Bad Broadband Got You Down? Here’s How to Choose the Best Internet Plan for Your Apartment

If you live in an apartment, you might have fewer provider options and may likely experience spotty service, an overcrowded network and surprise fees. Since you're also sharing walls (and airwaves) with neighbors, keeping your network secure is important. You wouldn't want anyone piggybacking on your connection or worse. That's where we come in -- this guide can help make things easier forsearching for the best internet for your apartment. Here's what you should know.

How to choose the best internet plan for apartments

Where should you start when getting internet for your apartment? We'll break down all of the following:

• Finding what internet options are in your area
• Finding the right internet speed for your household
• Setting up your equipment 
• How to keep your Wi-Fi network secure 

Know your internet options before moving in

Before moving into your new apartment, ask the leasing office or property owner about your internet options. It's possible that Wi-Fi is included with your rent, but don't count on it. It's more likely that they'll tell you that "X provider" is the sole ISP for the building. If that's the case, you won't be able to opt out.

It's no secret that apartment owners often favor a particular internet provider for convenience, cost savings or both. TheFederal Communications Commission banned the practice of owners making exclusive agreements with ISPs in 2008 but never banned "bulk billing" agreements. Under abulk billing arrangement between an ISP and a landlord, an ISP covers every tenant in the building for a prorated amount. Since bulk billing isn't "exclusive access," and a landlord may pick a different ISP after the agreement is up, it's not technically illegal.

In March 2024, former Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel proposed a rule allowing tenants to opt out of bulk billing deals, butthat rule was rescinded after current FCC Chair Brendan Carr assumed office.

Available ISPs for your apartment may still be limited

There's still the matter of which ISPs offer service in your area and which ones run lines to your building. Owners can't enter exclusive agreements with ISPs, nor can they take part in revenue sharing by favoring one provider over another, but they still have an influence over which providers can run service lines to and through the building, such as a singlecable orfiber provider.

That means it's possible that your building is only wired for onetype of internet service, which obviously limits your choices. You may be able to have a new line from a different provider run to your apartment, but you'll want to check with your leasing office or owner first. 

Installing a new cable line or fiber connection will require drilling and possibly mounting new boxes on the building's exterior, which may not be permitted in your lease. On that note, satellite dishes are typically not allowed at apartments, so don't expectsatellite internet to be an option, either.

Cable, fiber, fixed wireless and 5G internet are best for apartments

Acable connectionis your best bet for internet service in an apartment, as cable internet is available in more than 97% of urban areas,according to the FCC. In addition, as of June 2024,FCC data shows that cable internet boasts the widest availability, providing coverage to 82% of the country. That means your apartment building is probably already equipped to runinternet and TV service from a major cable provider likeXfinity,Spectrum,Cox,Mediacom or perhaps a regional cable company.

For the most part, cable internet offersfast download speeds, up toa gig or higher andcompetitive rates. It's still a good idea to see what else may be available before settling on cable internet service, especially if you're interested in looking for a cheap internet plan now that the Affordable Connectivity Program is no longer available. (Considerthese low-cost alternatives, instead.) 

Fiber-optic internet, for example, has the potential for faster, more reliable speeds (including significantly faster upload speeds) and often has lower pricing than cable, especially when you consider thecost per Mbps. 

At just under 50% coverage in urban areas, fiber-optic service from providers such as AT&T,CenturyLink,Frontier andVerizon is your second most probable option for internet in an apartment. 

If fiber internet isn't available in your apartment, but you're fairly sure there's afiber provider in your area, consider speaking with your leasing office or landlord about what it would take to get fiber internet in your building -- the speed and value that comes with fiber is worth the effort.

In addition to cable and possibly fiber internet, fixed wireless internet, from providers likeGoogle Fiber andStarry Internet, may also be an option for your apartment. This internet type involves mounting a receiver to the roof and dispersing internet throughout the entire building, so you won't be able to sign up for fixed wireless service unless the apartment is specifically equipped for it.

On the other hand,5G home internet service fromT-Mobile orVerizon may be available in your area and doesn't require any special installation or mounting of equipment, so you shouldn't need approval or cooperation from the building's owner before signing up. 

The disadvantage to 5G home internet is that you're at the mercy of whatever speeds are available in your area. In the case of T-Mobile, maximum speeds could range from 87 to 415Mbps, well below the speed potential you'll get with cable, fiber or even fixed wireless service. There are no contracts, so there is little to no risk in trying it out to see what speeds you can get.

Choosing the right speed for your apartment

What internet speed do you need for your apartment? That'll depend on several factors, such as the number of people living in the apartment, the number of connected devices and what you use the internet for. 

Keep in mind that yourISP's advertised speeds will be different than the actual speeds in your apartment. Many things such as network congestion, the type of equipment you have, the number of devices in your home and so on can impact the actual speeds you'll have in your home. If living solo in a single-bedroom apartment, 100Mbps is likely more than enough for streaming, online gaming and working remotely. Netflix, for example, recommends speeds of 25Mbps forstreaming in 4K, and the FCC suggests speeds of only 4Mbps for online multiplayer games. 

Even though 50Mbps would allow you to stream on Netflix or check Instagram, all the devices you have connected at once are hogging their share of bandwidth. Since speeds with Wi-Fi are a little slower than they'd be with a direct Ethernet connection, a good rule of thumb is to stick to speeds of at least 100Mbps for one person.

Network congestion during peak usage times can also slow speeds, especially on a cable internet connection, which is a real possibility in an apartment when you have potentially hundreds of people living around you using the same ISP. Although your plan comes with maximum advertised speeds of 100Mbps, what you're actually getting to a particular device may be significantly lower.

For larger apartments with families orsharing your internet connection with roommates, you may consider bumping up to a faster speed in the 200-500Mbps range. There may be faster speeds available -- most cable and fiber ISPs offer a gigabit speed tier -- but that will likely be overkill and overpriced for your needs in an apartment. 

Theaverage single-bedroom apartment is less than 800 square feet, according to Statista. There are only so many users and devices you can have in such a space, and speeds of 100 to 500Mbps will almost assuredly support them all. If you want an uncompromising connection for serious streaming,gaming or remote work and you don't mind paying a little more, agigabit connection will ensure you've got plenty of speed for all your needs.

Setting up internet equipment in your apartment

Whenplaced strategically, an average Wi-Fi router will cover a roughly 1,200-square-foot space -- about the size of a large three-bedroom apartment. For the best signal quality and speed reliability, place your router in a central location in your apartment, ideally elevated and free from obstructions like a TV or wall. Additionally, try to place your router away from the microwave, cordless phones or other devices that emit radio signals that could interfere with the router's signal.

If you need a little more coverage or notice speeds are spotty in certain parts of your apartment, you may want to add aWi-Fi extender to your network orupgrade your Wi-Fi router altogether. ISPs will often allow you to use your own Wi-Fi router andpotentially save on monthly equipment costs. 

Others, including AT&T, Frontier and Spectrum, include some or all of the Wi-Fi equipment for your apartment at no extra cost (Spectrum includes a free modem, though router rental is an extra $10 if you're on the 500Mbps plan), so there's no need to invest in a Wi-Fi router if the one from your provider suits your needs.

Keeping your apartment internet connection secure

Living in an apartment typically means sharing walls with neighbors immediately above, below, to the left and to the right of you. A good Wi-Fi signal will permeate those walls, potentially sending your internet service into someone else's space, so you want to make sure your connection is password-protected. 

You'll also want to keep tabs on the devices that are connected to your network. Most ISPs and Wi-Fi routers have an app that allows you to easily access your equipment settings and view all connected devices. Some of those apps might also offer notifications whenever a new device joins your network.

If anything ever looks suspicious,change your password and reset the router. You'll have to log in from all of your devices again with the new password, but it'll kick devices off your network that may have been intentionally or unintentionally leeching off your internet connection.

Setting up aguest Wi-Fi network is also a good way to keep your network secure while still being able to offer a Wi-Fi connection for visiting friends and family to use. Again, your ISP or router will likely have an app that you can use to create a guest Wi-Fi network. Be sure to give your guest network a separate name and password from your main home network.