Verizon Home Internet Review: 5 Things to Know Before You Sign Up (2024)

If you’re looking for an affordable alternative to cable or fiber internet, Verizon 5G Home Internet has emerged as a leading option to consider.

The service relies on Verizon’s wireless network to provide an internet connection to your entire home.

Is Verizon 5G Home Internet Worth It? Real Customer Review

I signed up for Verizon 5G Home Internet last year and have been using it ever since. In fact, I canceled fiber internetin 2023 to rely solely on 5G home internet.

This article covers the pros and cons of Verizon’s service that you need to consider before signing up.

Table of Contents:

1. Service Availability
2. Plans and Pricing
3. Setup Process
4. Data Speeds
5. Discounts and Perks

1. Is Verizon Home Internet Available in My Area?

Verizon Home Internet is available to about 40 million U.S. households. The service is expanding as the wireless company builds out its 5G network.

To confirm coverage, enter your address on Verizon’s website.

Verizon announced in August 2023 that additional spectrum will allow the company to offer 5G Home broadband to more customers and enable faster data speeds.

Verizon has multiple internet solutions: 5G Home, LTE Home and Fios. In places where 5G Home Internet is not available, you may qualify for one of the other options.

This review will focus on my experience with Verizon 5G Home Internet.

Although Verizon’s 5G Home Internet uses the service’s wireless network, you do not need to have a mobile phone account. You can subscribe to the internet plan as a standalone service.

However, Verizon does provide discounts to customers who bundle phone and internet. I’ll explain those in the next section.

2. How Much Does Verizon Home Internet Cost?

Verizon 5G Home Internet offers two plans: 5G Home and 5G Home Plus. I signed up for the more affordable 5G Home plan and recommend it for most people.

Both plans have no contracts, data caps or hidden fees.

Verizon Wireless customers can save big on home internet. With a qualifying mobile line of service, Verizon 5G Home Internet starts at only $35 per month with Auto Pay.

Meanwhile, Verizon-owned Visible mobile customers can save up to $10 a month on the internet plan.

Verizon is also promising not to increase the price after the first year. The service began offering a 5-year price guarantee during the 2023 holiday season.

Verizon 5G Home Internet is a postpaid service, not prepaid. A soft credit inquiry is required for new customers.

The service offers a 30-Day Satisfaction Guarantee. If you cancel within 30 days, you’ll get a refund as long as you return the equipment within 30 days of the cancellation date.

Verizon will also cover up to $500 in early termination fees from your existing internet provider.

3. How Do You Set Up Verizon Home Internet?

Verizon 5G Home Internet does not require professional installation. After you receive your Verizon Wi-Fi box and related equipment in the mail, you can get up and running in about five minutes.

My equipment arrived two days after I signed up. Here’s what came inside the box:

• Verizon Internet Gateway (router-modem combo)
• Power adapter
• Optional ethernet cable
• Setup instructions

NOTE: Verizon began offering a new Internet Gateway starting in August 2023. The company says it offers faster upload speeds, better Wi-Fi coverage throughout the home and improved signal strength.

The first step in the setup process is to find a location for your internet gateway. Verizon suggests that you place the gateway near a window or an exterior-facing wall.

Then, plug one end of the power adapter into the bottom of the gateway and the other end into an outlet.

From there, the light on the front of the gateway should blink for about five minutes to indicate that it’s booting. If the light settles on solid white, your gateway setup is complete.

However, if the light turns solid red, move the gateway to a different spot and start over.

Verizon Router: LED Indicators Explained

After setting up the gateway, you need to connect your devices (phones, TVs, computers, etc.) to your new network.

There’s a Wi-Fi name and password printed on the bottom of the gateway. You can also change the Wi-Fi name and password from the network settings in the My Verizon app.

Verizon 5G Home Internet’s setup process was extremely easy.

For those who need assistance, contact Verizon’s support and view troubleshooting guides from the My Verizon app. Professional installation is also offered for a fee in some areas.

I demonstrate the home internet setup process in this related YouTube video.

4. How Fast Is Verizon Home Internet?

Your data speeds with Verizon 5G Home Internet will vary based on several factors, including the plan you choose.

Verizon says the 5G Home plan provides download speeds between 85 Mbps and 300 Mbps. Meanwhile, the 5G Home Plus plan offers download speeds from 300 Mbps all the way up to 1 Gbps for some users.

Verizon says an upload speed of around 10 to 20 Mbps is typical for home internet users.

If you currently have fiber or cable internet service, these speeds may be slower than what you’re paying for. But I’ve found that many households pay for speeds they don’t really need.

Throughout several months of testing Verizon’s 5G Home plan, I’ve been able to reliably stream on all devices without noticeable lag or buffering.

Immediately after setting up the service, I recorded speed tests to compare Verizon 5G Home Internet to T-Mobile 5G Home Internet — which I also pay for.

Both services had download speeds faster than 100 Mbps and upload speeds faster than 10 Mbps.

Verizon 5G Home Internet vs. T-Mobile 5G Home Internet

Verizon 5G Home Internet’s performance has remained consistent since that first speed test. The table below shows the results of 10 speed tests that I ran on a different day.

Download speeds averaged nearly 200 Mbps, according to the Speedtest app.

Verizon 5G Home Internet Speed Test Results

After more than six months of testing, Verizon’s service has been very reliable. In fact, I recorded a download speed over 300 Mbps during a speed test in August 2023.

One of my concerns was that I would notice a dip in performance when nearby cell towers are congested.

So far, that has not been the case with Verizon. However, it has been an issue with my testing of T-Mobile Home Internet.

I compare the two services in this related article.

5. What Deals Does Verizon Home Internet Offer?

Verizon 5G Home Internet is offering special deals and perks to get people to switch.

I mentioned a few of the offers earlier in this article. The most valuable discount is the price break on internet service for people who have a mobile phone plan with Verizon.

Other discounts and perks vary depending on the internet plan you choose: 5G Home or 5G Home Plus.

For example, those who subscribe to the more expensive 5G Home Plus plan will receive unlimited cloud storage through Verizon. This benefit is not included with the 5G Home plan.

People who get the 5G Home Plus plan also receive better one-time signup perks.

These offers vary from time to time.

Is Verizon Home Internet Any Good?

Verizon 5G Home Internet and other fixed wireless solutions like T-Mobile Home Internet are bringing much-needed competition to the market.

I’ve relied primarily on Verizon’s home internet service since late 2022. It has consistently delivered fast download speeds and I’ve never had an outage.

Of course, your experience will vary depending on Verizon’s performance in your area.

Verizon Home Internet Pros and Cons Summary

For those who want the fastest and most reliable internet, fiber is likely your best option. This is particularly the case if your household does a lot of online gaming.

However, as I’ve reviewed wireless home internet services, I’m hearing from a lot of people who are satisfied with the performance and are grateful for the affordable pricing.

Do you have Verizon 5G Home Internet? Add to my review in the comments below!

More Content From Michael Saves:

• Is T-Mobile Home Internet Worth It? 4 Things to Know Before You Sign Up
• Visible by Verizon Review: What You Need to Know Before You Sign Up
• T-Mobile Vs. Verizon: Which 5G Home Internet Service Is Best?