5 Benefits of Fiber Internet vs. Other Residential Broadband Access Methods

What is fiber internet?

Fiber internet is a type of broadband internet connection that uses fiber-optic cables to transmit data. It is considered the fastest type of internet connection available, providing download speeds of up to 10 gigabits per second (Gbps).

By comparison, cable internet typically offers download speeds of up to 1 Gbps and DSL speeds of up to 100 megabits per second (Mbps). One of the key advantages of fiber-optic internet is that it is less affected by environmental conditions, such as bad weather, than other types of internet connection.

This makes it more reliable and less prone to disruption. Fiber-optic internet also offers improved latency, meaning that it takes less time for data to travel between its source and destination. This improved latency can be beneficial for activities such as online gaming and streaming.

Fiber internet is faster.

Fiber internet is significantly faster than traditional cable or DSL internet connections. Fiber internet is capable of providing download speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second (Gbps), which is much faster than the maximum speeds of cable and DSL connections which typically range from 25 Mbps to 100 Mbps.

Fiber internet is also capable of providing much faster upload speeds than cable and DSL connections, with speeds of up to 500 Mbps. This makes fiber internet an ideal choice for activities that require a lot of data to be uploaded, such as streaming video or online gaming.

Additionally, fiber internet is more reliable than other types of connections, as it is not affected by weather conditions or other external factors. Because of these advantages, fiber internet is becoming increasingly popular among households and businesses alike.

Fiber internet can handle more devices.

The average internet user who surfs the web does a little bit of light streaming and has 10 devices or fewer in their home could be perfectly content with speeds of 100 to 400 Mbps. That user could even get fiber internet and enjoy the high-performance capabilities across their network without additional speed.

But as more families work from home, learn from home, and turn their homes into smart homes, fiber internet with a high-speed plan is becoming increasingly popular.

Fiber is especially recommended for power users – people who have a lot of devices (more than 10) in their home, especially when simultaneously streaming across multiple devices. Think about it: three family members could be using laptops and phones, one family member could be watching TV, the family could have three voice assistant devices set up, and four security cameras could line the house. That’s already 14 devices using up bandwidth at the same time.

Ambient devices used for information at-a-glance in particular require better support. “They’re constantly broadcasting and transmitting data even if you’re not actively using them,” Pieroni said. “Fiber internet is future-proof. You have more scalability to meet bandwidth demands as users start using more devices in their homes and consuming more bandwidth in their homes. There’s an increased need for more bandwidth to transmit and receive more data.

Fiber internet is more reliable.

There is less opportunity for cross-talk or interference from other devices on the network, so people often tout fiber as being more reliable,” Pieroni said. “So, the end-user experience is just a little bit cleaner.”

Proximity to other cables can be an issue for copper DSL for example, while fiber optics are immune to electromagnetic interference. Fiber internet users are less likely to experience outages as well.

Weather can negatively affect the operations of copper DSL cables, for example, from precipitation to extreme temperatures. That’s not the case with fiber optic cables. Only things such as physical damage or equipment failures would cause an outage with fiber.

Fiber internet is not sensitive to distance.

Broadband access methods like copper DSL are distance sensitive. “So, you have to live within a certain distance of the nearest switch to be able to take full advantage of those speeds that it can offer,” Pieroni said. Distance doesn’t alter the strength of fiber optic connections, so data transfer continues at a consistent speed regardless of location.

Fiber internet comes with the option for premium technological support.

Keep in mind that Wi-Fi is its own separate animal, Pieroni said. So, your home may be connected via a hard connection to fiber optic, but you still have to care for the wireless experience at home and invest in the right technology to support it.

That’s what Kinetic is really focused on as an internet service provider – the premium in-home Wi-Fi experience offering the best customer premises equipment, from the best wireless routers and extenders. “That’s to be sure that you're not limited to what your legacy devices can do over wireless standards,” Pieroni said.

Considering the advantages of fiber internet?

There aren’t many downsides, beyond the fact that fiber is more costly to deploy because a lot of it involves new construction versus tapping into the infrastructure that’s already there.

But the scalability and benefits of fiber internet outweigh the shift in cost, especially for households that overload older broadband access methods because of their high-bandwidth demand. In terms of wireless offerings and in-home experience, Kinetic is at the forefront of the Wi-Fi horizon.

Most people nowadays are using Wi-Fi connectivity for their smart devices or their connected devices in-home,” Pieroni said. “Kinetic places a lot of emphasis on high-performing, wireless standards so our availability of in-home devices sets us apart for a premium Wi-Fi experience, along with an award-winning internet security platform. We have a holistic approach to providing the best in-home experience that is safe, fast, and reliable at a great price.

Learn more about Kinetic Fiber Internet Call +1 855 210-8883