AT&T Internet Air Review: Is the 5G Home Internet Service Worth a Try?

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Pros

• Decent speeds for a rural connection
• Free equipment, simple setup
• No contracts, overage fees or price increase at 12 months

Cons

• Possible speed throttling
• Limited availability

AT&T Internet Air review

We’ve been fans of AT&T’s internet service for years, with AT&T Fiber placing at the top of our list for the best internet provider in the country (tied with Verizon Fios). But now that AT&T offers its 5G home internet service, how does it compare? Is it worth it?

AT&T Internet Air is the latest connection type offered, using a 5G network to get users online. As fiber networks remain difficult to expand in new markets, it’s no surprise that providers like AT&T are turning to faster fixed wireless internet options like 5G home internet. This technology provides a long overdue upgrade for broadband in rural areas and an amicable alternative to big internet service providers in the city.

Major cellular providers T-Mobile Home Internet and Verizon 5G Home Internet have dominated the 5G home internet space since 2021, but now AT&T is stepping up to the plate.

AT&T has an existing sprawling mobile network and offers a traditional, 4G LTE fixed wireless internet option, but it held back on its 5G home internet service until now. AT&T Internet Air was first introduced only to existing DSL customers as a service upgrade.

AT&T Internet Air is now available to new customers along with upgrade-eligible DSL customers in nearly 100 markets across 48 states. Whether it’s available to you as an upgrade or an entirely new service, you’re probably wondering what AT&T Internet Air is and whether it’s worth signing up.

Supported by a 5G fixed wireless connection, AT&T Internet Air is an all-in-one plan with download speeds ranging from 90 to 300 megabits per second. Your equipment is included for free, and there are no term agreements. But before you sign up, let’s break down the details. Here’s everything you need to know.

What is AT&T Internet Air?

AT&T Internet Air is a new home internet service delivered over AT&T’s 5G wireless network. The enhanced wireless network supports faster speeds than AT&T’s traditional fixed wireless service (which typically tops out at 10Mbps) and eliminates the need for a mounted receiver with a direct line of sight to a nearby tower.

AT&T Internet Air is a convenient alternative to wired internet and is a practical solution for internet in rural areas. The speeds — advertised as 90 to 300 megabits per second — and other perks make Internet Air an option worth considering, even in areas where multiple ISPs may be available.

Compared to other 5G home internet providers, specifically T-Mobile Home Internet and Verizon 5G Home Internet, AT&T Internet Air has some definite catching up to do regarding coverage area and availability. But everything else (including pricing, speeds and service terms) is right on par with the competition.

AT&T Internet Air plan and pricing

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Currently, AT&T Internet Air offers just one plan. Service includes the fastest speeds available, typically between 90 and 300Mbps down and 8 to 30Mbps up, starting at $60 a month. A 20% discount is available to qualifying AT&T mobile customers, which can lower your monthly bill to $47.

Like with every fixed wireless provider, actual speeds to the home depend on proximity to a tower and network congestion. Some may see faster speeds, at least until more customers join the local network, while others may experience slower speeds. The Federal Communications Commission defines broadband as at least 100Mbps in download speed and 20Mbps in upload speed, so if your AT&T Internet Air speeds fall on the lower end, it may technically not qualify as a broadband connection. That said, AT&T Internet Air can still offer enough speed for basic internet usage — just keep in mind that if you have a lot of streamers, gamers or remote workers, it may not be the plan for you.

CNET’s own Joe Supan tried out AT&T Internet Air and found the speeds to be sorely lacking compared to his cable internet service. Again, your experience might differ based on your location, so it’s worth trying at your address to see what speeds you can get.

Be prepared for fluctuating speeds, possible throttling

A wired connection like cable, fiber or even DSL, can generally offer more consistent speeds to the home, but speeds over a wireless service, even one as advanced as 5G, can vary considerably at any time for a number of reasons.

For one, inclement weather can affect your connection, but network congestion is the most likely cause of slower 5G home internet speeds. 

To counter the potential problem, AT&T says it will “greatly reduce your speed for a minimum of 30 minutes” if your usage is deemed to be significantly contributing to network congestion. 

What’s not clear is how AT&T determines when and how you are contributing to network congestion. I would recommend being somewhat aware of your internet use — how many devices are connected, what tasks they are performing, and at what time of day — for the first few months of service. Take note of any speed throttling instances to understand what may cross the congestion contribution threshold.

Where can you sign up for AT&T Internet Air?

Wireless delivery is a big advantage to 5G home internet as it can reach many homes in an area without the need for cable infrastructure. AT&T Internet Air does not yet boast nearly the same availability as T-Mobile Home Internet or Verizon 5G Home Internet, but we can expect it to grow — especially as a viable rural internet option.

AT&T Internet Air is currently available across 48 states in the US. That sounds like a lot, and it is, but many markets are also serviceable for AT&T Fiber. If your address is eligible for AT&T Fiber, don’t hesitate to switch to fiber: Even the slowest AT&T Fiber plan is cheaper, faster and comes with truly unlimited data compared to AT&T Internet Air.

AT&T Internet Air is still growing, but here are some the major cities that can sign up for service.

Residents might also find coverage in Fort Pierce, Florida; Weslaco, Texas; San Luis Obispo, California; Pine Bluff, Arkansas; Panama City, Florida; Thomasville, Georgia; Sherman, Texas; Ada, Oklahoma and Victoria, Texas.

When I ran serviceability checks, using dozens of addresses in various AT&T Internet Air markets, results mostly included AT&T Fiber plans or AT&T Internet — the DSL service that AT&T Internet Air is replacing. Very few addresses gave me the option of AT&T Internet Air, despite checking availability in and around roughly 15 cities.

You can check AT&T Internet Air availability at your address here. If you are an AT&T Internet (DSL) customer, AT&T will likely contact you when Internet Air becomes available as an upgrade to your home internet service.

AT&T Internet Air service terms

The network congestion policy is a bit vague, but everything else that can affect your service or your bill is more straightforward. Equipment is included at no extra cost, there are no overage fees, no contracts and no set price increases at the 12-month mark.

Free equipment

AT&T’s sleek-looking AT&T All-Fi is included with the monthly cost, replacing a modem and router. The self-setup process (no professional installation required) involves little more than plugging in the router and setting up your Wi-Fi network. You may want to try placing the router in different locations throughout your home to determine which location gives you the best coverage and connection quality. AT&T also offers ActiveArmor, a security plan with built-in defenses.

If your connection is lacking in certain areas of your home, AT&T offers whole-home mesh Wi-Fi with up to five extenders for an additional $10 monthly.

No overage fees

This language from AT&T for Internet Air is new to me. AT&T Fiber has no data caps or unlimited data. AT&T Internet, the DSL service, and AT&T Fixed Wireless have set data caps and fees for going over.

AT&T Internet Air does not mention specific data caps, only that there are no overage fees, which implies that you can use as much data as you want, seemingly “unlimited.” However, AT&T reserves the right to throttle your speeds during high usage periods. So, while your data use may result in throttled speeds for a period, you won’t have to worry about adding anything to your bill.

No contracts or set price increase at 12 months

There are no contracts with AT&T Internet Air, so you can try the service risk-free without fear of early termination fees if you decide the service isn’t for you. 

If AT&T Internet Air does end up meeting your needs, you won’t be hit with a set price increase after a year of service. That’s not to say the price will never go up, but there isn’t a definite, and potentially steep, price increase at the 12-month mark like you get with many internet providers.

How does AT&T Internet Air compare?

AT&T Internet Air is still a relatively new service, so it’s tough to say how it holds up to other internet providers when it comes to performance and overall value. 

On paper, AT&T Internet Air is comparable to 5G home internet from T-Mobile, though it lacks the same breadth of coverage. Speeds are about the same at 75 to 225Mbps (72 to 245Mbps with T-Mobile) for about $10 more a month than T-Mobile Internet’s basic plan. Verizon 5G Home Internet has a higher speed range than both (50 to 300Mbps or 85 to 1,000Mbps) and a lower starting price than AT&T Internet Air at $50 monthly or less for qualifying mobile customers.

Considering the mobile bundle discount, choosing AT&T, Verizon or T-Mobile for 5G home internet may depend on your wireless carrier. 

As for other connection types, AT&T Internet Air will likely be a significant improvement over DSL, but I wouldn’t count on it replacing your cable or fiber service just yet.

Depending on the available providers in your area, cable and fiber internet will offer more, and faster, speed options and better connection quality, even if the price is a bit more per month.

AT&T Internet Air customer satisfaction

Again, AT&T Internet Air is a newer service, so there’s little to go by when gauging customer reception and satisfaction. It is worth noting that AT&T as a whole consistently performs well, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power. 

AT&T Fiber claimed the ACSI’s top spot for customer satisfaction among fiber providers, scoring 80 out of 100. For non-fiber AT&T Internet gravitated toward the top with a 69/100 among non-fiber providers, highlighting a 4% decrease from the previous year. Interestingly, the only ISPs with higher scores were 5G home internet providers T-Mobile and Verizon. Over at the J.D. Power, AT&T also grabbed the top spot in the North Central and West regions.

Notably, since J.D. Power has begun using different categories for “wired” and “non-wired” internet connection types, fixed wireless internet has proven increasingly popular among customers. AT&T’s wireless internet options (assumedly AT&T Internet Air and its slower fixed wireless option) ranked last overall.

Moreover, I turned to Reddit for more insight into how well the service has been received thus far. Reddit was, as it often is, a mixed bag of positive and negative comments.

Some praised the speeds and connection quality while others said they would rather keep their DSL service and referred to Internet Air’s cellular internet service as “a glorified hotspot for your home.”

Is AT&T Internet Air worth it?

It’s still early, but given the popularity, convenience and apparent value of 5G home internet service, I would say AT&T Internet Air is at least worth considering, especially for those in rural areas where options are often limited.

Ultimately, there is no contract with AT&T Internet Air, so there is no risk to testing it out to see what kind of speeds and latency you can get at your address.

AT&T Internet Air FAQs