AT&T Residence Web Overview: Fiber’s Good, but when You Can Solely Get DSL, Suppose Twice

In 2022, AT&T leaned into its objective of “providing the very best fixed-broadband service available in the market” by asserting new multigig plans in additional than 100 cities. The quicker speeds can be found to only over 7 million clients, a quantity that ought to proceed rising. Certainly, AT&T introduced in mid-December that it could be increasing its fiber and multigig plans to the city of Egg Harbor in Wisconsin, overlaying over 2,100 places. 

The place does all that put AT&T now? In case you’re dwelling in one of many 22 states the place AT&T supplies web service and are one of many 20 million clients eligible for the corporate’s fiber plans, you are in an important spot. AT&T’s fiber web provides an important connection at a terrific worth. Lots of AT&T’s service space clients aren’t dwelling in properties wired for fiber. As an alternative, AT&T connects these clients utilizing mounted wi-fi or a DSL hybrid service. Which means worse worth and far slower speeds than you will get with fiber. 

In different phrases, recommending AT&T dwelling web service is dependent upon the place you reside and what’s obtainable at your tackle. If AT&T Fiber is an possibility, transfer it to the highest of your listing. In case you aren’t serviceable for fiber, store round for different obtainable web service suppliers to see if you are able to do higher than AT&T’s mounted wi-fi or DSL providers.

Plans and pricing for AT&T dwelling web

AT&T provides a number of fiber web plans, none with contracts or information caps. The corporate tells CNET that three of these fiber plans — Web 300, Web 500 and Web 1000 — can be found to roughly 20 million clients within the firm’s footprint. The multi-gig plans can be found to a smaller portion of that base, at present simply over 7 million.

The remainder of the plans use a DSL/fiber hybrid method to service the remainder of AT&T’s buyer base. That DSL infrastructure implies that speeds are loads slower.

This is your full listing of choices:

AT&T dwelling web plans

Plan	Beginning worth	Max speeds	Month-to-month gear price	Information Cap
AT&T Fastened Wi-fi	$70	25Mbps obtain, 1Mbps add	None	350GB
AT&T Web 10	$55	10Mbps obtain, 1Mbps add	None	1.5TB
AT&T Web 18	$55	18Mbps obtain, 1Mbps add	None	1.5TB
AT&T Web 25	$55	25Mbps obtain, 2Mbps add	None	1.5TB
AT&T Web 50	$55	50Mbps obtain, 10Mbps add	None	1.5TB
AT&T Web 100	$55	100Mbps obtain, 20Mbps add	None	None
AT&T Web Air	$55	40-140Mbps obtain, 5-25Mbps add	None	None
AT&T Fiber 300	$55	300Mbps obtain and add	None	None
AT&T Fiber 500	$65	500Mbps obtain and add	None	None
AT&T Fiber 1000	$80	1,000Mbps obtain and add	None	None
AT&T Fiber 2000	$125	2,000Mbps obtain and add	None	None
AT&T Fiber 5000	$225	5,000mbps obtain and add	None	None

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Store Suppliers

Supply: CNET evaluation of supplier information.

AT&T provides a minimum of three of the above plans for many of its serviceable areas. In a number of geographic places, primarily rural or suburban areas, you might solely have entry to AT&T Web Primary (not proven within the desk above), which contains a 5-megabits-per-second plan or one providing 1.5 or 0.8Mbps. Primary is the proper phrase, and maybe that is too beneficiant.

Connection varieties for AT&T dwelling web

A few potential outcomes exist if you search to enroll in AT&T’s dwelling web service. In case you see the 300, 500 or gigabit velocity tiers supplied at your tackle, you’ll be able to entry AT&T’s fiber web service, which makes use of 100% fiber know-how. Fiber connections are symmetrical by design, which implies that your add speeds can be simply as quick as your downloads, in contrast to DSL, cable and different modes of web. That is notably helpful for videoconferencing, transferring information (for these working and education from dwelling) and on-line gaming.

Exterior of the fiber plans, most of AT&T’s plans are DSL, a hybrid of fiber-optic and copper cable. This implies speeds are a lot slower than a pure fiber connection, and you will not see add speeds as excessive as your downloads. 

Along with AT&T’s fiber and DSL plans, the corporate provides a fixed-wireless possibility, which entails putting in an antenna and wi-fi gear throughout the dwelling. Speeds will not get a lot larger than 25Mbps with a connection like that — it is meant largely for properties that lack different choices for getting on-line.

Moreover, in 2023, AT&T launched AT&T Web Air, a brand new mounted wi-fi answer focused to present clients who’re subscribed to slower DSL plans. It is providing a seven-day grace interval the place you’ll be able to strive Web Air and cancel risk-free when you do not desire it over your previous DSL service.

The place are you able to get AT&T dwelling web?

AT&T’s web service space covers 22 states throughout the nation:

Alabama	Michigan
Arkansas	Missouri
Arizona	Mississippi
California	North Carolina
Florida	Nevada
Georgia	Ohio
Illinois	Oklahoma
Indiana	South Carolina
Kansas	Tennessee
Kentucky	Texas
Louisiana	Wisconsin

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Store Suppliers

You may dig deeper on the AT&T protection map to see the particular cities included inside every state.

What to anticipate out of your AT&T dwelling web invoice

For probably the most half, AT&T’s web service is easy. A number of variations from different ISPs ought to get your consideration. 

You may skip the gear price

AT&T used to cost an additional $10 month-to-month to make use of its AT&T Wi-Fi Gateway. It did not matter when you had your individual gear. That price was inescapable. AT&T now consists of the gear rental in your month-to-month price. That is nice information for purchasers and a good, truthful transfer by AT&T. 

One-time charges

AT&T fees $99 for a full, in-home tech set up. For some addresses, there is not any self-install possibility (it’s a must to log on to search out out when you “qualify” for the self-install package). On the constructive aspect, you will regularly discover on-line promos the place the $99 price is waived (sometimes for the higher-speed plans), so maintain your eyes peeled for provides like that. If none can be found, you might additionally ask them to waive it if you’re calling to enroll.

In case you’re struggling to get a sign within the far reaches of your property, AT&T will promote you a Good Wi-Fi Extender to pair with the gateway. These will value you $50 every.

No information caps (besides when there are)

That is the place issues get a bit squirrelly. For probably the most half, AT&T dwelling web plans do not include information caps. Prospects get limitless information with all fiber plans. You will not should monitor your information utilization for worry of charges or throttling points when you hit some arbitrary threshold. There’s nonetheless a good chunk of AT&T’s geographic footprint the place fiber is not obtainable. In a lot of these circumstances, there’s a information allowance. 

AT&T Web plans from 0.8 to 75Mbps have a knowledge cap of 1.5 terabytes (1,500 gigabytes). In case you exceed that month-to-month restrict, you will incur a $10 cost for every further 50GB of knowledge you utilize, as much as $100 month-to-month. That is on par with different main suppliers who implement a knowledge cap, together with Comcast Xfinity and Cox, however each provide a barely decrease cap, at round 1.25TB. Cox additionally waives all of your overage fees the primary month you break the cap. Do not anticipate a free move like that from AT&T.

In case you suppose you will surpass AT&T’s information allowance, you’ll be able to improve your plan to incorporate limitless information for an extra $30 month-to-month. An alternative choice is to decide on a TV and web bundle, which might assist you to get limitless information at no additional cost — though there’s often a contract concerned with any bundling of providers.

One final caveat — the info allowance for AT&T Fastened Wi-fi Web is 350GB a month. Whereas the $10 cost for every further 50GB you utilize is identical as above, mounted wi-fi clients could be billed as much as $200 additional monthly for overage charges. That is a recipe for sticker shock, so you will wish to be additional cautious along with your information utilization when you’re a set wi-fi subscriber.

Good perks and promotions

AT&T likes to run short-term promotions and offers all year long. The principle promo proper now’s an AT&T Visa Reward Card for brand new fiber clients who order on-line. Relying in your chosen velocity tier, the quantity ranges from $250 to $300.

As well as, AT&T’s nationwide community of over 30,000 hotspots is free to all AT&T dwelling web clients. This lets you join whereas away from dwelling with out utilizing your cellular information. 

AT&T dwelling web vs. the competitors: Flexing robust buyer satisfaction numbers

AT&T crows that “you deserve the very best,” and the corporate factors to its stellar exhibiting in J.D. Energy’s US Residential Web Service Supplier Satisfaction Examine as proof that it is delivering. AT&T nabbed the highest spot in that research’s North Central and West areas, with a mean rating of 734 on a 1,000-point scale. Solely Verizon (760) and Google Fiber (839) can level to the next common within the survey.

AT&T additionally fared extraordinarily nicely with the American Buyer Satisfaction Index, which releases a yearly buyer satisfaction survey for web suppliers. AT&T Fiber’s 2023 rating of 80/100 was tops amongst all ISPs and nicely forward of the trade common of 68 (75 amongst fiber suppliers). This was the primary yr the ACSI differentiated between fiber and non-fiber suppliers, and AT&T benefitted from that transfer. Even the corporate’s non-fiber numbers had been first rate; it scored a 72 in that class, second solely to T-Cellular Residence Web.

Last ideas on AT&T dwelling web

If AT&T Fiber is an possibility on your tackle, discovering a greater mixture of service and affordability is hard. The catch? AT&T’s fiber plans aren’t an possibility for roughly half of the corporate’s protection space. All different AT&T plans are fraught with points not confronted by fiber, from slower obtain speeds to information caps. Merely put, do not hesitate when you can hop on an AT&T Fiber plan, however analysis your choices if solely decrease speeds are supplied in your space.

AT&T dwelling web FAQs