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Verizon's 5G home router comes with free Disney+, no-contract price, and gigabit speeds

Published: Sep 29, 2020, 10:22 AM

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Verizon's 5G home router comes with free Disney+, no-contract price, and gigabit speeds

Short of the 5G rollout on low- to mid-bands planned for the months ahead, Verizon is left with little options when it comes to building penetration of its ultrafast but rather limited in scope 5G Ultrawide Band (UWB) network.

Such is the nature of its high-band buildout, that the signal from its 5G base stations covers only a few blocks, and dies down easily when met with obstacles on the way, yet when it comes to speeds and network load, this type of 5G technology is unsurpassed.

Penetration rates are so low, in fact, that the signal can get easily dispersed by the phone's glass body, and it has trouble getting through your hands holding the phone, let alone trees, buildings, and even windows, that is why there are UWB-marked 5G models at Verizon, more expensive and with more antennas inside.

Well, Verizon has found a way to get its 5G network into buildings and homes, and, after teasing indoor base stations from Samsung and Corning for enterprise customers, it has now revealed to PCMag's Sascha Segan that it is on the verge of releasing a 5G router for your home.

Get Verizon's 5G router with free Disney+, Amazon Echo Show 5, and Ring cam

Verizon's indoor 5G home router is a signal booster at a $50 price

Utilizing Qualcomm's new QTM527 antenna, Verizon's 5G router is made by Wistron, and will be able to transfer the ultrafast mmWave 5G speeds to the comfort of your home. The main highlights of the report below tip that the 5G service will cost $50 for Verizon customers, and $70 a month for everyone else, with the 5G gateway itself included in that charge.

Here's a full list of Verizon's 5G broadband router features and pricing:

Range: The new router has a longer range from a radio standpoint to cover more households.
Speeds: Home users will get between 300Mbps and 1Gbps.
Price: Verizon's service costs $50/month for Verizon Wireless customers and $70/month for everyone else. The router comes free with the service fee.
Features: The device features Wi-Fi 6 and one Ethernet port.
It doesn't require contracts, and it comes with a year of Disney+, a streaming TV box, an Echo Show 5, a Ring Stick Up Cam, an Echo Dot, and an Amazon Smart Plug.
4G compatibility: The router, known as the Wistron LV55, shows that it also has 4G LTE capabilities on bands 2/5/13/66, but Verizon will only sell it in 5G-capable locations.
Installation: The new router, made by Wistron for Verizon, can be placed inside by a window, so there's no external install needed. A smartphone app guides you where to install the unit.
"If you live in a high rise [building, or] have special kinds of materials in your wall or window, an external antenna with a professional install will still be required," Verizon SVP of consumer marketing and products, Frank Boulben explained.

That last part is the one that can make you go "hmm," as you may still have to take an antenna outside in a Verizon 5G-services area to get the gigabit speeds, but that will be left for the technicians to figure out, after all.

Gigabit speeds and all the goodies like annual Disney+ subscription or Ring camera for fifty bucks a month doesn't sound bad at all, and we can't wait to hear more details on the imminent Verizon 5G home router release.

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.