiber routinely offers generous rewards cards if you switch to the service
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And the other services I mentioned today also offer deals. If you're willing to switch providers, even temporarily, it can pay off
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I mentioned earlier that I canceled internet service with AT&T Fiber three months ago to
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rely solely on 5G home internet. And only a few weeks after that, AT&T offered me a $200 visa reward card to switch back
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I recently polled my YouTube community, and about 75% of respondents said they pay $50
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or more per month for home internet service. So before you sign up for any internet plan, I've got five things I want you to think about
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First, pricing. How much does it cost? Are there any deals? Equipment
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Is it included? Data caps. Does the plan include unlimited data? Speed
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Am I paying for more speed than I really need? And installation
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Can I do it myself? And here's a bonus tip. Many home internet providers participate in the FCC's Affordable Connectivity Program
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If you qualify, you could save $30 a month on your internet bill
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I'll drop this list in the description box below, along with some links to limited-time
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internet deals to help you compare the best options. Now, you should know the best internet deals are typically for new and returning customers only
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So if you have multiple internet options in your area, you can try negotiating with your
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existing provider by presenting a competitor's offer. But if you really want the best deal, you may have to be willing to switch
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Give this video a like if you found it helpful, and leave a comment below to let me know how
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much you pay for home internet. Thanks for watching today, and I'll see you back here soon