T-Mobile is clarifying portability for their home internet service.

T-mobile now officially allows you to move your home internet service. What does this mean for RVs, Truckers, and boaters?

What you need to know:

T-mobile home internet service is available for residences and also for small business customers. This service is designed to compete with landline internet services like cable, fiber, and DSL. T-Mobile offers the home internet service that can be purchased as a stand-alone product or as an add-on to your existing T-Mobile plan. The new service is called T-mobile home internet, and it’s available nationwide. 

What makes T-mobile Home Internet special.

Since t-mobile has dramatically expanded its network thanks to the merger with Sprint, the extra capacity gained with the deal means that their 5g service is speedy. T-mobile used this excess capacity to provide home internet to users. Given that not all markets had this extra capacity T-mobile has had a waitlist for those in impacted markets. Also, people who like to travel with their internet connections (say around the city), particularly with T-mobile home internet, were discouraged as it was always intended as a fixed location service. 

The gotcha in the terms of service:

The terms of service and the faqs on the t-mobile website previously indicated that you could not move the service. T-Mobile even went so far as to state that if you try to move the device and use it somewhere else that your service would be terminated. So this is not something we could recommend for the mobile user. However, t-mobile is never really enforced the termination provision. There have been plenty of people who’ve been using this service successfully in a mobile environment since it came out in 2020. But non, enforcement does not mean that t-mobile would not enforce the terms of use in the future as other providers have done with re-sellers of their service.

The Big Change:

Now, t-mobile has changed things up, and they’ve officially said in their terms of service and on their website that you can move the service. It is as simple as grabbing your mobile home internet router that comes with the service and departing to a new location. If there’s t-mobile service there, you plug it in, and you’re good to go. So while this is still meant to be a home internet and a small business internet service, you can now move it. Super helpful for those who may work out of a food truck or those who live in RVs or frequently travel in RVs, Boats, Trucks, and vans, it’s a great option to take with you and move with your home.

The takeaway of this change:

Our take on this new development is T-mobile home Internet has just become a desirable plan. They offer an unlimited unthrottled plan for fifty dollars a month with autopay (or $30 if you have a line already). It’s worth repeating that this is unlimited data, no data caps, no throttles, not even for video streaming. However, there are a couple of important caveats: the data on this plan is always deprioritized, so you are last in line when the tower is congested. Congestion will be a problem as RV parks fill up with RV’ers who jumped on this plan. 

How Deprioritzation will affect your enjoyment of the service:

It may not be a problem now, but as more people jump on the plan, it will be an issue. T-mobile is attempting to get ahead of the crush of people wanting to get this service by only offering it in areas where they know they have excess capacity and congestion isn’t going to be a big problem. However, if you’re going to take this on the road or the water and move around, you could move to an area with congestion and see significantly reduced speeds. Another essential detail of this plan is that since it’s intended for a fixed location for residences and businesses in the USA, there is no roaming either on domestic towers or international. IE, you can’t take it in Canada, Mexico, or anywhere else, and it’s only going to work on t-mobile’s network.

More Limitations to be made aware of:

You must use only the router that comes with the home internet plan. The router T-mobile uses is the arcadian kvd-21; it’s a 5g router and quite a capable router. The good news is if you sign up, the router comes free with a service. Like most routers rented from an ISP, when you’re done with the service, you have to return it. If you don’t return it, you have to pay a fee of 370 dollars.

It should be noted that you cannot take the sim card out of the router and use it on a different device. As the sim card in the plan is locked to the device, you cannot move it and use it on something else. As chipsets and channel bonding improve, you will not get the best performance out of the Tmobile network unless Tmobile releases its next-generation home internet router. So if you are comfortable waiting for Tmobile to be able to upgrade, then this may be a good fit for you. 

Router Details and technical Q&A:

The router is powered via USB, and it also has two ethernet LAN ports (a must for crowded WiFi impacted RV parks). Using the Ethernet port you can hook this up to an inline pep wave, pfsense, or a different router that you may have that you want to provide a connection for. As far as getting service from t-mobile, that is somewhat tricky. Because you have to use a registered service address to sign up, and it has to be in an area where t-mobile is offering this service, a lot of the popular mail address services that boaters and RVs use are filled to capacity, and none come up as eligible. Also, many business addresses don’t come up as suitable. 

The Technical Aspect FAQ:

Can I use Live TV streaming services?

• T-Mobile Home Internet uses a dynamic IP address, meaning the customer’s IP address will change over time as you move around.
• As live TV uses geolocation to show you local channels means that when you move, you will be assigned a Dynamic IP which will show as a different location of the Gateway and change your channel lineup. 

Can I get a Static IP?

• T-Mobile does not offer static IP addresses.

Can I open ports or enable port forwarding?

• T-Mobile gateways cannot enable and/or disable NAT/port forwarding.

Does the Gateway have a WPS button?

• T-Mobile gateways do not have a WPS button. Also, WPS is insecure and should not be used at this point.

Does the T-Mobile Gateway have a firewall installed?

• No, T-Mobile Home Internet Service does not have a firewall installed. So be prepared to set up an in-between firewall via your router or trust in your device’s firewall.

Can I assign my own DNS server to the Home Gateway?

• No, The DNS server configuration on the Gateway itself is fixed. However, you can set your own DNS on the customer’s own devices or inline router.

What does it mean that the T-Mobile 5G Gateway is Multiple home network (SSID) capable?

• Some T-mobile home internet routers allow you to set up four separate unique names for WiFi for various uses. For example, a guest network or one for IoT devices or other such segmentation.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, T-mobile’s new home internet plan is a great option for anyone who is mobile or needs reliable home internet. The plan is portable, so you can take it with you wherever you go, and it’s a great value for the price. Plus, T-mobile offers excellent customer service, so you can be sure you’re getting the best possible experience. T-mobile is definitely the way to go if you’re looking for an excellent home internet plan that won’t break the bank. If you are looking for alternatives for home internet on the road be sure to check out calex institue or Nomad Internet. Want to learn about more solutions to home internet click here.