The short version
Two weeks before you move, book internet. It has the longest lead time and everything else depends on it. Add TV, phone and security to the same appointment where you can. Schedule the old address to disconnect the day after you leave, and return the equipment with a receipt. Everything else can be done in the first week.
Three to four weeks out
If you have not signed yet, check what serves the property. Availability is decided street by street, so a place with fiber and a place with one ageing cable line can be a block apart and identical on paper.
- Run the address through an availability check, not just the ZIP.
- Ask the current occupant or the agent who provides service there now.
- If you work from home, ask specifically about upload speed, not just download.
Two weeks out: internet
Book it now. A self-install kit takes a few days to arrive; a technician appointment in a busy market can be a week or more, and the convenient slots go first.
- Book the install for the day after you get keys. Move day is chaos and you will miss the window.
- Confirm the promotional price, the date it ends and the standard rate after it.
- Ask what the equipment costs monthly, and whether you can use your own.
- Check whether the install is self-service or needs access to the property.
One week out: everything else
TV, home phone and security can usually be arranged to land with the internet install.
- Choose the TV tier by the channels you actually watch, then check whether it already includes streaming apps you pay for separately.
- Submit a number transfer if you are keeping a home phone number, and do not cancel the old line until it completes.
- Book the security survey. Monitored systems often need a separate visit.
Moving week: close the old address
This is where money leaks.
- Schedule disconnection for the day after you leave, not the day you leave.
- Return every piece of equipment: modem, router, TV boxes, remotes. Unreturned-equipment charges are common and expensive.
- Keep the return receipt until the final bill clears.
- Update the billing address so the last statement actually reaches you.
The first week in
Position the router centrally and high. Most complaints about a new connection are really complaints about a router sitting in a cupboard by the front door. Test speed in the rooms you use, and compare the first bill line by line against what you were quoted — that is the moment to query anything, not six months later.
Questions
How far in advance should I set up internet before moving?
Two weeks is the comfortable window. Self-install kits typically ship within a few days, but technician appointments book out further in busy markets and the convenient slots go first. Booking the install for the day after you get keys avoids losing the appointment to moving-day chaos.
Should I transfer my internet or start a new account?
Compare both. A transfer keeps your account and usually your current rate; a new order at the new address may qualify for new-customer promotional pricing, which is often lower. Ask for both numbers before deciding.
What do people forget when they move?
Returning the old equipment and scheduling disconnection for the right day. Unreturned modems and boxes generate charges months later, and disconnecting on move day itself often means losing service before you have left.
Availability data: FCC Broadband Data Collection (December 2024). Prices are indicative, vary by address and change often; confirm current offers with the provider or call (866) 483-2174.