DGrade D · At Risk
Is T-Mobile Home Internet Safe?
The T-Mobile Home Internet gateways we grade (Nokia FastMile and Arcadyan KVD21) rate D. US carrier, no ban risk, but T-Mobile controls the firmware and has had two large data breaches.
At a glance
- Owner
- T-Mobile US (Deutsche Telekom subsidiary)
- FCC status
- FCC authorized
- Ban status
- Not in scope of ban
- Made in
- Taiwan (Arcadyan KVD21) and China (Nokia FastMile, contract manufacturing)
- Models graded
- 2 analyzed
- Grade range
- D
Security Verdict
T-Mobile is a US carrier and a Deutsche Telekom subsidiary, so there is no Chinese ownership or ban risk. Both gateways we grade rate D: T-Mobile controls all firmware and customers get almost no security settings. The bigger risk is the account, since T-Mobile said about 76.6 million people were affected by a 2021 breach and about 37 million by a 2023 breach.
Bottom line: Turn on two-factor sign-in for your T-Mobile account, and put your own router behind the gateway if you want more control.
T-Mobile Model Grades
Tap a model for its full report.
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D
Nokia FastMile GatewayManaged by T-Mobile - auto-updatedFCC: FCC authorized · Made in China (Nokia contract mfg.)
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D
Arcadyan KVD21Managed by T-Mobile - auto-updatedFCC: FCC authorized · Made in Taiwan (Arcadyan)
Key Risk Factors
Serious
Two large T-Mobile breaches
T-Mobile said about 76.6 million people were affected in 2021 and about 37 million in 2023. Turn on two-factor sign-in for your account.
Moderate
T-Mobile controls all firmware
Updates reach the gateway on T-Mobile's schedule. You cannot review or block them.
Moderate
Almost no security settings
No VLANs, intrusion detection or advanced firewall. Customer reports say most T-Mobile gateways do not offer true bridge mode, so your own router behind one usually means double NAT.
In its favor
No Chinese ownership
T-Mobile is a US carrier owned by Deutsche Telekom, and the Arcadyan KVD21 is built in Taiwan.
From the team behind this checker
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Frequently Asked Questions
The service is run by a US carrier with no ban or Chinese ownership concern. The gateways we grade rate D because T-Mobile controls the firmware and offers almost no security settings. The larger risk is your T-Mobile account: turn on two-factor sign-in.
Most people plug their own router into the gateway. Customer reports say most T-Mobile gateways do not offer true bridge mode, so expect double NAT unless T-Mobile confirms your model supports passthrough. Ask T-Mobile about your exact model.
In our database, the Arcadyan KVD21 is made by Arcadyan in Taiwan and the Nokia FastMile gateway is made in China under contract for Nokia. T-Mobile owns the service and controls the software on both.
Yes, twice in recent years. T-Mobile said about 76.6 million people were affected in 2021 and about 37 million in 2023. The 2023 notice said no Social Security numbers, payment card data or passwords were taken. Change your password and turn on two-factor sign-in.
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