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T-Mobile 5G Home Internet can be an effective replacement for traditional cable and fiber ISPs. However, because T-Mobile’s home internet relies on cellular signals and not wiring in your home, the 5G gateway typically needs to be placed near a window that faces towards your local cell tower. While this placement optimizes the signal in your home, it may not be ideal for sending a WiFi signal through your home. And the best way to overcome in-home WiFi coverage problems for your T-Mobile Home Internet is to install a mesh network.
I’ve been testing T-Mobile 5G Home Internet for the last six months and connecting it to my Eero mesh system. Setting up the mesh network with the 5G Home Internet Gateway was straightforward. I’ll walk you through the steps and give you one essential tip for optimal performance. These steps are the same whether you’re using Eero, Google Nest, TP-Link, or any of the other major mesh systems.
Equipment you’ll need Your T-Mobile 5G Home Internet Gateway (obviously) Your mesh system of choice (I use the Eero Pro 6e, but any mesh system will work) 3-foot or longer Ethernet cable (I’ll make sure go into why this length is important later) Installation Steps Set up your T-Mobile 5G Home Internet Gateway for optimal cellular signal using the placement guide in the T-Mobile Internet App. Connect your mesh router to the T-Mobile gateway with the Ethernet cable. Each of the two Ethernet jacks on the back of the T-Mobile gateway connects to your mesh system. Since the WiFi on the T-Mobile gateway cannot be turned off, there is a possibility of WiFi signal interference between the gateway and your router (I experienced this when I placed the two devices close together during my initial setup). So I suggest separating the two by at least a meter.
Set up your mesh system with the accompanying app. The mesh system should automatically detect the internet connection from your T-Mobile gateway. You can now also set up any other Mesh Access Points.
And that’s it; You should have strong WiFi throughout your home. This process is the same if you already have an existing mesh network set up in your home and are switching from wired to T-Mobile for internet access.
Based on my experience and our readers’ feedback, T-Mobile 5G Home Internet can be life-changing or rather frustrating, with occasional internet outages depending on your local cell tower congestion. The good news is that if you’re not happy with the cable and are considering switching to T-Mobile 5G Home Internet, the total cost is $50 per month (no additional fees) and there are no contract or setup fees . This allows you to test whether it works well for your home with little financial outlay.
[Image credit: Josh Kirschner/Techlicious]
Josh Kirschner is co-founder of Techlicious and has been involved with consumer tech for more than a decade. Josh started his first business while still in college, a consumer electronics retailer focused on students. His writing has been featured on Today.com, NBC News and Time.
