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If you have access to UScellular’s network in your area, you may be eligible for Uscellular Home Internet.
I’ve checked out the details of the plan to see how much it costs, what speeds you can expect, where it’s likely to be available, what the fees are and how it compares to similar home internet plans. In this article, I’ll take a close look at UScellular’s home internet plan to help you decide whether or not it’s right for you.
Whether you’re looking for a cheaper home internet option or you don’t have access to standard internet plans in your area, fixed wireless internet is worth considering. Fixed wireless internet relies on nearby 4G/LTE or 5G cellular service. Installed equipment picks up the service and converts it to in-home Wi-Fi that you can use to connect your devices.
UScellular offers two different fixed wireless home internet plans: Unlimited Everywhere and Unlimited Even Better. Both plans cost $50 per month with an autopay and paperless billing discount.
New customers signing up for a postpaid unlimited mobile plan as well as a new home internet plan can get installation and equipment fees waived for the first 18 months. However, other customers can expect an equipment rental fee that varies based on your plan and location.
Below, you’ll find more information on UScellular’s Home Internet plan including what you can expect for the cost, how to check availability in your area, and how it compares to similar plans from other wireless service providers.
Table of Contents:
UScellular offers two home internet plans. However, the plan for which you’re eligible will vary depending on where you live. This is because the two plans provide access to different types of service.
Unlimited Everywhere is available to everyone in UScellular’s 4G/LTE coverage area. This plan costs $50 per month with an autopay and paperless billing discount. While there is a 300GB monthly high-speed data limit with this plan, you’ll just be reduced to 1.5Mbps download speeds once you’ve reached your limit.
The Unlimited Everywhere plan uses a special router that connects wirelessly to UScellular cell towers and provides a connection to the internet. According to UScellular’s website, it produces a Wi-Fi signal in your home or business that you can use to connect all of your Wi-Fi-enabled devices.
Unlike Unlimited Everywhere, the Unlimited Even Better plan is available only in select areas. This plan costs the same ($50 monthly with autopay and paperless billing discount) but provides access to faster download speeds of up to 300Mbps. The faster speeds are a result of access to UScellular’s 5G network.
Unlimited Even Better uses an outdoor antenna that’s professionally installed to connect to a 5G-enabled cell tower. Then, paired with a Wi-Fi router in your home, the antenna provides whole-home Wi-Fi device connectivity. Additionally, the monthly high-speed data limit with this plan is 1.5TB before deprioritization.
To find out which plan is available in your area, visit UScellular’s website. There, you can enter your address and click “Check Availability” to see eligible plans.
Also, know that you may be eligible to get home internet for as low as $30 monthly via a $20 service credit that expires after 18 months. To get this deal, you’ll need a new line of mobile service with an Unlimited postpaid plan, new internet service with either plan and a Home Internet equipment purchase with a 36-month installment contract. You can learn more about how to get this discount on UScellular’s website.
You may also be eligible to save $30 per month with the affordable connectivity program.
According to UScellular, speeds “vary due to area, coverage, foliage, compression or the network management requirements.” For these reasons, the company doesn’t guarantee coverage or specify expected speeds on either plan.
However, according to the company’s website, you can use its home internet for working, streaming, gaming, shopping and more.
The Unlimited Everywhere plan is advertised to provide “fast, reliable internet that keeps you connected.” This plan works with 4G/LTE service in the area to provide the fastest available download speeds. There is a high-speed monthly data limit with this plan of 300GB, and once you reach that limit, download speeds will reduce to 1.5Mbps.
The Unlimited Even Better plan is advertised as UScellular’s fastest home internet. It provides access to high-speed 5G service in order to deliver speeds up to 300 Mbps depending on the network technology available in the area. The monthly high-speed data limit with this plan is 1.5TB, which is a very high limit.
You can find more information on UScellular’s speeds and network practices here.
Before you decide which home internet is best for you, be sure to find out what’s available in your area. The fastest way to find out if UScellular Home Internet is available in your area is by entering your address on UScellular’s website.
Once you click the link, you can type your address in the search bar and click “Check Availability.” Then, you’ll be able to see which (if any) home internet plans are available in your area.
According to UScellular’s website, Unlimited Everywhere is available to everyone in UScellular’s coverage area. However, Unlimited Even Better is only available in select locations.
While there isn’t a list of cities where UScellular Home Internet is currently available, more than 12.2 million households are now eligible for in-home connectivity according to a recent news release.
To activate home internet service with UScellular, you will have to visit a store in person or call 888-BUY-USCC. To find your nearest physical UScellular store, use the store finder tool online.
With UScellular Home Internet, there are no annual service contracts, which means you can cancel the service at any time. However, unlike other fixed wireless internet providers, you will have to sign a 36-month retail installment contract to rent the necessary equipment. Of course, that also means you can expect an additional expense added to your monthly bill.
UScellular’s Unlimited Everywhere plan requires either a UScellular 4G LTE router, which adds $3 per month to your bill, or a Netgear Orbi LBR20 6G5, which adds $6.66 per month to your bill. While the equipment rental does create an additional expense of $36-$79.92 per year, self-installation for this plan is free.
UScellular’s Unlimited Even Better plan requires the Inseego Wavemaker FW2010 5G Outdoor Bundle, which adds $24.02 per month to your bill. That means that equipment rental alone for this plan can add up to $288.24 per year. Unlike Unlimited Everywhere, this plan does require professional installation.
However, if you sign up for a new line of mobile service with an Unlimited postpaid plan as well as new home internet service through UScellular, you can get the professional installation and equipment rental for free. Check out the full details on UScellular’s website.
To see how UScellular’s Home Internet plans compared to similar offers available from phone companies, I compared a few of the most popular options.
In the table below, you’ll see standard home internet plans including Verizon Fios and AT&T Fiber as well as fixed wireless internet plans including Verizon LTE Home, Verizon 5G Home, T-Mobile 5G Home, AT&T Fixed Wireless, Straight Talk Wireless and UScellular:
| Plan | Starting Price | Download Speed | Data Limit | Equipment Rental Fees | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verizon Fios | $25 | 300Mbps | None | None | Check Availability |
| AT&T Fiber | $35 | 300Mbps | None | $10 per month (Wi-Fi extender) | Check availability |
| Verizon LTE Home | $35 | 25-50Mbps | None | None, but an installation fee of up to $99 may apply | Check availability |
| Verizon 5G Home | $35 | 85-300Mbps | None | None, but an installation fee of up to $99 may apply | Check availability |
| T-Mobile 5G Home | $40-$60 | 72-245Mbps | None | None | Check availability |
| AT&T Internet Air | $35 | 40-140Mbps | None | None, but an installation fee of up to $99 may apply | Check availability |
| UScellular | $50 | Speeds vary by location | 300GB-1.5TB | $3, $6.66 or $24.02 per month with a 36-month rental contract depending on location | Check availability |
| Straight Talk Wireless | $45 | 20-50 Mbps (4G/LTE) 20-100 Mbps (5G) | None | $99.99 one-time cost for the router | Check availability |
Each of the prices in the table above reflects autopay discounts and discounts for already having a phone plan with the company if available.
I didn’t include the discounted price of UScellular Home Internet with a wireless plan because it’s a limited-time discount. However, new customers can eliminate the equipment charges and lower the plan rate by $20 monthly if they also sign up for a postpaid unlimited cellular plan, though the $20 monthly service credit expires after 18 months. Unlimited mobile plans begin at $55 per month for one line.
As you can see in the table above, UScellular’s starting monthly price for home internet is cheaper than AT&T Fixed Wireless and AT&T Fiber, though not quite as cheap as Straight Talk Wireless, Verizon LTE home, Verizon 5G Home or Verizon Fios. UScellular is also one of only two home internet options that include a monthly high-speed data limit. Of course, the 1.5TB limit on the Unlimited Even Better plan makes it practically unlimited.
Unfortunately, UScellular also comes with some of the worst equipment rental fees. With the Unlimited Everywhere plan, fees can add up to $36-$79.92 per year depending on the area you live in. With the Unlimited Even Better plan, equipment rental alone can cost $288.24 per year.
Of course, the biggest factor in how these plans compare comes down to what’s available in your area. Since some service availability may vary from one house to the next, even in the same neighborhood, it’s important to enter your address on each company’s website before you get too far into comparing plans.
Once you know what’s available at your address, consider download speeds, data limits, the monthly price and additional fees/expenses.
To learn more about how UScellular’s home internet compares to other fixed wireless services, check out this article.
Whether you’re interested in switching to UScellular’s Unlimited Everywhere home internet or you live in a 5G-accessible area and are eligible for UScellular’s Unlimited Even Better home internet, it’s important to see what’s available at your address and start your comparison there.
If you’re thinking about switching to UScellular from another internet service provider, ask yourself the following questions:
If you can answer “yes” to each of these questions, UScellular’s home internet may be worth considering so long as it’s the best deal in your area.
While it isn’t necessary for you to sign up for a mobile plan from UScellular to get home internet, if you’re eligible to sign up as a new customer, you’ll be able to save a significant amount over the course of 18 months with the current promotion. You can learn more about it on UScellular’s website.
While fixed wireless service is more likely to be available in areas without access to standard traditional internet service, UScellular’s Unlimited Everywhere plan is available anywhere there’s UScellular coverage. Know that a standard internet plan will likely provide more reliable data at consistently higher speeds, but fixed wireless service will likely be cheaper overall.
Do you use fixed wireless internet? Share your experience with us in the Clark.com Community!
This post was last modified on November 10, 2022 8:43 am
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