Ask HN: How can I get decent internet speeds in my apartment?
1 pointby nobody_nothing6 hours ago1 comment
  • toomuchtodo6 hours ago
    If the building management is amenable to it, and somebody nearby has fiber near the building already, if you get enough residents to sign up for it, they will usually extend to the building and build out at no cost to the building (recouping the fixed costs as part of monthly service). If this is not an option, do you have clear line of site to a building that could service with fixed wireless?
    • nobody_nothing3 hours ago
      Got it. I think the trouble is our building is only 5 units, 2 of which are occupied by elderly people who likely don’t care. So feels unlikely that Spectrum / AT&T would undergo construction for just 3 new subscribers. (We’re surrounded by much larger apartment buildings, which is probably why they’re wired and we aren’t). Perhaps worth checking on though.

      Re: fixed wireless, would that typically offer higher speeds than my current 5G home internet? Verizon advertises my plan as 25-75Mbps upload, but I never see that. I worry it’d be the same with any over the air service, but I haven’t really explored fixed wireless.

      • toomuchtodo2 hours ago
        Fixed wireless would offer more consistency than 5G residential service, as the 5G service is lowest priority on the tower and a way to squeeze more revenue out of the network and spectrum.

        Due to how few units there are, your options are fairly limited unfortunately. You might try bonding together ATT, Verizon, and T-Mobile 5G Home service with a compatible router if there are no other options. It’ll cost ~$120-$140/month, but you’d have diversity that might improve the overall experience. When done natively vs using their 5G home devices, this is referred to as “cellular carrier aggregation.”

        https://www.openmptcprouter.com/

        • nobody_nothingan hour ago
          This is exactly the type of uncommon solution I was seeking. Thank you so much!