Will a $1,000 Booster Improve Our Internet Hotspot Service?

Craig Johnson | October 6th, 2021

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Welcome to Ask Clark, a column designed to answer your financial questions, by money expert Clark Howard.

Should We Buy Another Booster for Our Rural Home?

Elaine from Florida asks: “We have T-Mobile in a vacation house in a rural area of Florida. My husband is planning to buy a $1,000 booster so we can get internet on our laptop and other devices with our hotspots. We already have two boosters provided by T-Mobile. Is this the only way to be able to get a decent signal, and will it really solve the problem?

“He has talked to T-Mobile, and they have not suggested anything else. Currently, the signal goes in and out. Sometimes it’s strong and fast and others: nonexistent. I think my husband is wasting his money. We really don’t need to be on the internet that much. We have Dish TV and so do not need the internet for streaming.”

Clark’s Take on Whether a $1,000 Booster Can Solve Internet Hotspot Problems

Clark says: “I wouldn’t say it’s a waste, but I would not buy the $1,000 booster. The better option would be to look at T-Mobile’s home internet or Verizon’s version of home internet.”

Here are some basic things to know about the 5G offerings of Verizon home internet and T-Mobile home internet.

Verizon Home Internet

Cost: $70 per month with autopay and paper-free billing. Discount available if you bundle with certain Verizon mobile plans.
Annual contract: None
Data caps: None

Check availability in your area.

T-Mobile Home Internet

Cost: $50 a month with autopay
Annual contract: None
Data caps: None

Check availability in your area.

Here are Clark’s final thoughts for the couple:

“I like the idea of you doing the T-Mobile or Verizon,” Clark says. “In a lot of markets, Verizon will send a technician to your vacation home, and they will attach a device outside your home. It will take them a while to install, but it will dramatically improve the signal of the internet, and it would give you a backup. You’d have your cell phones on T-Mobile; you’d have Verizon for high-speed internet.”

Want more options? This report shows the #1 home internet provider in America.

To hear Clark’s full take on this question, listen to the segment:

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