Can I Get Google Fiber At My House

Similar

Fast speeds, depression price per Mbps
Equipment included, unlimited data, no contracts
2-gig service comes with Wi-Fi 6 router
Active fiber expansion

Don't Similar

Only 1, maybe two plan options
Lowest starting price is $lxx per month
Lots of room to grow

I live but outside a Google Fiber urban center (Charlotte, N Carolina) and like many folks hither and in other Google Fiber cities, I saw the exciting new ISP break basis in sparse service areas but to indefinitely halt all expansion in 2016. That expansion is at presentdorsum in full force, even so, in my hometown, other Google Cobweb cities, and even some all-new locations. Now, I'1000 holding onto the promise that Google Cobweb will eventually come up to my neighborhood because the value is as well good to reject.

When I say "value," I'm non necessarily talking about cheap internet. Google Cobweb has one of the highest starting prices of whatever elevation Internet service provider. Nonetheless, y'all get what you lot pay for, as speeds kickoff at one,000 megabits per second, aka gigabit service. Add in client-friendly perks like unlimited data and no contract requirements -- as well as free equipment rental, a more uncommon ane -- and the premium cost becomes more justified, the value more apparent.

Sarah Tew/CNET

As 1 who appreciates high-speed internet and is willing to pay a little more than for information technology, I'd say Google Cobweb is worth checking out. Few fiber providers match Google Fiber's speed potential, allow alone service from cablevision or DSL providers. Y'all'll desire to consider more than than speed when shopping for internet service in your surface area, though, then hither's a full rundown of what yous can expect from Google Fiber.

Google Fiber coverage

Google Fiber'southward availability is nowhere nearly rival fiber providers similar AT&T, Verizon Fios orCenturyLink, but information technology offers service in some reasonably large metro areas. Kansas City and Huntsville, Alabama have the most significant Google Fiber coverage, but service tin can as well be found in parts of Orangish County, California; Atlanta, Georgia; Charlotte and the Raleigh/Durham area of Due north Carolina; Nashville, Tennessee; Austin and San Antonio, Texas; Salt Lake Urban center and Provo, Utah; and at present also West Des Moines, Iowa.

Google Cobweb availability recently doubled

The listing of cities where Google Fiber is available is growing, as is the availability in markets where Google Cobweb is currently bachelor. CNET'southward Ry Crist touched on Google Fiber'due south expansion in his breakdown of the about contempo Federal Communications Committee information, noting that the provider's client base increased 100% from 2016 to 2020, more than any other provider.

Admittedly, that increment brought Google Fiber's national coverage up from a paltry 0.46% to 0.98%, so it'due south still bachelor to less than 1% of U.s. residents. That said, the growth is impressive, and the rapid expansion continues. A Google Cobweb spokesperson told CNET that the company is "building in all existing markets" and "built more in 2021 than whatsoever yr previously."

Furthermore (and encouraging to a suburbanite like myself), Google Cobweb shows signs of expansion outside metropolis limits. For example, Google Cobweb is set to expand into Concord and Matthews, North Carolina, 2 Charlotte suburbs I would not accept expected to come across such a premium service. I'm notwithstanding waiting for Google Fiber to achieve me a little further south of Charlotte, but if it'due south bachelor in your area or where you're moving to, here's what you can expect as far as plans and service details are concerned.

Google Fiber plans and service details

Google Fiber has ii program options: 1Gbps or 2Gbps. While gig service is typical of fiber providers and most cable providers, AT&T, Frontier,Xfinity and Ziply Fiber are the only other principal providers to offer multi-gigabit plans. And in many cases, it'due south but available to a small fraction of subscribers.

Select cities -- specifically Chicago, Denver, Miami, Oakland, San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle -- have access to Google Webpass, a high-speed fixed wireless net service similar to Starry Internet. At that place's only one plan available with Google Webpass, gigabit service, simply cheaper pricing may be available if your building's network can't support gigabit speeds.

Google Cobweb plans

Program	Monthly price	Max speeds	Equipment toll	Data cap	Contract
ane Gig	$70	1,000Mbps download, one,000Mbps upload	None	None	None
2 Gig	$100	ii,000Mbps download, ane,000 Mbps upload	None	None	None
Google Webpass	$70, or $63 with a yearly plan	1,000Mbps download, ane,000Mbps upload	None	None	None

More and cheaper plan options would be nice (Google Fiber previously offered a 100Mbps plan for $50 per month), simply I take to admit I like that gig service is the baseline. Equally streaming in HD and 4K become the norm and we're connecting everything from smartphones and tablets to speakers, thermostats and a plethora of other devices to the internet, plans with speeds effectually and below 100Mbps are becoming less practical, fifty-fifty if they are easier on the budget.

Getting back to value, Google Fiber plans are actually improve priced than most, even though no "cheap" option is available. At $70 per month, Google Fiber'due south gig service is priced lower than fiber providers AT&T, Borderland and Verizon Fios and cable ISPs includingCox, Spectrum and Xfinity. Then at that place'southward the $100 per month 2 Gigs plan, which is still cheaper than what some providers charge for a single gig service.

A skilful indicator of value is the toll per Mbps, which y'all can find for any internet plan by dividing the monthly fee by the max speeds. Google Fiber's 1 Gig programme starts at $70 per month for speeds up to 1,000Mbps, which comes to an estimated price per Mbps of vii cents. The two Gigs plan is even lower at 5 cents per Mbps. A sub-dime price per Mbps is oft a peachy internet deal, and the price per Mbps of both Google Fiber plans is on par with or lower than well-nigh providers at any speed tier.

Straightforward pricing with no added fees

Google Fiber doesn't accept introductory pricing, so you lot don't accept to worry about a looming toll increase after 12 months. That's not to say the price will never go up, but there's no guarantee that it will later on a certain number of months.

Additionally, Google Fiber plans come with unlimited data (and so no overage fees) and no contracts with a required service length (so no early termination fees). Unlimited data and no contracts are condign more common among ISPs. All the same, some big-proper noun providers will require you to sign an agreement to get the lowest pricing or tack on $l or more in overage fees for exceeding your data limit.

No equipment costs, fifty-fifty for mesh Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi six routers

Google Fiber'southward 1 Gig plan comes with a Wi-Fi router and up to two admission points, which extend the range and coverage of Wi-Fi service throughout your dwelling house, up to around three,000 foursquare anxiety. You tin buy more access points for $100 each if you need additional coverage. You also can utilise your own router, merely seeing as how Google Fiber includes one at no extra toll, I can't imagine why y'all'd want to unless you lot demand a meridian-of-the-line router for serious gaming or other specialized uses.

The two Gig plan comes with a Multi-Gig Wi-Fi 6 router, the latest available Wi-Fi technology and estimated to be roughly 30% faster than the previous Wi-Fi iteration. The technology is exciting, just Wi-Fi routers can be a bit pricey, so it's nice that Google Cobweb includes one at no extra toll. Like with the i Gig plan, Wi-Fi extenders are included if needed to ensure whole-domicile Wi-Fi coverage. There is no option to use your own equipment with the 2 Gig plan, only the device should be more than than suitable for any standard home internet utilize.

How does Google Fiber stack upward against competitors?

If Google Fiber is available in your expanse, information technology's safe to assume you also accept a cable provider and perhaps fifty-fifty another fiber provider available at your address. In that example, you'll desire to know how Google Fiber compares.

Compared to other fiber providers -- or really whatsoever ISPs -- Google Cobweb will have a higher starting cost. You'll find lower monthly starting prices from AT&T Fiber ($55), CenturyLink ($50), Frontier Fiber ($45) and Verizon Fios ($forty) but over again, it is worth noting that these cheaper plans come with significantly lower speeds. If those speeds, typically around 200 to 300Mbps, are sufficient for your household, a more than affordable plan like what'due south available from AT&T or Verizon Fios may be your best bet.

There'southward arguably no better gig or 2-gig provider

If you're interested in gig service, Google Cobweb will exist tough to trounce, fifty-fifty amongst competing fiber providers. At $70 per calendar month, the starting pricing for Google Fiber'southward gig service is lower than AT&T, Frontier and Verizon ($80 to $90 per month). Lumen's Quantum Fiber net, formerly known equally CenturyLink Cobweb, is a touch cheaper at $65 per month, but the provider currently doesn't offering a ii-gig plan or the same quality when it comes to Wi-Fi equipment.

Every bit for comparing gig service from Google Cobweb to cable net providers like Spectrum or Xfinity, not merely will Google Fiber probably exist cheaper, it'll likely also be faster (at least theupload speeds will exist) and more reliable. Fiber cyberspace often delivers symmetrical upload and download speeds, something cable internet can't do. In the instance of Google Fiber'due south ii Gig programme, you'll get max upload speeds of one,000Mbps compared to max download speeds of 2,000Mbps, merely that's still incredibly fast.

Upload speeds with cable internet elevation out at around 50Mbps, and so you won't become anywhere about the same upload speed potential with cable internet service. The connection quality of a fiber connection is too typically better than a cable one, which can be susceptible to slowed speeds due to network congestion, especially during peak usage times.

Where does Google Cobweb rank on customer satisfaction?

Google Cobweb isn't explicitly included with the American Customer Satisfaction Alphabetize national reports (information technology's grouped in with "All Others"), but that's non to say customers did not share their feedback with the ACSI.

According to a Google Fiber spokesperson, the company partnered separately with the ACSI to estimate customer satisfaction and compare it to the national figures. The effect? Google Fiber reportedly ranked No. one in 17 categories, including Customer Satisfaction, Perceived Value, Security of the Wi-Fi Connection, Reliability of Service and Perceived Overall Quality in 2020.

Diving a little deeper, I turned to the Better Business organization Bureau to investigate the number of complaints, if any, customers had filed against Google Fiber. At that place were over two,000 complaints filed within the last year lonely. Notwithstanding, as I waded through them, I plant that virtually were about other Google services, such every bit YouTube Premium and Google Ads, Google devices, or bug with digital content and trade purchases. I couldn't detect a single complaint specifically referring to Google Fiber filed in the previous 2 months.

The lesser line on Google Fiber

If you've got the demand for speed, there is perhaps no meliorate provider than Google Fiber -- if, that is, service is bachelor in your area. Google Fiber has some of the best pricing on gig service and is the just major provider other than AT&T with a reasonably priced 2Gbps plan. Favorable service terms such as gratuitous equipment rental, unlimited data and no contract requirements, add to the value and likely contribute to Google Fiber's high customer satisfaction rating. Yet, the service isn't for anybody, particularly those looking for a cheap plan under $50 per month. Be sure to consider all of your habitation cyberspace options before committing to one in particular.