Total By Verizon Now Offering Prepaid Home Internet Option For $55/Month – Mobile Use Not Officially Supported

Total By Verizon, one of Verizon's prepaid subsidiaries, introduced a Home Internet option similar to Verizon's Home Internet service but with prepaid, no-contract terms.

The service includes unlimited high-speed data for $55/month standalone with autopay or $45/month with a voice line and autopay. The service promises speeds of up to 200Mbps with no data caps. Like other home internet services, you must use a 5G Gateway device from Total By Verizon. Total only offers a single 5G Gateway, which must be purchased separately for $99.99 online or at a store.

Like other home internet services, the terms of service do not support mobile use, and customers must have an approved address in an available area to qualify for the service. Since this is a new service, it is unclear whether there will be any mobile or location use enforcement.

The Total by Verizon 5G Gateway is not one used by Verizon's postpaid service, which is unusual. It's a device that uses a previous-generation 5G Phase 1 cellular modem, but does support all the core Verizon 5G and LTE bands, including the newest n77 band. It offers basic features, including a single gigabit Ethernet out port and Wi-Fi 6 in a familiar rectangular home-gateway form factor.

The router also uses eSIM, so the home internet plan cannot be SIM-swapped to another device.

The main advantage of the Total By Verizon option over Verizon Home Internet is the prepaid, no contract terms. Once you purchase the gateway, you can refill and use the service as needed.

But for mobile users looking for Verizon network data for use in a van, boat, or RV, it can be challenging to get the plan due to the limited areas where it is offered, and the terms of service clearly state it is for fixed-location use. There is also no option to use a different device with the plan, and the 5G Gateway router is rather basic with no external antenna ports.

Key Mobile Internet Related Considerations:

• Total By Verizon now offers a Home Internet plan for $55/month with autopay.

• Like other home internet plans, it's intended for fixed locations in areas where Verizon has excess capacity. Terms of service do not allow for mobile use.