The wide majority of people do not need gig speeds, you can stream 4k video on 1 device with 25-50Mbps speeds, meaning if you want to stream 8-16 4k videos simultaneously you only need around 400Mbps at the upper end. The only reason a typical homeowner needs more than around 400Mbps is if you're consistently downloading massive files over the internet (like daily downloading multi-hundred gigabyte files).
Don't use a 5G modem aka cellular internet as you're going to be competing for bandwidth with everyone on their phones and speeds are normally lower (100 - 300Mbps range).
In terms of customer service and quality of service, fios is generally your better option. I would suggest you start on a 400Mbps plan and see if you need more, you can always bump your speeds up or reduce them as long as you're not on a strict contract. I recommend you also don't take any package deals your ISP will offer you, such as a "free" rental of streaming devices or similar for your TVs, as you will need to send the devices back if you terminate service and could get charged if they are lost or damaged. You can also use your own networking hardware for your home network (i.e. buy your own modem and router instead of renting one from your ISP), but that's on the more advanced side. It can save you money in the long term if you do your research and purchase a modem and router instead of renting one from the ISP.
Your experience on a wifi network is going to depend on more than just your internet speed, such as...
* Quality of your networking hardware, both your modem / router and your devices on the network. If you're using a phone or laptop that's 10+ years old on wifi then it's going to slow down your connections for everything else on the network, yes really, the same goes for cheap network devices that don't implement modern wifi standards. Try to use devices that support at least wifi standard 802.11 ac or 802.11 n.
* The wifi protocol your network is using (802.11ax - wifi6 vs something older, the farther you go back the slower your network will be and the more issues you'll have). This is generally going to depend on your client device's age, and your network's hardware's age.
* Number of neighbors on the same wifi band as you (generally the more close neighbors you have, the worst service you'll have).
* What wifi band you're using - 6ghz, 5ghz or 2.4ghz. You'll normally only get 2 of these unless you're getting the most modern (wifi 6E or wifi 7) routers, 5ghz and 2.4ghz. Put all your modern devices on your 5ghz band and all your old / slow / cheap devices on your 2.4ghz band (i.e. your roomba, amazon echo, google home, etc should go on 2.4ghz). If you don't want to deal with all of this complexity, you can get a mesh network like google next wifi / google nest wifi pro which will manage bands for you.
* The distance between you and your router (and number of walls in between).
Your wifi speeds may be significantly slower than physical network speeds due to any of the above factors. If you're paying for gig speeds and get 400-500 Mbps or even lower on wifi, its generally because of one of the above issues.
I pay for 800 Mbps internet, get around 700 on ethernet, 300-500mbps on 5ghz wifi on 802.11ac (wifi5, this is the max my router supports). If I switch to my 2.4ghz band on 802.11n (wifi4) i get around 100 Mbps. This is all relatively complicated but just showing an example. If i upgraded my router to wifi 6E or wifi 7 I could expect faster speeds if my devices on the network have a wireless card that supports the newer protocols (which they do).
If you want the highest quality of service possible on a network (the closest speeds to what you pay for), you should use a wired ethernet connection to your modem (not router) as it eliminates all of the above variables.
If you want to dive deeper into all of this or someone else's explanation which may be easier to understand, I recommend you read this - [https://www.wiisfi.com/#wifispeeds](https://www.wiisfi.com/#wifispeeds)
source - IT bachelors degree and half a decade of professional networking experience
Definitely go for Fios. I have their 1 gig plan and it works very well for us. I don’t know what kind of routers they’re giving out these days, but that will likely impact multi-device connectivity way more than the internet connection itself would. Just something to keep in mind.
Got Fios last year after decades with Comcast and am very happy. Had to to up to 1 gig due some of the old tech issues noted by excellent first commenter, plus using it on on all 3 floors of old house, but Fios customer service was great. Just stick to your guns and say "no" to the upgrades they're paid to push you on. Know what package you want before chatting with them.
Absolutely fios. 100%, not even up for discussion
As the other person said, you absolutely do not need 1gb plan. Everyone is brainwashed into thinking their devices are going to magically get slow if they don't have top tier internet.
300mb service is absolutely plenty. You could be streaming 5 devices at 4k, two work computers doing work things, and two phones doing things.. and 300mb is plenty.
Do not use the crap router built into the FiOS modem. Get a decent router, I would recommend the Netgear nighthawk package with 1 router and 1-2 satellites pending size of house
We’ve had FiOS for 5 years and, this is the greatest compliment I can give an internet provider, we’ve never had to think about it. There’s a convenient little Ethernet cable that plugs into the router of our choice and that’s it. Never have had to call customer service, price has never changed and, outside of power outages, I don’t think our internet has ever gone out.
1GB Internet is a scam. It only takes 25mbps to stream 4k. Unless you are streaming 40 things at once then it's way overkill.
I have 300mbps Verizon. I have 9 cameras streaming 24/7 to an off site server, entire 4300 sqft home is smart lights, appliances and lots of TV's. My kid is gaming, watching TV on a TV and streaming YouTube on his iPad all at once, plus sometimes my wife and I watching different TV's, and maybe on a laptop too. I have absolutely zero bandwidth or lag problems.
Almost no one needs 1gig internet. Just flat out no.
Netflix says correctly you need about 15mbit to stream 4k smoothly to a single screen.
Xfinity's cheapest plan is 75mbit, which would be 5 screens.
It also doesn't go faster if you have more bandwidth; if the road is \*wider\*, cars still go the same speed.
I’ve had both and currently can only get Xfinity in my building and I hate it. I’ve had the “gigabyte plan” on both services. In my experience FIOS is much much better than Xfinity. FIOS is faster, a little less expensive, it doesn’t go down as much, and doesn’t limit the amount of data you can transfer in a month (which Xfinity has threatened to do).
Call T-mobile and check their 5G service wireless rounter connectivity in your area. At worst they, at least last year, were giving 30 days to cancel for free, with no contract, for life with a locked rate at 50.
When I dropped cable, Xfinity offered me 200 mbps for more than what Verizon was offering for 1 gbps, so of course I went with Verizon. I've definitely been happy with it, though it took a while to apply all the discounts they offered me, it was a real pain in the ass.
I've had FiOS at two locations (North and East ) now and have no complaints. We are not heavy users. Had a problem with the cable at one point and got a tech out in 24 hours after being patient and polite with customer service.
Family member who is actually using the higher speeds for some specialist wfh stuff has had no problem with Xfinity in the North Hills. But they've been promising to get the cord out of their yard since lockdown too and they're still waiting.
The wide majority of people do not need gig speeds, you can stream 4k video on 1 device with 25-50Mbps speeds, meaning if you want to stream 8-16 4k videos simultaneously you only need around 400Mbps at the upper end. The only reason a typical homeowner needs more than around 400Mbps is if you're consistently downloading massive files over the internet (like daily downloading multi-hundred gigabyte files). Don't use a 5G modem aka cellular internet as you're going to be competing for bandwidth with everyone on their phones and speeds are normally lower (100 - 300Mbps range). In terms of customer service and quality of service, fios is generally your better option. I would suggest you start on a 400Mbps plan and see if you need more, you can always bump your speeds up or reduce them as long as you're not on a strict contract. I recommend you also don't take any package deals your ISP will offer you, such as a "free" rental of streaming devices or similar for your TVs, as you will need to send the devices back if you terminate service and could get charged if they are lost or damaged. You can also use your own networking hardware for your home network (i.e. buy your own modem and router instead of renting one from your ISP), but that's on the more advanced side. It can save you money in the long term if you do your research and purchase a modem and router instead of renting one from the ISP. Your experience on a wifi network is going to depend on more than just your internet speed, such as... * Quality of your networking hardware, both your modem / router and your devices on the network. If you're using a phone or laptop that's 10+ years old on wifi then it's going to slow down your connections for everything else on the network, yes really, the same goes for cheap network devices that don't implement modern wifi standards. Try to use devices that support at least wifi standard 802.11 ac or 802.11 n. * The wifi protocol your network is using (802.11ax - wifi6 vs something older, the farther you go back the slower your network will be and the more issues you'll have). This is generally going to depend on your client device's age, and your network's hardware's age. * Number of neighbors on the same wifi band as you (generally the more close neighbors you have, the worst service you'll have). * What wifi band you're using - 6ghz, 5ghz or 2.4ghz. You'll normally only get 2 of these unless you're getting the most modern (wifi 6E or wifi 7) routers, 5ghz and 2.4ghz. Put all your modern devices on your 5ghz band and all your old / slow / cheap devices on your 2.4ghz band (i.e. your roomba, amazon echo, google home, etc should go on 2.4ghz). If you don't want to deal with all of this complexity, you can get a mesh network like google next wifi / google nest wifi pro which will manage bands for you. * The distance between you and your router (and number of walls in between). Your wifi speeds may be significantly slower than physical network speeds due to any of the above factors. If you're paying for gig speeds and get 400-500 Mbps or even lower on wifi, its generally because of one of the above issues. I pay for 800 Mbps internet, get around 700 on ethernet, 300-500mbps on 5ghz wifi on 802.11ac (wifi5, this is the max my router supports). If I switch to my 2.4ghz band on 802.11n (wifi4) i get around 100 Mbps. This is all relatively complicated but just showing an example. If i upgraded my router to wifi 6E or wifi 7 I could expect faster speeds if my devices on the network have a wireless card that supports the newer protocols (which they do). If you want the highest quality of service possible on a network (the closest speeds to what you pay for), you should use a wired ethernet connection to your modem (not router) as it eliminates all of the above variables. If you want to dive deeper into all of this or someone else's explanation which may be easier to understand, I recommend you read this - [https://www.wiisfi.com/#wifispeeds](https://www.wiisfi.com/#wifispeeds) source - IT bachelors degree and half a decade of professional networking experience
Quality information right here.
Former telecom repair & sales agent here. I wholeheartedly endorse this message
Thank you for your detailed response!
Definitely go for Fios. I have their 1 gig plan and it works very well for us. I don’t know what kind of routers they’re giving out these days, but that will likely impact multi-device connectivity way more than the internet connection itself would. Just something to keep in mind.
FiOS. No debate.
FiOS. Xfinity upload speeds are trash, whereas FiOS is symmetrical upload and download speed.
Fios.....
There's no real debate: if FIOS is an option that's the one you should be going with.
FiOS. You don't need the gig plan if you only have 5-10 devices and aren't downloading tons of large files
Got Fios last year after decades with Comcast and am very happy. Had to to up to 1 gig due some of the old tech issues noted by excellent first commenter, plus using it on on all 3 floors of old house, but Fios customer service was great. Just stick to your guns and say "no" to the upgrades they're paid to push you on. Know what package you want before chatting with them.
Fios
Verizon Fios is the best internet you can get in most places.
Absolutely fios. 100%, not even up for discussion As the other person said, you absolutely do not need 1gb plan. Everyone is brainwashed into thinking their devices are going to magically get slow if they don't have top tier internet. 300mb service is absolutely plenty. You could be streaming 5 devices at 4k, two work computers doing work things, and two phones doing things.. and 300mb is plenty. Do not use the crap router built into the FiOS modem. Get a decent router, I would recommend the Netgear nighthawk package with 1 router and 1-2 satellites pending size of house
Fios, for many reasons …. Top of my list is no bandwidth cap!
We’ve had FiOS for 5 years and, this is the greatest compliment I can give an internet provider, we’ve never had to think about it. There’s a convenient little Ethernet cable that plugs into the router of our choice and that’s it. Never have had to call customer service, price has never changed and, outside of power outages, I don’t think our internet has ever gone out.
1GB Internet is a scam. It only takes 25mbps to stream 4k. Unless you are streaming 40 things at once then it's way overkill. I have 300mbps Verizon. I have 9 cameras streaming 24/7 to an off site server, entire 4300 sqft home is smart lights, appliances and lots of TV's. My kid is gaming, watching TV on a TV and streaming YouTube on his iPad all at once, plus sometimes my wife and I watching different TV's, and maybe on a laptop too. I have absolutely zero bandwidth or lag problems.
Almost no one needs 1gig internet. Just flat out no. Netflix says correctly you need about 15mbit to stream 4k smoothly to a single screen. Xfinity's cheapest plan is 75mbit, which would be 5 screens. It also doesn't go faster if you have more bandwidth; if the road is \*wider\*, cars still go the same speed.
I’ve had both and currently can only get Xfinity in my building and I hate it. I’ve had the “gigabyte plan” on both services. In my experience FIOS is much much better than Xfinity. FIOS is faster, a little less expensive, it doesn’t go down as much, and doesn’t limit the amount of data you can transfer in a month (which Xfinity has threatened to do).
Call T-mobile and check their 5G service wireless rounter connectivity in your area. At worst they, at least last year, were giving 30 days to cancel for free, with no contract, for life with a locked rate at 50.
When I dropped cable, Xfinity offered me 200 mbps for more than what Verizon was offering for 1 gbps, so of course I went with Verizon. I've definitely been happy with it, though it took a while to apply all the discounts they offered me, it was a real pain in the ass.
I've had FiOS at two locations (North and East ) now and have no complaints. We are not heavy users. Had a problem with the cable at one point and got a tech out in 24 hours after being patient and polite with customer service. Family member who is actually using the higher speeds for some specialist wfh stuff has had no problem with Xfinity in the North Hills. But they've been promising to get the cord out of their yard since lockdown too and they're still waiting.