5G Home Internet

in #technology • 28 days ago (edited)

5G Home Internet vs. TISD vs. Starlink — A Practical Look for Victoria, TX

When I moved to Victoria in 2012, Internet options were terrible. Suddenlink was almost unusable, and a few years later the only workable choice I could find was TISD — a fixed wireless service requiring a dish mounted over 30 feet above the roof. It works, but it’s strange, weather-sensitive, and expensive for what it is.

Recently, a new category of Internet service has become available in many parts of Texas: 5G Home Internet. This includes T-Mobile 5G Home Internet and Verizon 5G Home Internet. Both offer real high-speed access with no dish, no wires, and no long-term contract.

📡 What I Really Need

  • Equal or better performance than TISD
  • Lower price, ideally stable (no annual increases)
  • No rooftop dish or weird hardware
  • Reliable service for streaming, browsing, and daily tasks
  • Available in Victoria — especially around Alamogordo Dr. and Cimarron

🏠 My Current Setup (Baseline)

TISD costs about $76/month and uses a tall fixed-wireless dish with line-of-sight to a tower. It goes down during lightning storms and needs unusual roof hardware, but otherwise works reasonably well.

The downside is the combination of cost, the rooftop mast, and the lack of upgrade paths.

🚫 Why Starlink Isn’t the Answer

Starlink sounds promising — but when you look at the details, it doesn’t make sense for my situation:

  • ~$120/month (much higher than TISD)
  • $349 upfront for the dish kit
  • Speed roughly similar to good 5G
  • Occasional weather outages
  • No real price stability

Bottom line: Starlink is too expensive and doesn’t offer anything I truly need beyond removing the rooftop dish.

📶 The New Option: 5G Home Internet

Both T-Mobile and Verizon now offer home Internet powered by 5G cell towers. This didn’t exist when I first moved to Victoria — but it does now, and it may be the best alternative to TISD.

✔️ Advantages of 5G Home Internet

  • Flat pricing: usually $50–$60/month
  • No annual price increases
  • No contracts
  • No installation fees
  • No rooftop equipment
  • Unlimited data
  • Simple indoor modem — plug it in and use WiFi

Typical real-world speeds in Texas are about 100–300 Mbps, often much better than fixed-wireless options like TISD.

📍 Coverage at My Address:

Coverage maps and provider data show:

  • T-Mobile 5G Home Internet — very likely available; 77904 is in a strong coverage zone
  • Verizon 5G Home Internet — available in much of Victoria, including my general area

Both services are “plug-and-play.” No cables, no antennas — just a small gateway device that sits near a window.

🧪 The Best Part: Risk-Free Testing

Both companies offer trial periods:

  • T-Mobile: 15-day free test
  • Verizon: 30-day free test

You can install the device, test speeds, stream video, and compare directly against TISD — all without canceling your existing service.

If it works: keep it. If not: return the modem at no cost.

⭐ Recommended Order to Try

  1. T-Mobile 5G Home Internet — best combination of availability, price, and speed for Victoria
  2. Verizon 5G Home Internet — a solid second option depending on tower proximity
  3. Keep TISD only if 5G coverage is weak or inconsistent
  4. Avoid Starlink unless nothing else works

🎯 Conclusion

If you want to replace TISD with something cheaper, simpler, and more modern — 5G Home Internet is probably your best opportunity. It eliminates the rooftop dish, reduces your monthly bill, and may give you better performance than what you are getting now.

Given that both services offer free trials, there’s no risk in trying them. If either T-Mobile or Verizon works at your address, it could be a major upgrade over the current setup.

If you want, I can also prepare a side-by-side comparison chart of TISD vs. T-Mobile vs. Verizon vs. Starlink.

28 days ago in #technology by
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