[masraum]

I've got it.

Since Mar 2021, I've been using T-mobile cell for Internet using a SIM in a commercial router. Since Aug, I've been using the T-mobile Home Internet device. The T-mobile device has been working great for me, no issues. I work from home, so I connect via the Internet to a corporate website in the northeast and then have a virtual computer that I use. We also stream TV/movies over the Home Internet service. I have occasionally (very occasionally, once every 2-4 months occasionally) had my work access feel a little sluggish (but still usable). And every once in a while, something streaming will drop down in resolution for a short period and then the high res will pop back. It's usually a few seconds.

We are VERY rural. The only other options for me would be satellite (Hughes [bad] or Starlink [probably good]) or dial-up (no way no how!). I'm also almost exactly half way in between the 2 nearest towers so probably the weakest signal possible (the T-mobile gateway shows it as "good").

Do you have T-mobile cell service? If you do, or you know someone that does, various times of day and various days of the week, run "speedtest" tests and keep track of the results for about a week. My guess is that early morning on the weekends you'll see great results. In the afternoons during the week, the results won't be quite as good, and evenings, especially on Fridays you'll probably see the worst results. I think this is because of the shared access of the network.

When my speedtest results are the worst I'm probably seeing 20-30mb down and 1.5-3mb up (which is still going to allow a device to stream). I think the best that I've ever seen is ~150mb down and 40mb up. My test a few mins ago was 54/18. My ping times are usually around 40ms.

It is just me and the missus.

This is really going to be a "YMMV" sort of situation. It's going to depend upon the signal that you get (affect your service), how well the local T-mobile network is built out (total capacity in the area, affect all T-mobile service), and how many T-mobile folks are in your area (when everyone is active, you may all see slow downs). IE, does your car run right, how many lanes on the highway that you're driving on, and how much traffic is on the highway that you're driving on. If your car is running on 2 of 4 cylinders (bad signal) it doesn't matter how good everything else is. If you get a great signal, but it's a one lane road it could be OK, but any traffic will hamper your progress. If there are times when there are 1000 other cars on the road, even if it's the autobahn, it's still going to suck.