Google Fiber Internet Availability

Like any big tech company worth its microchips, Google’s internet access methods are a bit unconventional. In addition to cutting-edge fiber technology, Google uses small wave radio signals to beam the internet between buildings with its Webpass service. But before you get your browsers in a bunch trying to sign up, Google Fiber coverage is limited to 4.1 million people in 10 states, making Google Fiber the seventh-largest fiber provider in the U.S. Meanwhile, Webpass is available in 12 cities across the country.

While download speeds for Google Fiber Webpass maxes out at a speedy 1 Gbps, the hardwired Google Fiber service soars all the way up to 8 Gbps. However, Google notes that because of infrastructure limitations in some buildings, Webpass top speeds might be significantly less than 1 Gbps. In these cases, a discount is offered. Get an overview of Google Fiber’s speeds, connection types, and prices in the following table:

Google Fiber Internet Connections

Google Fiber Internet Contracts and Data Caps

Brace yourself for a big old dirty word: contracts. Getting locked into a contract with your internet provider can be a hassle, requiring you to adhere to a bunch of stipulations in the fine print that can cost you time and money. Maybe that’s why Google Fiber doesn’t offer annual contracts to most of its users, just Google Fiber Webpass users. Still, there are some notable advantages and disadvantages to consider if you have this option, and we’ve listed them below:

Why You Might Want to Sign a Contract With Google Fiber Webpass Internet 

If you take a minute to look at what signing on the dotted line with Google entails, you’ll be surprised to see that there are some substantial benefits. Here are a few of them:

Why You Might Not Want to Sign a Contract With Google Fiber Webpass Internet 

Of course, there’s nothing free in this world (is there?). To get the benefits of the contract, there are some sacrifices you’ll have to make with Google Fiber Webpass, such as:

So, what are data caps? Think of a waiter taking orders in a large, busy restaurant. Hemight be an awesome waiter, but there are only so many orders he can handle and only so many diners they can pay attention to at a time. So, waiters limit themselves to a few tables. Data caps are based on the same principle.

Internet providers have limited bandwidth, which is just a fancy way of saying they have limited capacity for processing information, whether it’s emails, movies, or Minecraft sessions. To ensure they can provide services to all of their customers, many internet providers put data caps on their customers, limiting the amount of data they can use every month.

However, Google Fiber has no data caps, which means you can binge as much as you want. Review all the data cap policies of Google Fiber by checking out the following data cap table:

Google Fiber Internet Data Caps

Google Fiber Internet Customer Service

When you buy a car, price and speed aren’t the only considerations. You want to make sure that your sweet new ride is reliable, and if things go wrong, you can get them fixed fast. Nobody wants to wait around for weeks while those new brake pads are on backorder. You’ve got places to be! Good service is essential.

In this respect, the internet is very similar. Fast internet for a good price is important, but if your connection goes down or you have a billing problem, you don’t want to be on the line with a lifeless drone, literally or figuratively. Being able to get someone on the line to get you back online is worth a lot. And on this count, Google Fiber does reasonably well.

Google Fiber and Google Fiber Webpass have different customer service schemes. Because it has a larger service area, Google Fiber customer service offers 24/7 support by voice and text on its hotline, while Webpass limits you to voice-only service from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. PST daily. We’ve got to say the 24/7 text messaging service for Google Fiber is a nice touch, but you’ve got to wonder if the person you’re texting really is flesh and blood or a digital spirit conjured by Google technowizards.

The Value of Google Fiber Internet

We’re sure you’d love to keep reading about Google Fiber internet forever (we know we would love to keep talking about it), but all things must come to an end, or in this case, a decision. Google Fiber’s speedy connections and simple payment structures are attractive, but before you decide to cast your internet lot with the Silicon Valley giant, you should weigh the following pros and cons of Google Fiber internet services:

Overall, Google Fiber is a promising internet service provider. The entrance of a big tech company into the market is bound to result in more competition and better prices for all of us. For those of us lucky to get access to Google Fiber, signing up for a plan should be enough to meet all your internet needs, whether you’re turning your house into a smart home or completing some online homework.