T-Mobile Home Internet Redux, 5 best Browsers, Microsoft Patch Tuesday

T-Mobile Home Internet Redux, the last time I'll talk about it.

I so much want to dump Comcast that I called T-Mobile again last Friday to inquire about data plans.  I was paying $50/month.

I found out this, as I stated in the 1st post 2 weeks ago, when I looked up my address online the website said the service was not available at my address but I was able to order the modem anyway.  When I setup the T-Mobile modem the phone app could not connect to the T-Mobile network and I had to set it up manually.  I was pulling 250 mbps download and pretty happy until I received the message that I had used up 80% of 100 GB allotment in 13 days and T-Mo was going to throttle my speed.

T-Mobile Home Internet vs T-Mobile Home Internet Lite

I found out that the modem couldn't connect to their actual 5G Home Internet.  It was connected to their phone networks 5G signal.  They call that Home Internet Lite.

If I could connect to their true 5G Home Internet then I would have had unlimited data for $50/month.  The Home Lite plan allows you to purchase more data but in incremental increases and it's not cost effective.

So now I am on their wait list, waiting for them to install equipment in my neighborhood.

To check your address visit the following link;

Check Eligibility for 5G Internet | T-Mobile 5G Home Internet

Microsoft's Patch Tuesday - October

Microsoft has released new updates addressing 84 vulnerabilities.  The Redmond company said that one flaw had already been exploited and another has been publicly announced.  Earlier this month patches were released that addressed 12 more CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) found in the Edge browser.

The vulnerability that has been exploited is a Windows COM+ Event System Service Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain system privileges.

The publicly disclosed vulnerability is a Microsoft Office Information Disclosure Vulnerability. This vulnerability, discovered by Cody Thomas with SpecterOps, puts at risk user tokens and other potentially sensitive information.

If you have not updated your computer this month, please take the time tonight before leaving to start Windows updates installing on your computer.

To read more click on the link below;

https://www.zdnet.com/article/everything-microsoft-announced-at-the-october-surface-event/?ftag=TRE-03-10aaa6b&bhid=%7B%24external_id%7D&mid=%7B%24MESSAGE_ID%7D&cid=%7B%24contact_id%7D

What is the best browser to use?

The most commonly used browsers are Chrome, Firefox and Edge.  With Cloud services becoming more ubiquitous, cloud service companies have to make sure their products work with these major browser players.  However, which is best to use?... Chrome does not make the top 5.

I  use the Brave browser for Global Administration of client MS365 sites as well as banking activities.  Brave is rated #1 for overall privacy.

It allows me to peruse many newspapers without a subscription.  It comes with Tor browser and VPN built in.  When I launch an in-private windows using Tor however it hides your public IP address via a VPN and often assigns a European Public IP.

If you have heard of it before, Tor is the infamous browser most associated with the Dark Web.

To read more about the best browsers click on this link;

The 5 best secure browsers for privacy in 2022 | ZDNET

T-Mobile 5G Home Internet Update

T-Mobile Gateway sent packing.

As promised I wanted to update you on my experience with the T-Mobile Gateway, (see previous T-Mobile post).  The device was easy to implement and the speed was very good considering I was only getting 3 out of 5 bars signal strength.  I averaged 250 MBPS download speed and the service never faltered even after connecting my main TV along with my Surface Pro notebook.  I do all my TV watching via streaming including news.  I have an internet only subscription, Comcast business, 

I never got around to connecting all my devices which would have been 2 desktops, server, printer and 2 more TVs.  I'm glad I never fully converted since on day 13 of my 15 day trial I received a message from T-Mobile (see below) that I had used 80% of my 100 GB data allotment and they were going to slow down my speed until the next billing cycle.  Sorry T-Mobile, throttling my speed is not an option.

The customer service lady I spoke to was very nice and helpful and said that T-Mobile hopes to be able to provide unlimited data to my area some time in the near future.  If that happens and the price is reasonable, (I was paying $50/month) I'll be back.  In the meantime, bye-bye T-Mo.  

T-Mobile 5G Home Internet Review

T-Mobile 5G Home Internet, going Rogue on Comcast

When it comes to broadband internet, I have been with Comcast since 1998.  I can remember telling clients you really should see this.  I was pulling 3 mbps download and we were raiding Napster for songs at blazing speeds.  We could hook into a T3 line and download 75 songs at the time.  Friends and relatives were lucky to get a song a night using dial-up.

At the time my clients would say all we need are emails and don't need broadband.  Fast forward 24 years and civilization cannot exist without it.

Now I'm seeking an alternative to Comcast.  My location unfortunately does not have fiber yet so I am excluded from Google or AT&T fiber.  Up until this week my only alternative has been AT&T, internet 75, not fiber.  I refuse to go with AT&T since my experience dealing with them on client accounts has always been disappointing as to speeds, (they promise up to 75 MBPS, but may be only 5 MBPS).

I have had Comcast Business for 3 years now and of course the bill keeps climbing.  I have internet service only, no cable TV.

I decided to try T-Mobile 5G home internet.  I entered my address info and voila,

However, all was not as it seemed.  Upon continuing I had to verify my shipping and emergency (911) address.  The address prefilled by the website did not match my actual street address.  I'm at 4228 and it was responding with 4308.  I had to call customer service and the rep told me that the service was not available at my address.  Undaunted the next day I tried again and this time the rep allowed me to change the shipping and emergency address.  I was able to place the order and my internet appliance arrived Tuesday.  I have a 15 day trial before my service starts at $50/month.

Installation and setup.

The device setup was simple.  I attached the power cord, downloaded the T-Mobile app on my iPhone and I was ready.  I started the app and things looked bleak.  It could not auto attach to the T-Mobile 5G network or discover my location.

I then chose manual installation and provided my street address and phone number.  Next I gave it a secured password/key for the internet and accepted the default SSID (Wi-Fi name).  The device then attempted to connect which it accomplished successfully, but only 2 out of 5 bars strength.

I attached my Surface Pro notebook, ran a speed test and found I was pulling 120 MBPS down/8 MBPS up.  The instructions advised to place the device on an upper level near a window.  I moved the device upstairs, trying 3 different rooms. all locations had 3 bars out of 5.  I found that even with 3 bars, some of the locations were not ideal for WIFI due to walls and distance so I opted for the middle level of the house with 3 bars.

So far I'm pleased with the results.  I've tested and used the internet with my notebook and I can't discern any difference between it and my Comcast signal.  I ran the http://speedof.me speed test and the results are:

So far so good... this is with 3 of 5 bars signal strength.  If T-Mobile can improve the strength of the signal to my device I have no doubt that the T-Mobile Home Internet is a worthy alternative to Comcast.  The price is no comparison, $50 vs $130 plus per month.

This weekend I plan to test the device using all my devices including streaming on the TVs.

The T-Mobile device has 2 ethernet ports.  However the location of the device isn't convenient for my lower level office.  I will drop an ethernet cable and connect to an ethernet switch to conduct the test.

I will post an update to the blog next week and publish the result of my experiment with the T-Mobile Home Internet.

Have a great weekend.