How to Transfer Internet When You Move

Most internet providers make it relatively easy to transfer your internet service—all you have to do is tell them where you’re going and schedule a date for activation and installation.

But in order for you to move your service, you’ll still have to be on your provider’s network in your new place. Otherwise, you’ll need to find a new internet plan. And since you’re moving, you might want to check for other options that weren’t available to you before, like a cheaper or faster plan from a different provider.

We put together a step-by-step guide to successfully transferring your Wi-Fi to a new home. Our suggestions can help make your move as stress-free as possible.

Step-by-step guide

Here’s a quick look at what you have to do before we go into specifics:

Step 1: Tell your ISP that you’re moving.

Step 2: See if you can move your internet service to your new home.

Step 3: Check for discounts or deals.

Step 4: Install and activate your new internet service.

Step 5: Run a speed test in your new home.

Tell your internet provider that you’re moving

You’ll need to contact your internet service provider (ISPs) to see if you can transfer your Wi-Fi to a new home.

When: Aim to contact your provider at least two weeks before your move date so that you have enough time to arrange an installation.

How: Whether you’re transferring internet service from AT&T, Xfinity, CenturyLink, Cox, or another ISP, all you have to do is sign onto your account online or call a customer service agent to figure out how to move your internet. Take a look at the phone numbers and websites above to find more information.

When you’re moving to a new home, you’ll have to make sure you can get the same Wi-Fi service at your new location. There’s a good chance you can keep the same internet service if you aren’t moving far, but it may not be as likely if you’re moving to a new city or state. Use our zip code search tool below to see if your ISP is available at the new location.

We also recommend you double-check with your provider by giving a customer service rep your address. And some things might be different about internet service in your new location. For example, you might be able to get faster speeds or a more reliable connection type that you couldn’t get before. (Let’s hope you won’t get slower speeds!) Ask your customer service agent if there will be any significant changes to your internet package when you transfer your service.

What if you have to change internet providers?

Before you cancel, check with your current ISP to see if you have to pay in early termination fees (ETFs). Your ISP may waive ETFs for certain circumstances, such as moving outside its coverage area, moving into bulk housing that uses a different ISP, or moving for military deployment. Make sure to ask about early termination fee exceptions if you cancel your service.  You can also check to see if any of your new ISP options offer a contract buyout to get your business. You can find more tips in our guide to canceling your internet service.

Check for discounts or deals

When you first sign up with a new provider, it’s common to get discounted promotional pricing—so be on the lookout for deals when choosing your next ISP.

Even if you stick with the same provider, you still may be able to leverage your move to get a discount. It usually depends on if you’ve completed your current contract or not. Be sure to ask if you’re eligible for new customer pricing when you schedule your move with your ISP.

Whether you’re using the same provider or moving on to a new one, moving to a new place presents a terrific opportunity to look for awesome internet deals. You may be able to get any of these perks:

• A promotional price that’s lower than your current bill
• A discounted rate that comes with a TV or phone bundle
• A faster speed at the same price
• A much better internet connection type (like fiber) for a slightly higher price

Moving is no fun, but this is one way to make lemonade out of lemons.

Install and activate your new internet service

To set up your internet, you first need to determine if your new home is wired up for service. If it is, just schedule the service activation with the ISP, plug in your equipment, and you’re good to go. If it isn’t, you’ll need to schedule an installation.

Usually, only an ISP tech is going to be able to tell you if your new place is 100% ready for rockin’ Wi-Fi, but here are a couple of ways you can make a reasonably accurate guess:

• Ask the ISP the last time service was active at your new address.
  If the last owner or tenant had the same internet service, chances are all the cabling is still in place and operational. If the previous resident used a different internet, TV, or phone service that rerouted the home’s cabling, you probably need to schedule an install.
• See if your modem goes online.
  Usually, a modem will go online if there’s a clear connection to the ISP’s network, even if the service isn’t active—it won’t provide internet access, but it should connect. If you have access to your new place and have your modem, try hooking it up and check the modem status lights to see if it goes online. If it does, all that’s left to do is call the ISP to activate once you’re ready to make the switch from your old place. If your modem doesn’t go online, you probably need a tech to come out.

Once you’ve figured out whether or not you need an install, it’s time to schedule your service activation. If you’re keeping the same ISP, note that you usually can’t have internet access at your old address and your new address at the same time (unless you want to pay double), so make sure you don’t still need internet at your old home when you schedule the service to switch over.

If you do need an install, clear some time off your calendar. Prepare to live without internet for up to four hours—looking at you, remote workers.

Once you’ve moved your Wi-Fi to your new home, run a speed test

You can officially breathe a sigh of relief once your internet is all set up and working properly in your new home. Just to be thorough, run a few speed tests on your new system to make sure you’re getting the speeds you’re paying for.

You can use our speed test tool—it takes only a couple minutes.

How to run a speed test: Close out of all your windows and apps and run the test. Try it a few different times and see if you get different speeds throughout the day. Your speed will likely fluctuate, but if you’re happy with how it’s running, then congratulations: you have successfully transferred your internet service to a new house. Hurray!

FAQ about transferring your internet service