Ting Internet Review

Note: because of Ting Internet’s very limited availability, it might be worth checking to see if there’s service in your area before reading on. You can see all the best internet plans available in your area by entering your zip code into this nifty plan-finding tool.

Ting Internet is pretty much a one-trick pony. But that one trick happens to be spectacular: a gigabit speed plan for $89 a month with no data cap.

The 1,000 Mbps plan is the real deal: it offers the reliability and symmetrical download and upload speeds of a fiber connection that can go head-to-head with the fastest ISPs.

It’s perfect for gamers, streamers, work-from-homers, and big families who want to have a bunch of devices going online at once. Pair it up with a powerful modem and Wi-Fi router for an unbeatable home internet network.

There are only two issues we have with Ting’s gigabit plan: the start-up price and the nationwide availability (or lack thereof). Let’s start by talking about the start up cost.

Although Ting was a mobile phone service first, it actually isn’t a fixed wireless internet service that uses a mobile network to give you home internet. But other companies, like AT&T, do offer this service and it can be a great option for rural users.

Also, some phone networks are offering urban 5G ultra-wideband internet for homes and businesses. Again, Ting isn’t doing that. Verizon Home Internet, Verizon, and Starry Mobile are among the best names in that industry.

Ting charges nearly $200 in installation fees for most customers. There are plenty of home internet providers who will stick you with a small start up fee. But usually these installation or service fees are less than $100 and can be waived in certain circumstances.

That’s a hefty price to pay before you even get a minute of internet service. To be fair, it is expensive to build a fiber-optic internet network from scratch. Still, some people will definitely prefer to opt for an ISP that doesn’t charge so much upfront.

Ting is rolling out its service slowly, city by city, much like Google Fiber. Currently, there are only 18 “Ting Towns” where the service is available:

• Alexandria, VA
• Carlsbad, CA
• Centennial, CO
• Charlottesville, VA
• Colorado Springs, CO
• Culver City, CA
• Encinitas, CA
• Fullerton, CA
• Fuquay-Varina, NC
• Holly Springs, NC
• Mesa, AZ
• Roaring Fork, CO
• Rolesville, NC
• Sanford, NC
• Greater Sandpoint, ID
• Solana Beach, CA
• Wake Forest, NC
• Westminster, MD

If you want to check your specific neighborhood or street address for Ting availability, then check the Ting website.

And if you don’t live in a Ting Town, don’t despair: Ting coverage is gradually increasing!

To ensure that your internet reaches throughout your home, Ting offers Ting Whole Home WiFi eero Pro 6E Wi-Fi system add-ons (say that 10 times fast!).

Ting Internet is looking pretty darn good so far. But how does it compare to the other ISPs in the biz? In short, it’s among the best (assuming you live in a place where it’s available).

We’ve thrown some gigabit speed plans from other popular companies into a chart so you can see how Ting internet compares.

Ting’s gigabit speed plan costs the same as those from Verizon Fios and Spectrum, while Google Fiber and Xfinity are a bit cheaper. But the biggest question when it comes to comparing these different gigabit-speed internet plans is usually availability.

In most places, there’s just one (or at most, two) internet service providers that offer fiber-optic, gigabit speed connections. So, if you want super-fast internet, you might be stuck with few options. If Ting is one of those options, it’s definitely worth a try.

Fiber-optic network technology has revolutionized the home internet industry, much like 5G internet has revolutionized the wireless industry. Ting uses this fiber technology to give you incredibly fast internet.

We’ve talked a lot about Ting’s 1,000 Mbps speed. But let’s break it down a bit more. How fast is gigabit speed, really?

It’s enough speed to stream 4K video on over a dozen devices at the same time! You could, hypothetically, stream every single episode of Game of Thrones at once (in standard definition) with this much bandwidth. In other words: it’s really fast.

But Ting fiber isn’t just ideal for streaming-obsessed households. The company’s fiber network gives customers incredible upload speeds (which are much slower on cable and DSL internet networks). This makes it perfect for those who game competitively or Zoom into work every day.

Of course, not all of us need so much raw speed (you can learn more about just how many Mbps you need in our handy guide). Still, the reliability and future-proof nature of fiber networks can be attractive, even for those more casual internet users.

This section is going to be really short because Ting home internet doesn’t actually have any data caps on its plans. The service gives you unlimited data, with no restrictions or slowdowns. Ya’ love to hear it.

Some internet service providers have a bad rap when it comes to long service contracts and outrageous hidden fees (*cough* CenturyLink *cough*). But Ting is, with the exception of the pricey installation fee, actually rather straightforward.

The service doesn’t require a contract, so that’s great. And you can choose to either rent or buy your equipment.

If you want to buy your own modem and Wi-Fi router from Ting, it will cost you $199 (which is actually a pretty fair deal). If you want to just rent equipment from the company it’s $9 a month.

If you plan to use your own existing modem or router, make sure it’s a powerful model that can handle gigabit speeds.

As we mentioned above, Ting internet only has one fee, but it’s a pretty major one.

• Ting installation fees: Up to $200 (depending on area)
• Ting one-time fees: None
• Ting early termination fees: None

With bigger companies, like Verizon or Spectrum, we like to use the American Customer Satisfaction Index rankings to help us see how much existing customers like the service. Unfortunately, Ting is far too small to be listed in the Index, so we have to rely on other measures to measure the satisfaction of Ting internet customers.

Ting maintains a score of 3.2/5 on Trustpilot, which is not bad. While in the past, most negative customer reviews focused on billing issues or dissatisfaction with Ting Internet’s limited availability, we’re now seeing reviews that state Ting support is not what it used to be. We’d definitely like to see some improvement there, but unfortunately, you’ll see fairly major customer service issues with just about any internet provider.

You can reach Ting customer service by calling 1-844-846-4994 or chatting online. If you’re having trouble reaching a real live human being when you call, try some of our customer service tips.

Ting Mobile has managed an impressive feat: going from a small cell phone carrier to a growing high-speed home internet service. And it’s actually doing a pretty good job of it. Here’s a little recap of our Ting home internet review.

• Prices and plans: Ting has just one plan. It’s called Home Gigabit and it gets you super-fast speeds of up to 1,000 Mbps for $89.99 a month. It’s a great deal, if you happen to live in a city where it’s available.
• Speed: Ting’s fiber optic network will get you incredible download and upload speeds for seamless gaming, streaming, Zooming, and everything else.
• Data caps: Good news here. Ting has no data caps at all.
• Contracts, equipment, and fees: One of the biggest drawbacks of Ting Internet is the $200 installation fee. Other than that, the company’s equipment rental fees are reasonable at $9 a month.
• Customer service: There isn’t a ton of reliable data about Ting’s customer service. The small number of customer complaints we found were mostly about the service’s limited availability and customer service issues.

Overall, we’re really impressed with Ting. If you need the fastest internet possible in your home, then it may be your best bet (assuming you live where it’s available).

If Ting Internet isn’t for you, check out our best internet service providers to find a service that does meet your needs.

Also, we have more info to share about Ting Mobile if that service peaks your interest. Before it was offering home internet, Ting was offering phone service with 4G LTE and 5G internet. You can learn more about that side of the business in our Ting Mobile review.

We like to give our readers a little peek behind the scenes, so to speak. We spent over a dozen hours researching and writing this Ting Internet review. In that time, we focused mostly on the following features to inform our analysis and recommendations.

1. Price
2. Plan variety
3. Network technology and speed
4. Availability
5. Customer service

Thank you for trusting us to help you find your next internet service provider!