Razib 
TL;DR: 5G wins on price: $35-70/mo with no contracts, equipment fees, or surprise charges Cable wins on speed: Up to 2,000 Mbps vs 5G’s typical 300-500 Mbps 5G is easier: Plug-and-play setup in minutes (no technician needed) Cable is more reliable: Weather and distance don’t affect wired connections Best for most people? 5G if you’re on a budget and live … Read more
TL;DR: Kansas City, MO ranks #1 with 360 Mbps average speeds and 92%+ gigabit availability Google Fiber offers up to 8 Gbps in select cities for $150/month—fastest widely available fiber AT&T Fiber named America’s fastest internet with speeds up to 4.7 Gbps and best consistency score Optimum Fiber delivers up to 8 Gbps in NY/NJ tri-state area—fastest speeds on … Read more
TL;DR: T-Mobile 5G Home Internet offers plans starting at $35/month with autopay—no credit check, no contracts, no drama NOW Internet by Xfinity provides 100-200 Mbps for $30-45/month prepaid with zero credit checks or installation fees Verizon 5G Home starts at $35/month when bundled with mobile—no credit check required for prepaid options Most prepaid home internet plans include free … Read more
TL;DR: Spectrum offers 500 Mbps for $50/month with a free modem—best overall value for students Cox Connect2Compete gives qualifying students 100 Mbps for just $9.95/month with free equipment Xfinity Internet Essentials provides 75 Mbps for $14.95/month with free modem and router Low-income students can get internet as cheap as $9.95-$14.99/month with free equipment Verizon Fios offers $10/month student … Read more
TL;DR: Most major providers don’t offer age-based senior discounts, but many have low-income programs AT&T Fiber offers the best overall service with plans from $55/month and excellent customer support Xfinity provides the best bundling options for internet, TV, and phone services Low-income programs start as low as $9.95-$14.95/month for qualified seniors Federal Lifeline Program offers $9.25/month discount … Read more
TL;DR: Astound Broadband wins for value at just $20/month for 300 Mbps with unlimited data T-Mobile 5G Home offers nationwide coverage at $50/month with zero data caps Verizon Fios delivers fiber reliability starting at $34.99/month Average US households use 500-700 GB monthly—these plans handle it easily All featured plans include unlimited data with no overage fees Most plans … Read more
TL;DR: T-Mobile 5G Home Internet leads at $50/month with nationwide coverage and no hidden fees AT&T Fiber starts at $55/month for 300 Mbps in 21 states Spectrum offers plans from $30-$50/month with wide availability Verizon Fios provides 300 Mbps for $35/month in the Northeast No-contract plans give you freedom to cancel anytime without penalties Fiber … Read more
TL;DR: For accurate home speed results, quiet your network (pause downloads, turn off VPN), run three tests and use the median, and compare Ethernet (baseline) vs Wi-Fi on 2.4/5/6 GHz. Check more than megabits—watch latency, jitter, and packet loss. If wired speeds match your plan but Wi-Fi is weak, fix placement, channels, firmware, or cables; … Read more
TL;DR: Budget ~25 Mbps per 4K stream (35–50 Mbps for comfort) and add the same for each simultaneous stream. Most hiccups come from Wi-Fi, not your plan—use 5 GHz/Wi-Fi 6 or Ethernet, place the router well, and turn on QoS/SQM to control bufferbloat. Aim for 15–20+ Mbps upload, watch data usage, and pick a simple … Read more
TL;DR: Got one stubborn dead spot and a modest plan? Grab a dual-band extender and place it midway to the router. Want whole-home, one-name Wi-Fi with smooth roaming for calls and steady speeds across floors? Choose a mesh system—ideally tri-band or with Ethernet backhaul—on Wi-Fi 6/6E. Extenders are cheaper for quick patches; mesh costs more … Read more