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CNET
14 hours ago
- Business
- CNET
Verizon Fios Internet Review: Examining Plans, Pricing, Speeds and Availability
Unavailable in Provider unavailable in 20147 Edit . . . Starting at $50 Or call: Or call to learn more: (855) 379-7064 Verizon Fios home internet rating 7.6 /10 CNET Score We score internet providers for speed, value and customer care. Our data sources include the FCC, J.D. Power, The American Customer Satisfaction Index and extensive in-house research. Read more How we calculated our rating 7.6 / 10 SCORE Speed 7.5/10 Value 7/10 Customer Care 8/10 Pros All Verizon Fios plans are 100% fiber, with symmetrical download and upload speeds All Verizon Fios plans are 100% fiber, with symmetrical download and upload speeds No data caps or allowances on any plans No data caps or allowances on any plans No term agreements necessary on any plans Cons Low fiber availability for a national company Low fiber availability for a national company While Fios and 5G are affordable, LTE and DSL options are pricey See more pros and cons Verizon Fios internet review Our friends on the East Coast are undoubtedly familiar with Verizon's 100% fiber-optic internet service, currently available in eight northeastern states and Washington, DC. Verizon Fios offers near-symmetrical download and upload speeds, transparent service details with no hidden fees, and hard-to-pass-up perks. Perhaps even better is a three-to-five-year price lock guarantee, depending on your chosen Verizon Fios plan. That's especially pertinent as a recent CNET survey found that 63% of US adults said their broadband bill increased last year. So, Verizon Fios has many advantages over competing internet service providers, but there are still some key details to consider before signing up. First, availability is limited to those in the northeast. That might change in the next 12 to 18 months. Just this May, Verizon received FCC approval to acquire Frontier, a move set to expand its fiber footprint to 25 states by 2026 by merging with Frontier Fiber's existing network. At the moment, Verizon Fios is one of the largest fiber internet service providers nationwide, despite only having 9% coverage. Once the two networks are combined, that number will get significantly larger. Second, in addition to its growing fiber network, Verizon also offers Verizon 5G Home Internet. According to the Federal Communications Commission's broadband map, its 5G internet service is available to 22% of the US population -- making it one of the most available ISPs in the US. All of this complicates what coverage may look like for you, meaning there's a lot to consider before signing up for Verizon Fios. Let's take a closer look at terms of service and pricing to see how Verizon Fios compares to the competition. Verizon Fios plans and prices Note that prices listed on this page reflect available discounts for setting up paperless billing. Your price will be higher if you choose not to use automatic monthly payments. Locating local internet providers Plan Monthly price Max speeds Fees and service details Fios 300 $50 300Mbps download, 300Mbps upload Free equipment, no contracts or data caps Fios 500 $75 500Mbps download, 500Mbps upload Free equipment, no contracts or data caps Fios 1 Gig $90 940Mbps download, 880Mbps upload Free equipment, no contracts or data caps Fios 2 Gig $110 2,300Mbps download, 1,500Mbps upload Free equipment, no contracts or data caps Show more (0 item) Shop providers at my address Source: CNET analysis of provider data Take our quiz How Fast Should Your Home Internet Be? Answer 3 easy questions to discover our recommended speed for your household. Get Started Progress Step 1 of 4 How many members of your household use the internet? 1-2 people 3-5 people 6-9 people 10+ people Next In the world of broadband, where details get really confusing, Verizon Fios' service is one of the easiest to understand. There are four tiers: 300 megabits per second, 500Mbps, 1,000Mbps and, in select areas, up to 2,000Mbps. Many providers offer promotional rates that expire after 12 months, causing your bill to increase. Verizon doesn't do that. Instead, Verizon offers a price lock, which varies depending on your chosen speed. Right now, the lowest tier has a three-year price guarantee, the 500Mbps plan has a four-year guarantee and the two fastest plans have a five-year price lock. Also, since Fios is a fiber-optic network, it delivers near-symmetrical download and upload speeds, meaning your download and upload speeds will be nearly identical. If you're used to asymmetrical cable internet, where the upload speeds on a 300Mbps plan might only go as high as 10Mbps, you know how dramatic a difference it can make, particularly with videoconferencing and transferring large files. If you're unsure what speed to choose, take note of how much speed your household uses. Typically, households average around 500Mbps download, according to the latest data from OpenVault. Fios 500 or Fios 1 Gig may make the most sense for the average family, but that same report shows that the average small household (consisting of one or two members) typically uses speeds below that 500Mbps mark. Unless your household has a lot of streamers, gamers, remote workers or students, you'll most likely be just fine with Fios 300. Verizon/CNET Where is Verizon Fios available? The FCC broadband map displays Verizon Fios coverage, extending primarily in the Northeast. FCC At the moment, Verizon Fios is only available in eight Eastern states: Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Virginia, as well as Washington, DC. You can use the Verizon availability checker to see if Fios is available at your address. As we mentioned in the introduction, Verizon will more than double its current fiber footprint to 25 states by 2026 with the acquisition of Frontier Fiber. Once that's complete, Verizon Fios will be more widely available across the country. Additional details on Verizon Fios No Verizon plans require contracts. And there are no data caps, either. Just like your mom taught you to always look under the hood, it's never a bad idea to dig a bit for a better idea of what you're buying before committing to an internet service. Additional monthly fees Verizon Fios customers don't have to pay for their equipment rental, as everything comes included in the monthly price. One-time installation fee Your setup charge will depend on the Verizon plan you select. If you choose Fios, it'll be $99, which is waived for those who go with Fios 1 Gig. No data caps Unlike Cox, Xfinity and other ISPs, Verizon doesn't place a data cap on customers. Therefore, you won't need to worry about overage fees or data slowing once you hit a certain threshold. Verizon Fios perks and promotions The new Verizon logo is making its presence felt in marketing, advertising and across the company's products. Verizon Verizon Fios can easily lean into the fact that you're not required to sign a term agreement, which means no early termination fees or getting stuck with a service you've outgrown or need to downsize. Many other offers also help sweeten the deal for potential customers. First, Verizon has a discount of $15 per month on all its Fios home internet offerings for new customers who also enroll in the company's premium 5G mobile plans. Next, as previously mentioned, all new Verizon Fios subscribers will get a price-lock guarantee for allplans. Depending on the speed tier, this will range from a three-year price lock to a five-year price guarantee. Verizon also offers $400 off selected Samsung products at Best Buy for new internet subscribers to the 1 or 2 Gig plans. Finally, Verizon has a slew of streaming add-ons for all customers, including discounted subscriptions for Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu, Disney Plus, Youtube Premium and more for just $10 a month. Verizon customers can cut streaming costs with some of these plans, and you can cancel anytime. Verizon Fios earns high customer satisfaction marks ACSI Verizon Fios has consistently been at the top of customer service metrics for most of the last decade. Looking at the latest American Customer Satisfaction Index numbers for ISPs, Fios was near the top, tied with Google Fiber and second only to AT&T Fiber. It scored 76 out of 100 points, one point below its 2024 score, but still higher than the industry average. In addition, Verizon has consistently captured the top Eastern spot in J.D. Power's annual customer satisfaction ranking for over 10 years. It's worth pointing out that Verizon was only scored in one of four regions. In that region, the East, Verizon finished first, scoring 575 points on a 1,000-point scale. That put the company well above the area's average of 528 points. The speed-testing website Ookla tracks ISPs based on a scoring system that considers both download and upload speeds. (Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.) Based on the most recent Ookla tests from the first half of 2025, Verizon was the third-fastest fixed ISP, behind AT&T Fiber and Frontier Fiber, but ahead of Xfinity, Cox and Spectrum. Verizon took second place for the lowest latency among top providers during that same period, and was noted as the best internet provider for streaming high-quality video. What's the bottom line on Verizon Fios? It's pretty good Verizon can boast that its Fios service is 100% fiber. As internet connection types go, it's tough to beat that. Plus, Verizon can point to its high customer satisfaction ratings and its consistency in topping those charts. Verizon's fiber plans are limited to the East Coast, at least for now. So, Verizon Fios is a top-notch option for getting online if you live in the Northeast. Verizon Fios FAQs
CNET
14 hours ago
- CNET
I Tried AT&T Internet Air for a Week. It Wasn't Even Close to Fast Enough
When it comes to home internet, I often say that the best broadband connection is one you never notice. With steady buffering and long load times, AT&T's 5G internet offering, AT&T Internet Air, never let me forget I was using it. Seemingly overnight, we've seen a rise in 5G home internet popularity. One report found that 89% of new broadband subscriptions in the past two years came from just two 5G providers: T-Mobile and Verizon. So when AT&T launched AT&T Internet Air late in 2023, I was excited to see how it compared. I was quickly disappointed. I have as friendly a testing environment as you'll ever find for an internet provider. I live alone in a one-bedroom apartment, and the list of connected devices I own is shockingly short: Just my iPhone SE, Apple TV 4K and a MacBook Pro that I use to work from home. That's not much strain to put on a Wi-Fi network, but even so, AT&T Internet Air couldn't handle it. That's why I have a hard time recommending the service to anyone. AT&T's wireless internet connection consistently delivered download speeds below 10 megabits per second -- a far cry from the 90Mbps to 300Mbps it advertises. That said, wireless internet speeds are more dependent on location than wired options like cable and fiber, so your experience may be much better than mine was. (Subscribers on AT&T's subreddit reported speeds in the 150Mbps to 300Mbps range.) There were things I liked about AT&T Internet Air -- namely, the easy setup and useful app -- but that's like saying I like everything about a car except the fact that it can't go above 25 miles an hour. Internet providers have one job -- to deliver a fast, reliable connection -- and AT&T Internet Air was an unequivocal bust on that front. Locating local internet providers Read more: My T-Mobile 5G Home Internet Experience: What I love and What I Wish Were Better Joe Supan / CNET Setting up AT&T Internet Air All in all, it only took me 11 minutes to set up AT&T Internet Air. It truly couldn't have been simpler. The box only comes with two items: A gateway device and a power outlet. I followed the instructions in the box, downloaded AT&T's Smart Home Manager app and scanned the QR code on the device. The app suggested that I place the gateway device near a window and facing west if possible. I was able to find a spot that checked both boxes near my desk, where I'd need the strongest internet speeds possible. Once I'd landed on a location, the app ran a quick test and gave me the approval. I was now ready to test out the connection. AT&T Internet Air speed and reliability There's no way around it: AT&T Internet Air's speeds were incredibly disappointing, and the speeds I was getting would be basically unusable for most people. It boils down to the advertised speeds versus the actual speeds you get. After dozens of speed tests throughout the week, AT&T Internet Air averaged a download speed of 5.86Mbps and 9.87Mbps upload in my apartment. The highest download speed I got at any point was 10.63Mbps, while upload speeds peaked at 14.38Mbps. At the same time, my $50 Connect More plan through Xfinity -- advertised as 300Mbps download -- returned average speeds of 321/109Mbps. AT&T Internet Air's latency was also very high, with an average ping rate of 298ms. That's bad news if you plan on doing any online gaming, where 40ms or lower is considered ideal. AT&T says that users typically experience download speeds between 90Mbps and 300Mbps and upload speeds between 8Mbps and 30Mbps. My upload speeds fell within that range but I never came close to 90Mbps download. The highest I got was 14.38Mbps. (I used Ookla for all of my speed tests, which is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.) Wireless internet like AT&T Internet Air or T-Mobile 5G Home Internet is inherently more erratic than a wired connection like cable or fiber. Because it transmits data wirelessly from a cellular tower, it's more vulnerable to network congestion and weather disruption. That's why router placement is particularly important -- if you don't have a clear line to the nearest tower, your internet connection will suffer. But I did have a clear line. I could find a spot for the router right against a window facing west, just as I was instructed during setup. The problem didn't seem to be the location of my home, either: AT&T's coverage map shows the entire city of Seattle blanketed in 5G Plus speeds, which it describes as its fastest tier. AT&T's coverage map indicates that I should have been able to access AT&T's fastest speed tier. AT&T I tried moving the router to a few different locations over the course of testing but speeds never improved. In fact, it got even slower when I moved it to another room or away from the window. AT&T recommended calling customer support to help determine the best spot for the device based on where the closest cell tower is. Wireless internet providers like AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon all include a caveat in the fine print that says they may temporarily slow your speeds if the network is congested. That might explain my test results if they were all happening at 'internet rush hour' -- the hours between 7 and 11 p.m. when traffic is highest. But I tested AT&T Internet Air at various times throughout the day and never saw much of a difference. How was it using AT&T Internet Air? If anyone can get by with slow internet speeds, it's me. I live alone and I don't do any bandwidth-stressing activities like online gaming and the only devices connected to the internet are my phone, laptop and streaming device. But even with that minimal setup, AT&T Internet Air struggled to pull its weight. Zoom meetings at work were reliably unreliable, to the point where I had to switch back over to my Xfinity connection several times. Working in Google Docs, the connection would routinely drop out, causing me to wait a few seconds before I could continue writing this review. AT&T Internet Air's range was basically limited to the room with the router. When I ran speed tests in my bedroom -- one wall away from the router -- my connection slowed to a mere 1Mbps in download and upload speed. It was a frustrating experience. I found myself switching back over to Xfinity or cellular data on my phone every time I wanted to do something like watch a YouTube video from the group chat or take a FaceTime call. I don't need gig speeds -- I probably don't even really need 100Mbps speeds -- but I do need at least 15Mbps, which is what Netflix recommends for streaming in 4K. Unfortunately, AT&T Internet Air failed to clear even that low bar. How does AT&T Internet Air compare to other 5G internet providers? 5G home internet has taken off in the past few years and AT&T is later to the party than competitors T-Mobile Home Internet and Verizon 5G Home Internet. In general, using 5G technology for home internet has been an unequivocal success. A survey from J.D. Power released last summer found that customer satisfaction is higher for wireless customers than cable or fiber, even though it received lower performance scores. 'A lot of the concerns I had heard about fixed wireless access were that it's just never going to be as fast as fiber,' Carl Lepper, senior director of the technology, media and telecommunications intelligence practice at J.D. Power, told me at the time. 'But for a lot of people, affordability trumps that. And it's not often that you need superfast speeds, depending on how you're using your internet.' 5G home internet often reaches rural households where cable and fiber aren't available and it's a significant step up from the satellite or DSL service that those internet users are typically stuck with. And because 5G providers are cellphone carriers first and foremost, they offer significant savings when you bundle home internet with a cellphone plan. Provider Monthly price Advertised download speeds Advertised upload speeds AT&T Internet Air Read full review $60 ($47 with an eligible AT&T wireless plan) 90-300Mbps 8-30Mbps T-Mobile Home Internet Read full review $50-$70 ($30-$50 with cellphone plan) 87-415Mbps 12-56Mbps Verizon 5G Home Internet Read full review $50-$70 ($35-$55 with qualifying Verizon 5G mobile plans) 300-1,000Mbps 20-75Mbps Show more (0 item) Shop providers at my address Those savings aren't quite as significant with AT&T as they are with T-Mobile and Verizon, but paying $47 a month for home internet is still a solid deal. If you're not bundling with a cellphone plan, AT&T Internet Air is on the expensive side and there's no guarantee that it will make up for it with faster speeds -- as my week with AT&T showed. The final verdict: AT&T Internet Air could still be useful for some After those disappointing results, you might be surprised to learn that I still wouldn't swear off AT&T Internet Air completely. Other customers have clearly gotten faster speeds than I did -- Reddit users regularly report speeds north of 700Mbps -- and there's a chance my apartment is just in a particularly bad location for the service. Unlike T-Mobile 5G Home Internet, AT&T Internet Air does not offer a free trial, so you'll be out at least $60 if you sign up and find out the speeds aren't fast enough. I'd still recommend going with T-Mobile or Verizon first if you want to try out 5G home internet, but AT&T Internet is still worth a shot if you're stuck with limited options. I tried AT&T Internet Air for a week FAQs: What is AT&T Internet Air? AT&T Internet Air is a 5G fixed wireless connection that offers a singular plan. Pricing starts at $60 monthly or $47 if you bundle it with an eligible AT&T wireless plan. In areas where AT&T's faster fiber service is unavailable, this fixed wireless option could be an alternative for some. Is AT&T Internet Air fast? AT&T Internet Air advertises download speeds of 90Mbps to 300Mbps and upload speeds of 8Mbps to 30Mbps. However, after conducting a dozen speed tests at home, my actual speeds were significantly lower than what was advertised. The highest speed I was able to reach for upload was 14.38Mbps, which is on the lower end of that range. With AT&T Internet Air, I only averaged 5.86Mbps download and 9.87Mbps upload. Compared to other 5G providers, Verizon and T-Mobile advertise much faster speeds, topping out at 415Mbps and 1,000Mbps, respectively. However, it's worth noting that even if you get faster speeds at your home with a 5G fixed wireless connection, your speeds can be temporarily slowed down during network congestion. In addition, AT&T's latency is very high, which can be pretty bad if you're a gamer. The average ping rate that I received at home was 298ms. For online gaming, your ping rate should be 50ms or lower.
CNET
15 hours ago
- Business
- CNET
New Speed Test Data Reveals the Nation's Fastest Internet Service Provider
There's been a lot of talk about internet speed lately. From various company taglines -- "Don't take slow for an answer" -- to the latest news about Japan's internet data transmission record, it's all about the speed. Just recently, Ookla released its Speedtest Connectivity Report for the first six months of 2025, and AT&T Fiber topped the list as the country's fastest fixed internet service provider. (Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.) What does that mean? Does it tell us that AT&T offers the fastest internet plan available to customers nationwide? No. This report doesn't look at an ISP's top speed (the fastest plan the company offers) but instead considers the average internet speed that subscribers experience across all levels of the provider's plans. Many variables exist (including the internet connection type), so when you sign up for internet service, you shouldn't assume AT&T will always be your fastest option. That said, Ookla's report shows AT&T Fiber at the top of its charts, registering a median download speed of just over 363 megabits per second in tests collected by Ookla from January through June 2025. It's the third Ookla speed test report in a row (going back to the first half of 2024) in which AT&T Fiber has claimed the pole position. Overall, AT&T Fiber led Ookla's report with a 78.33 Speed Score, a unique metric the company uses to consider a provider's download and upload speeds and latency. Frontier Fiber, which is in the process of being purchased by Verizon, came close to nudging AT&T out of first place, recording a median download speed of 359Mbps and notching a Speed Score of 78.30. Third place was held by Verizon Fios, the company's own fiber internet service, while the cable internet providers Cox, Xfinity and Spectrum rounded out the rest of Ookla's list. Ookla Ookla is an internet speed-test company that collects data via its tool, which gathers insights from millions of daily customer uses. CNET frequently uses those findings to help inform our internet service provider reviews, as well as our city and state geo pages. Locating local internet providers Why do we care about speed tests? In CNET's ISP reviews, we stress that speed test data can be a helpful diagnostic tool -- a snapshot of your internet connection performance at any given moment. For example, it can help you pinpoint when and where your connection may be laggy. But it's not an exact science. Many things can affect a speed test, including whether or not you're using Wi-Fi or a hardwired Ethernet connection, the time of day you're running the test and so on. To be included in Ookla's Speedtest Connectivity Report, an ISP must appear in 3% or more of the data collected during the six-month window. That means some fiber-optic internet providers across the country might perform especially well, but if they're more regional and unable to hit that 3% minimum share of the national market, they won't appear in the top. Google Fiber is a good example. It was the fastest provider in nine of the country's top 100 cities (second only to AT&T Fiber), but it didn't reach enough households to meet Ookla's mark for national inclusion. Yes, nabbing the top spot is certainly something a company like AT&T can brag about. Last year, after the first of its three wins in a row, CEO John Stankey said in a press release, "The Ookla results confirm what we already knew in the market: the fiber experience wins by a mile. Pair our award-winning fiber with the largest wireless network in North America, and AT&T is the clear choice to connect customers anytime, anywhere.' But just because a company wins kudos as the fastest ISP in the country -- or a particular state or city -- doesn't automatically make it the best internet provider for you. Though AT&T Fiber places highly in CNET's overall ISP rankings (and is tied with T-Mobile 5G Home Internet for the highest score among all internet providers in the most recent American Customer Satisfaction Index report), it might not be available in your area. There may also be a smaller or more regional provider that might make more sense for you. Speed test results can be important factors when choosing a broadband provider, but they shouldn't be your only consideration.
CTV News
16 hours ago
- Business
- CTV News
Ottawa, B.C. provide $77M to bring high-speed internet to nearly 7,000 households
A router and internet switch is seen in Portland, Ore., Thursday, June 6, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Jenny Kane ARMSTRONG, B.C. — The federal and B.C. governments are providing more than $77 million in combined funding to bring high-speed internet to more than 6,900 homes in the province. A statement from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada says the funding is part of an agreement struck in 2022 that committed up to $830 million to bridge the high-speed gap in rural, remote and Indigenous communities. The department says the latest funding will support 15 projects through the Universal Broadband Fund. In addition to the jointly funded projects, it says the federal government is providing $7 million to bring a high-speed connection to 727 households in the communities of Hullcar, Spallumcheen and the Splatsin First Nation. It will also bring cellular connectivity to more than 120 kilometres of road in the area east of Kamloops in B.C.'s southern Interior. The projects also cover the communities of 70 Mile House, Savona, Cache Creek, Ashcroft and Clinton, as well as the Skeetchestn Indian Band, Bonaparte First Nation and Nuchatlaht First Nation, among others. The federal department says 95.8 per cent of B.C. households are connected to high-speed internet, a number that is expected to rise to 97.8 per cent next year. It says Ottawa is on track to meet its goal of providing high-speed internet access to 98 per cent of all households in Canada by 2026 and 100 per cent by 2030. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 28, 2025.
CNET
16 hours ago
- CNET
My Internet Was Terrible Until I Tried These 4 Simple Tricks
Internet slowdowns are kind of inevitable -- and they're a major headache if you're streaming, gaming or working from home. I was surprised when I started experiencing laggy Wi-Fi at home: I'm on my provider's second-fastest speed tier -- 1 gigabit, the fastest available at my address -- and my family and I have typical internet usage habits. While sometimes you can blame your internet provider or an outdated router, in other cases, there could be other minor issues that could be easily resolved in a few simple steps. As someone who writes about broadband daily, I've realized the value of a good internet connection and that troubleshooting your speeds doesn't have to be complicated. Here's what I learned. I was on Verizon Fios' second-fastest plan, but was still getting insufferably slow speeds. CNET/Tharon Green 'Enough is enough' The red flags are there for a reason, so don't ignore them: the buffering, the slow downloads and the interrupted Zoom calls. I wouldn't usually have paid attention to these signs, since I had never had a problem with my internet before. A solid internet connection has become vital since I started working from home in 2024. My family and I also noticed that streaming our favorite shows, like the newest season of Squid Game, had become a pain due to our fluctuating speeds. I finally gave in, said enough is enough and contacted my internet service provider, Verizon Fios. The Fios agent was shocked that I was experiencing internet issues since I was on the company's second-fastest tier, the gigabit plan. "You shouldn't even be experiencing fluctuating speeds with your plan," the Verizon Fios agent said over the phone. I was stumped. Locating local internet providers I didn't want to make a hasty decisionswitching out my current provider or buying a new router. So I turned to CNET's advice for help. What is gigabit internet? Your internet speed is measured in megabits per second. In other words, your speed is measured by how much data can be processed over a network in a second. Gigabit internet refers to 1,000 megabits. The more data processed over your network, the better your connection performs. Here are some of the top ISPs that offer gigabit service: Top providers that offer gigabit internet As of June 2024, data from the Federal Communications Commission show that over half of the US population has access to gigabit speeds. Service typically ranges anywhere between $50 to $90 monthly. You can find gigabit service from internet providers such as Frontier Fiber, Google Fiber, Optimum, , AT&T and more. Though cable providers like Spectrum and Astound Broadband's gigabit plans are more widely available nationwide than other ISPs, but might be pricier down the line. You could end up paying double your initial price after a year, since most cable providers are notorious for hiking up their prices after a year. Depending on the connection type available at your address, most fiber ISPs like AT&T and Google Fiber won't increase your prices after a year and can offer symmetrical download and upload speeds of 1,000Mbps, whereas a cable connection may only top out at 35 to 50Mbps. To learn more about where you can sign up for gigabit service, read our review on gigabit internet and the best fiber internet providers for July 2025. 4 expert tips to boost your internet At the start of this journey, I felt like a kid riding their first bike. It felt daunting because I didn't know where to start. Thankfully, one of our pages details how to boost your Wi-Fi connection in four simple steps. Here's how it went. 1. Take a speed test These speeds were well below what I expected from my gigabit connection. Something was wrong. Ookla screenshot by Trisha Jandoc/CNET Before you do anything else, conduct an internet speed test. I chose Ookla's speed test because this is the format I am most familiar with. CNET recommends Ookla for its consistency, and it also shows you your speed test history once you create an account. (Disclosure: Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.) This step was fairly easy. I conducted a few speed tests online. The image above is a test I took near my workspace. Speeds of 248 to 275Mbps aren't bad, being on a gigabit plan supported by a fiber connection makes them surprising (and disappointing). I took it a step further and went to an area of my home where we experienced the most internet trouble. I found a significant speed drop when I ran a speed test in my basement. Ookla screenshot by Trisha Jandoc/CNET I avoid working in the basement most days because the internet is inconsistent. After conducting a speed test, I found our speed dipped to 76Mbps in downloads and 19Mbps in uploads. This area is the farthest from my router, so it only makes sense that the signal is weaker. According to the FCC, the minimum mark for broadband speeds is 100Mbps download and 20Mbps upload. My speeds were missing that mark. It should be noted that Ookla is not the only speed test you can try. Just recently, CNET broadband expert Cierra Noffke tested out the Orb internet speed test. Noffke writes that it doesn't just test your download and upload speeds. Orb, which was developed by the same creators of Ookla, measures the overall health of your home network using multiple metrics and continuous speed tests. On the other hand, if your household uses mostly streaming services, is a solid option, as it measures your internet's capacity to stream Netflix. M-Lab is also at the top of my list, as it has an easy-to-use program. You can always keep it simple as well by turning to resources from your provider. My provider (and many other ISPs) also offers its own Verizon Fios speed test. 2. Move your router or your workspace This next step requires you to experiment a bit with your router's location or your workspace. It wasn't easy to uproot my entire workspace, so I moved my router closer to my existing workspace area instead. This step wasn't a significant change because the router was already placed across the room from my workspace. You should ideally move your router to a central location. Using an Ethernet cable might be helpful, especially if the new location of your router is far from the modem. In any case, moving your router too far from the modem might prove troublesome. You can try to raise your router instead and mount it to the wall, if possible. That way, you don't need to jump through all these hoops to install an Ethernet cable. 3. Add a Wi-Fi extender If moving your router is not an option, try contacting your internet provider for additional equipment. After contacting my ISP, I discovered that a Fios Wi-Fi extender came with my plan at no extra cost to my monthly service bill. The extender came with a small guide, and at first glance, it seemed pretty simple. Obtaining equipment from your ISP is not the only option — many Wi-Fi extenders currently on the market support Wi-Fi 6. CNET previously named the TP-Link RE605X as the top pick for the best Wi-Fi extender due to its affordability and easy-to-use controls. Note: TP-Link routers could be banned sometime this year due to a recent government investigation. That said, the next best thing is the Linksys RE7310, currently priced at $90, which tied in performance with the TP-Link RE605X when we tested them. Check out our other top picks for the best Wi-Fi Extenders. Pair your extender to the router The extender came with a coax cable, a coax splitter and a small set-up guide that outlined four steps: confirm the internet connection, plug it in, pair it and finally move the extender to a designated spot in your home. Seems simple enough, right? I went through the first three steps without running into any issues. I paired my extender to my router using the coax cable. Placing your extender Things took a turn with the final step. After pairing, I unplugged my extender and moved it to the basement, where the signal was weaker. The light from the extender wasn't the solid white it should have been. Instead, it was a yellow color, meaning the extender was disconnected from the router. Solving this problem took some time as I went back through the set-up guide and covered my bases again. During this process, I also discovered Verizon Fios' complete Wi-Fi extender set-up guide online. Some ISPs offer customers the option of self-installation. Here are some of the top internet providers nationwide that have how-to pages and guides dedicated to installing devices that boost your internet: The complete set-up guide mentioned an Ethernet cable, but I was not provided one, so I wondered if that prevented my extender from connecting to the router. I contacted Verizon Fios to make sure I was not missing any parts. Per our conversation, Verizon Fios confirmed that an Ethernet cable is recommended but not necessary. The coax cable works just as well. Ethernet offers a wired connection through cables, which you can plug directly into the router, and should provide faster speeds than Wi-Fi. CNET's own Hallie Seltzer tested this at her home. After pairing, place your extender in an area not too far from the router. Trisha Jandoc/CNET I decided to pivot my approach and placed the extender a bit closer to the router, near my workspace. After a few minutes, I saw a solid white color -- the sign of success. 4. Prioritize your traffic Manage your work traffic at home by tweaking your router settings. Trisha Jandoc/CNET After installing the extender, my internet speeds surged, making this step optional for me. If you cannot obtain a Wi-Fi extender, you can try managing how much bandwidth your household consumes through your router settings. For instance, Verizon Fios allows customers to set up parental controls, which can eliminate access to certain websites. Other routers can even schedule access to the network for certain devices. This process will look different depending on your internet provider and your equipment. How much speed do you need for your home? High-speed internet may be enticing, but you may not even need it. According to OpenVault's first quarter 2024 report, over a third of Americans use the internet at gigabit speeds, a 20% increase from 2023. In addition, its fourth quarter 2024 report shows that the average American household uses 569Mbps in downstream speeds and 32Mbps in upstream. In other words, if you can access gigabit speeds, it should be plenty fast for your household. Finding the right speed will also boil down to your household's activities. Check out our speed recommendations below. Our speed recommendations 1Mbps: Sending emails Sending emails 5 to 10Mbps: Web browsing Web browsing 10Mbps: Using social media Using social media 10 to 20Mbps (or 35Mbps in 4K): Streaming in HD Streaming in HD 25 to 35Mbps: Online gaming For more information, read our comprehensive internet speed guide. Why you might not be seeing the speeds you're paying for Even if you are on your provider's fastest plan, there is no guarantee you will see the exact speeds promised. What's advertised by your ISP may not be the actual speeds you get. Many conditions can impact your internet speeds. According to AT&T's website, certain materials, dense walls and even furniture can obstruct your Wi-Fi signal. Other common factors contributing to a weaker signal include outdated equipment, poor router settings, bad weather and extreme cases like hacking or malware. In addition, finding the right Wi-Fi band for your router or investing in a network switch can also help optimize your internet connection at home. To ensure you're making the most of your internet, read our guides on how to weatherproof your internet and secure your connection from hackers. My main takeaways Speeds in my basement increased after installing the extender. Ookla screenshot by Trisha Jandoc/CNET Once I successfully installed my extender, I conducted another speed test in my basement and I saw a surge in my internet connection, coming in at 598Mbps in download and 187Mbps in upload. What I discovered about optimizing my speeds at home Router and Wi-Fi extender placement are key . The location of your router and extender is directly proportional to optimizing your speeds. Give it a few tries and place your extender in different areas of your home. Ensure you don't place the extender too far or close to the router. . The location of your router and extender is directly proportional to optimizing your speeds. Give it a few tries and place your extender in different areas of your home. Ensure you don't place the extender too far or close to the router. Conduct a series of speed tests after every step , monitoring any changes in your internet connection. , monitoring any changes in your internet connection. Seek out self-installation guides . Many ISPs, including AT&T Cox Spectrum Xfinity . Many ISPs, including Consider buying a Wi-Fi extender. While your ISP might recommend using its equipment, many Wi-Fi extenders support Wi-Fi 6 and should do the trick. Check out our top picks for the best Wi-Fi extenders While your ISP might recommend using its equipment, many Wi-Fi extenders support Wi-Fi 6 and should do the trick. A coax cable works just as well as an ethernet cable . Your ISP might recommend an Ethernet cable for pairing your extender to the router, but a coax cable also works. . Your ISP might recommend an Ethernet cable for pairing your extender to the router, but a coax cable also works. When in doubt, contact your ISP for support and discuss your options. You can also try negotiating with your ISP What's the bottom line? Since completing this experiment, I've seen a drastic change in my internet connection. My family and I can stream our shows without problems and my Zoom calls are running more smoothly than ever. I outlined four steps on this page, but you might need to do a few extra steps to ensure you cover all your bases. Fixing your internet doesn't have to be complex. This is my first time experimenting with this, and I've discovered a new comfort level with my internet connection and how it works.
