Earthlink Wireless Router

[Vennie Fireman]

ATLANTADec. 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- EarthLink, an award-winning internet and mobile service provider, today announced the launch of EarthLink Wireless Home Internet. The service will connect to the internet by using the strongest signal from nearby cell phone towers to provide a high-speed 5G or 4G home internet connection. The service comes with a advanced, high-speed Wi-Fi router enabling easy and secure connections for dozens of devices in the home.

Currently, millions of consumers who don't live in a large city or metro area must invest in costly satellite equipment or rely on low speed and spotty service for their internet connection. With the launch of EarthLink Wireless Home Internet, these customers now have a more affordable and reliable option that uses the latest technology to connect to the fastest speeds available.

"As we expand our business, our priority continues to be creating the right connection for all our customers," said Glenn Goad, EarthLink CEO. "We know that millions of people in underserved areas are dissatisfied with the internet options available to them and millions of others are frustrated with the service level of their current internet service provider. Now, there's a great new alternative. EarthLink Wireless Home Internet changes everything for them."

EarthLink Wireless Home Internet further expands the company's coverage by adding internet service on a mobile network to its existing high-speed fiber internet offerings. EarthLink has several Wireless Home Internet plans starting at $54.95 per month. With plug-and-play installation and simple functionality, EarthLink's Wireless Home Internet is ideal for individuals and families in need of a more reliable internet option for their home.

About EarthLink: EarthLink is a top U.S. internet and mobile service provider delivering wired, wireless, and mobile access to more homes and small businesses than any other ISP. EarthLink offers the right technology at the right price to create the right connection for customers. Consumers voted EarthLink the number one ISP in America in both 2020 and 2021. An independent company headquartered in Atlanta, EarthLink was certified as a Great Place to Work in 2020 and 2021. To learn more, visit earthlink.net.

Since EarthLink uses different networks and connection types to offer home internet service, available plans, pricing and speeds can vary widely by address. I've listed common fiber-optic EarthLink plans below, but keep in mind that connection type, pricing, speeds and data will vary by address.

EarthLink's wireless internet plans vary not by speed but by the amount of data included each month. Service starts at $40 per month in most locations for speeds up to 25Mbps and 100GB of data. Higher data plans, up to unlimited, are available for an additional cost.

With EarthLink, customers pay the standard rate right from the get-go. That means you won't be able to take advantage of any cheap introductory rates like you'd get with providers like Astound or Xfinity, but also means there's no looming price increase waiting for you after a year or two of service.

So in some cases, EarthLink may be more expensive upfront but actually turn out to be the better deal in the long run. Take a close look at the introductory and standard pricing of other providers -- and how long you anticipate having service, if possible -- to determine if it's worth paying EarthLink's standard rate from Day One.

Wi-Fi service is available with all EarthLink plans at no additional charge other than the equipment rental fee of $10 to $15 per month. The equipment fee is unavoidable, unfortunately, even if you would rather use your own equipment, so go ahead and factor in an additional fee to the monthly price when comparing EarthLink plans.

In some cases, EarthLink's fee may be lower than the provider's (the one that owns the network used for service) professional installation fee. Many providers, however, waive the installation fee when you sign up or include installation at no extra cost.

The value of EarthLink's Wi-Fi equipment and installation could be hit or miss depending on the internet options in your area. Still, one definite perk of EarthLink's fiber internet is unlimited data. You won't have to worry about a data cap or excessive fees for going over with any EarthLink plan, even if the partner provider enforces them. Additionally, EarthLink pledges never to throttle your speeds.

The unlimited data and no throttling stops there, however, as wireless internet does indeed come with a data cap and slower speeds once you've exceeded it. The best way to avoid the cap is to opt for EarthLink's unlimited plan, or choose a wireless ISP without any data caps, such as T-Mobile Home Internet or Verizon 5G Home Internet.

Through its partnerships with fiber-optic, wireless and satellite providers across the US, EarthLink is one of the largest ISPs in the country and thus is available in many markets where other providers also offer service.

EarthLink's gigabit service is priced higher than fiber providers including AT&T, Quantum Fiber and Frontier, but may be lower than gigabit service from cable providers. For example, gigabit service from Cox comes at a higher starting price than EarthLink -- and will go up even higher after 12 months while EarthLink pricing is more stable. Additionally, you're going to get much faster upload speeds with EarthLink fiber than you would with cable.

In most EarthLink service areas, you'll also have the option of the fiber-optic provider EarthLink partners with for service. When comparing EarthLink versus the primary provider, it's often more cost-effective to go with the latter, but there may be some instances where EarthLink is the more desirable service.

If you're looking for unlimited data, you may want to consider EarthLink over AT&T DSL, which comes with a monthly data limit. Or if you simply don't want to deal with the provider -- some are notorious for poor customer satisfaction -- choosing EarthLink could save you the headache.

Customer satisfaction outlets like the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power omit EarthLink in their reports, so it's difficult to determine how real customers feel about their service.

The Better Business Bureau does give EarthLink an "A-plus" rating despite a meager customer review score. At 1.08 out of 5, EarthLink's BBB customer review score is lower than most major ISPs. Many of the reviews (over 120) and approximately 140 filed complaints reference inconsistent speeds and confusion over the data cap that comes with wireless service

It comes as little surprise that customers have an issue with speed consistency and reliability. With a variety of other providers supplying EarthLink's service, the connection quality may vary from address to address. EarthLink's outage history on DownDetector.com isn't great, often drawing hundreds of complaints.

Should customers have a problem with their service or issues with their bill, EarthLink makes it easier than most to get in touch with customer service and technical support. EarthLink customer support can be found online at support.earthlink.net, where customers can either browse popular topics or chat with a live representative.

EarthLink is also one of, if not the only, ISP that gives customers the option to text customer support in addition to calling. Customers can call the EarthLink customer service number at 888-327-8454 or text 833-458-4360.

EarthLink is somewhat different in that the ISP does not technically provide internet service but instead sells service plans using the fiber-optic, wireless or satellite networks of other providers. As a result, EarthLink plans are generally higher-priced than many other providers, but there are some advantages, such as stable pricing and unlimited data, that could make the cost of service worthwhile.

Dial-up internet requires little more than a phone line and a compatible modem for service, so it's possible to still get it in many areas. That said, the max speeds you get with dial-up, roughly 56Kbps, will leave you unable to perform even the most basic of internet tasks. So while dial-up may technically be available, the painfully slow speeds, not to mention the hassle and cost of finding a compatible modem, aren't worth the trouble.

Both EarthLink and AT&T have large coverage areas and lots of options, many of which depend on your location. Both offer fiber and fixed wireless connections in some areas, but most of their networks are DSL.

* Price after $5/mo Autopay & Paperless bill discount (w/in 2 bills). Plus taxes & fees. Monthly State Cost Recovery Charge in TX, OH, NV applies. One time install charge may apply. Ltd. avail/areas. Call or go to www.fiber.att.com to see if you qualify. Speeds based on wired connection. Actual speeds may vary. For more info, go to www.att.com/speed101.

Both AT&T and EarthLink have pretty reasonable fees. The only ones that really stand out are installation fees, which are a bit high, especially for AT&T. Since EarthLink plans require one-year contracts, they also come with early termination fees if you cancel before the end of your agreement, which can get expensive.

EarthLink placed last among nationwide providers in our annual customer satisfaction survey, which was unfortunate due to its focus on customer service. Although it has been rated highly in customer satisfaction surveys across multiple years, Earthlink dramatically underperformed this year.

AT&T improved its marks in every category compared to last year and is ranked fourth overall in our survey. It also performed well in the speed category. AT&T has focused on expanding the availability of its fiber plans to give its customers faster and more reliable connections.

Our HighSpeedInternet.com editorial team bases our analyses on customer input from our annual customer satisfaction survey, results from our speed test tool, and proprietary internet provider data on speeds and pricing. To strengthen our research, we look closely at provider contracts to get hard-to-find information on price hikes, data caps, and extra fees, and we keep tabs on the latest news reports and online reviews. When applicable, we also rely on our personal experiences testing these services.

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