Cricket Home Internet review
Cricket, AT&T's prepaid brand, now sells 5G home internet on AT&T's network. Here's what it costs and how it compares.
Cricket Home Internet costs $45/mo with a Cricket phone line and Auto Pay, or $60/mo without a line ($65 without Auto Pay), and you buy the gateway for $49.99. It launched on September 16, 2026 and runs on AT&T's 5G network, with typical speeds of 90–300 Mbps down. Data is unlimited, with no contract or credit check. It's a good prepaid pick if you already use Cricket and AT&T coverage is strong where you live.
Price
Your price depends on two things: whether you have a Cricket phone line, and whether you pay with Auto Pay. Plan taxes are included, so the price you see is close to what you pay, but the gateway is extra.
| Plan | With Auto Pay | Without Auto Pay |
|---|---|---|
| With a Cricket phone line | $45/mo | $50/mo |
| Home internet alone | $60/mo | $65/mo |
| New customers: internet + Sensible 10GB phone plan | $75/mo | n/a |
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Gateway | $49.99 plus tax, one time |
| Activation fee | None |
| Contract | None (prepaid) |
| Credit check | None |
| Data | Unlimited |
The $5 Auto Pay credit starts in month two, so your first month is $5 more. Prices from cricketwireless.com, checked Oct 23, 2026. Confirm at your address before you buy.
What it costs over two years
Over two years the gateway adds about $2 a month. These totals assume Auto Pay and include the gateway and the $5 higher first month.
| Setup | Two-year total |
|---|---|
| Cricket with a Cricket line | About $1,135 |
| Cricket alone | About $1,495 |
| T-Mobile 5G Home with a T-Mobile line | $840 (gateway included) |
| AT&T Internet Air alone | $1,320 (gateway included) |
For the cheapest options from every carrier, see the cheapest 5G home internet.
Speed and coverage
Cricket uses AT&T's 5G network, the same one behind AT&T Internet Air. Cricket's Broadband Facts label lists these typical speeds:
| Measure | Cricket 5G Home Internet |
|---|---|
| Download | 90–300 Mbps |
| Upload | 8–30 Mbps |
| Latency | 30–65 ms |
| Data | Unlimited |
Those download and upload ranges match what AT&T lists for Internet Air, though Cricket lists higher latency (AT&T says 25–50 ms). Where AT&T 5G is strong, users report much faster results, including over 1 Gbps on one popular Reddit thread. Where it's weak, expect the same evening slowdowns as any 5G home service.
The best way to know before you buy is to test a phone on Cricket or AT&T at home, in the room where you'd put the gateway, in the evening.
What speeds are enough for
At 90–300 Mbps, Cricket covers what most households do online. Uploads are the weaker side.
- Streaming: 4K needs about 25 Mbps per TV, so two or three streams at once are fine on a decent signal.
- Video calls and remote work: fine for most calls; 8–30 Mbps up can struggle if several people are on camera at once.
- Gaming: playable for casual games. For competitive play, read is 5G home internet good for gaming and how to lower your ping.
- Large uploads: backing up photos or uploading video will be slow next to cable or fiber.
Data and network management
Data is unlimited, with no cap and no overage charges. Cricket's terms add two conditions that matter for heavy users.
- Cricket may temporarily slow data speeds when the network is busy.
- If your usage is contributing to congestion, Cricket can greatly reduce your speed for at least 30 minutes.
In practice this hits households that stream or download heavily in the evening, when towers are busiest. If that describes you, cable or fiber is the safer choice.
How to sign up and set it up
Signing up starts with an address check and finishes with a self-install that takes about 15 minutes.
- Check your address on cricketwireless.com. The service is not available everywhere.
- Order at a Cricket store. Cricket lists the service as in-store only, and the store can have the gateway delivered to you.
- Pay for the gateway ($49.99 plus tax) and the first month.
- Set it up with the myCricket Internet app, which walks you through activation and shows signal strength.
Getting a good signal
Gateway placement makes a big difference on 5G. A few minutes testing spots can be worth more speed than any setting.
- Put the gateway near a window on the side of the house facing the nearest tower.
- Keep it off the floor and away from metal and thick walls.
- Run a speed test in two or three spots before settling on one.
More tips: how to get a better 5G home internet signal.
The catches
Cricket is a good deal for one group of people and an average one for everyone else. These are the points to weigh before you buy.
- You buy the gateway ($49.99) instead of getting it included, as T-Mobile and AT&T do.
- Without a Cricket phone line, it costs more than T-Mobile Rely ($50), AT&T Internet Air ($55) and Verizon 5G Home.
- Speeds can be cut for at least 30 minutes if your usage contributes to congestion.
- It works only at your sign-up address, so you can't take it to a vacation home.
- Availability depends on AT&T 5G capacity at your address.
- It launched on September 16, 2026, so there are few long-term reviews yet.
Who it's for, and who should skip it
Whether Cricket makes sense comes down mostly to your phone plan.
Good fit
- Existing Cricket customers: $45 a month with taxes included is a fair price next to the phone plan you already pay for.
- New customers who need both: internet plus the Sensible 10GB phone plan for $75 a month.
- Renters and anyone avoiding credit checks or contracts.
Skip it
- Anyone without a Cricket line: at $60–65 alone, T-Mobile and AT&T Internet Air cost less and include the gateway.
- Competitive gamers and heavy uploaders: latency and 8–30 Mbps uploads are a poor fit.
- Heavy evening users: the congestion rule makes cable or fiber the safer pick. See is 5G home internet worth it.
Cricket vs. other 5G home internet
Cricket is priced to keep Cricket phone customers, and the table shows it. With a line it's competitive; on its own most rivals cost less.
| Provider | Network | Price with phone line | Price alone | Gateway |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cricket | AT&T | $45 | $60 | $49.99 |
| AT&T Internet Air | AT&T | less with AT&T wireless | $55 | Included |
| T-Mobile 5G Home | T-Mobile | $35 | $50 | Included |
| Verizon 5G Home | Verizon | varies by plan | from $50 | Included |
| Mint Home MINTernet | T-Mobile | n/a | from $40 | Varies |
| Visible Home Internet | Verizon | needs Visible line | from $25 | Included |
Prices with Auto Pay, checked Oct 2026.
See the best 5G home internet for the full comparison, or our Cricket 5G Home Internet provider review for scores and plan details.
Questions
How much is Cricket Home Internet?
$45 a month with a Cricket phone line and Auto Pay, or $60 without a line ($65 without Auto Pay), plus a one-time $49.99 gateway. New customers can get home internet and the Sensible 10GB phone plan together for $75 a month.
What network does Cricket Home Internet use?
AT&T's 5G network. Cricket is AT&T's prepaid brand.
Is Cricket Home Internet fast?
Cricket's Broadband Facts label lists typical speeds of 90–300 Mbps down and 8–30 Mbps up. Some users on a strong signal report much faster results. Speeds vary by address and time of day.
Does Cricket Home Internet have a contract?
No. It's prepaid and month to month, with no credit check and no activation fee.
Does Cricket Home Internet have a data cap?
No. Data is unlimited, but Cricket can slow speeds when the network is busy, and can greatly reduce your speed for at least 30 minutes if your usage is contributing to congestion.
Do I need a Cricket phone plan?
No. Without one you pay $15 a month more: $60 with Auto Pay or $65 without.
Can I use Cricket Home Internet at another address?
No. It works only at the address you signed up with. If you move, check that the new address is eligible before you plug the gateway in there.
Is Cricket Home Internet the same as AT&T Internet Air?
It uses the same AT&T 5G network, but it's a separate Cricket plan launched in September 2026. Before that, some Cricket stores sold AT&T Internet Air itself, which is why older posts quote different prices.
Is Cricket Home Internet good for gaming?
It's fine for casual play. Cricket lists 30–65 ms latency, and evening slowdowns are common on 5G home internet, so competitive players are better off on cable or fiber.
- Cricket Wireless home internet page (cricketwireless.com/CHI), checked Oct 23, 2026
- Cricket 5G Home Internet Broadband Facts label, Oct 2026
- Cricket launch announcement, Sep 16, 2026
- r/CricketWireless user reports, 2026
Jean founded ShopHighSpeed after trying to find one straight answer about business internet in his own town. He has been a Comcast and Verizon Fios customer, and ranks providers on what they actually deliver, not on what they advertise.
