These 5 Internet Providers Make Installation a Breeze

Installation is the most annoying part of getting new internet. You have to schedule appointments with a technician, fiddle around with tangled cables, and fork over extra fees on top of your monthly bill—as if internet wasn’t expensive enough already!

But installation can go smoothly. Perks—including free installation or self-installation kits—can help you get your Wi-Fi up and running with minimal hassle. We’ve got the lowdown on which providers give you the hookup.

Best overall: T-Mobile 5G Home Internet

T-Mobile Home Internet uses wireless signals from 4G LTE and 5G towers to give you a fast and versatile internet connection. You don’t need a professional to set it up, and you don’t need any special wiring in your house either. It can’t get any easier than this.

Installation is free—yay! You can set it all up yourself after T-Mobile sends you a gateway (a fixed-wireless modem/router) and your new account information.

How do you get it?

First you’ll need to search your address on T-Mobile’s website to make sure you can get T-Mobile Home Internet. Once you’ve confirmed that, go ahead and sign up for a plan. T-Mobile will send everything you need in the mail. From there, it’s just a matter of plugging in the right cables to the right places.

Best free installation: Xfinity

It’s all about self-installation when it comes to Xfinity. One of the biggest internet providers in the country, Xfinity has a wide range of internet packages, and all come with a self-install kit as the default installation option.

Inside the kit, you’ll have everything you need to get your home Wi-Fi up and running, including Ethernet cables and a gateway router (which costs a monthly rental fee). You’ll need a little tech know-how to set up the Wi-Fi yourself, but it’s no big deal—Xfinity has an app to help you through the process, and we can walk you through that too.

How do you get it?

Sign up for an internet plan on Xfinity’s website, and select the self-installation kit as your installation option. The kit will arrive at your home in three to five business days. You can pay extra for priority shipping or choose to delay shipping by as long as 25 days if you’re not ready to get the kit yet.

Xfinity also has a Self-Install Plus option (basically professional installation) for $39.99.

Best professional installation: AT&T

Some AT&T plans let you pick self-installation for free, just like Xfinity. But it is harder to get, since your home needs to already be wired for fiber internet. If your home has never had AT&T Fiber, a professional will need to connect wiring to a utility box on the street.

Professional installation costs $99, and you can choose whether to rent AT&T’s gateway for $10 a month or provide your own. You may be able to get a Visa prepaid card as a sign-up bonus as well to offset the cost.

How do you get it?

Look at your installation options when you’re signing up for an internet plan—AT&T will let you know whether AT&T self-installation is possible at your place. Meanwhile, check in with customer service to make sure you’re getting any available discounts or deals.

Best customer experience: Verizon

Verizon charges $99 for a professional to install its Fios fiber internet, but that charge can be waived in some cases, like for certain plans, locations, or as part of a promotion. Professional installations can take four to six hours.

If your home is already wired for fiber internet, you can choose Verizon’s self-install kit instead, which Verizon can mail or you can get from any Verizon store. The installation directions are available in your My Verizon account.

Verizon 5G home internet plans are even easier to install. You’ll receive a gateway in the mail, and you just have to place it in a location with good reception and follow set up instructions in the app.

Our Annual Customer Satisfaction Survey shows Verizon received top and near-top rankings for reliability and customer service, beating out 14 other providers. So if you’re having trouble with your connection, reach out to Verizon and an agent can help you out.

How do you get it?

If you’re ordering Verizon Fios, you can schedule your professional installation time during the ordering process. If you’re unsure if your home qualifies for self-installation, you should contact Verizon customer service before placing your order.

If you select one of Verizon’s 5G Home Internet plans, all you need to do is sign up for your plan and wait for your gateway to arrive in the mail.

Best promotions and deals: Astound

Cable and fiber provider Astound is perhaps best known for its seemingly bottomless cornucopia of promotions, discounts, and deals, which are routinely available to new customers. These include free installation coupons that you can find on Astound’s website.

But another big plus with Astound is its “no-contact” installation policy, which gives you professional, socially-distanced installation. Here’s how it works: a technician will come to your house with the installation kit. Then they’ll stand at the doorway (or at an otherwise safe distance) and explain to you how to hook everything up. If you don’t mind someone in your home, you’re free to let them in as they troubleshoot potential issues.

How do you get it?

Sign up for an Astound plan online—and don’t forget to use a coupon code specific to your service area to get installation at no extra cost. Set up an appointment for a technician to come by and work with them to plug all the router cables in correctly.

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