Plug in your address to see if you’re overpaying for internet

September 6, 2023

By Kim Komando

$42,450,000,000. That’s how much the U.S. government is spending to bring affordable, reliable, high-speed internet to all the places that don’t have it. Politics aside, that’s a heck of a lot of money.

By now, we all know how important it is to have a strong connection — for work, school, fun and life in general. But what happens if you move and realize, “Uh oh, the internet here stinks.” 

Do this before you start packing

Here’s a must-do step: Check the internet before you sign that lease or fork over a down payment. There’s a decent chance the prices and speed you’re used to are vastly different in your new potential neighborhood.

Most major U.S. cities have the same carriers, like Verizon, AT&T and CenturyLink. But depending on your location, you could get a drastically different internet speed than another city … at the same price point.

The Markup created a handy map tool to check the internet speeds in 45 major cities. Here’s the lowdown on what they found and how to use the map yourself.

Even if you’re not moving

Markup analyzed data from over a million internet plans across 45 U.S. cities from four of the nation’s biggest internet providers: EarthLink, CenturyLink, Verizon and AT&T. 

Researchers found the worst internet deals disproportionately popped up in the poorest, most diverse and historically redlined neighborhoods in all but two investigated cities. Oof. 

The internet’s Big Four also use “tier flattening,” meaning they charge the same rate for different internet speeds, which can vary drastically. How is that legal? 

How to use the map

Eager to take the map for a test drive? Here’s how:

• Select a city from the dropdown menu or drag the map to move across the country.
• Use the zoom feature in the top right corner to target a specific dot on the map or type an exact address into the search bar.
• Click on a dot to pull up all the details of the address, including speeds, ISP and demographics.
• Use the filter feature to narrow your search down by demographics.

The map gets pretty granular, so you can see down to the neighborhood how good you can expect the connection to be. Love that.

Not moving? Fix your Wi-Fi

Using a router that’s years old? It might be hamstringing your connection. I had my IT genius John (the gadget master) narrow it down to solid options.

• Best router on a budget for a small home
• An affordable option for a medium-sized home
• Best budget mesh system for medium and large homes
• Powerful mesh option for a lot of users in large homes

Where you put it matters, too. You want your router in a central location, high off the ground. Looking at you if yours is stuck on the floor in a closet. 

Next on your to-do list: Change the channel, look for moochers and banish the kids to a guest network. Get the steps here.

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