What is fiber optic?
Fiber optic is a type of technology that transmits data by sending light along thin glass fibers. Fiber broadband (sometimes called fiber internet) is an internet service that is powered by fiber optic cables. This is different from traditional cable internet, which transmits information by sending electricity over copper wires.
What makes fiber different?
While internet access will always depend on your individual budget and availability, there are plenty of great reasons to choose internet powered by a fiber network. For one thing, fiber has the potential to transmit data at much higher speeds than DSL or cable-based internet.
It’s important to know, however, that your exact internet speed can vary depending on a wide range of factors, including your specific internet service provider.
Download speeds vs upload speeds
For those who may not know, you’ll often see internet plans measured by download speeds and upload speeds. What exactly do these mean? In simple terms, the download speed tells you how quickly your internet service can move information from remote servers onto your device, while the upload speed tells you the opposite. Both the download speed and the upload speed are typically measured in megabits per second, or Mbps.
Both are also key components of a great internet experience. For example, high downloads speeds help for things like streaming videos and downloading large files, while high uploads speeds are important for things like video chatting and online gaming.
If you want to know your current internet speed, you can check with this tool. It will work even if you aren’t currently using Premier Fiber Internet
Why would I want fiber?
Typically, internet service provided over fiber is great for people who really value consistently high performance on their internet connection, especially if they use their internet service for data-intensive tasks.
People who may especially enjoy fiber-powered internet include telecommuters, competitive online gamers, VR enthusiasts, people who love to stream HD video, and people who may need to regularly download or upload large files.
Fiber-powered internet is also perfect for smart home enthusiasts and households with multiple internet users. This is because the more connected devices you add to your internet connection, the more bandwidth you’ll need to keep them all running smoothly.
Many of us don’t even realize how many devices are on our home networks. For example, it wouldn’t be too unusual for a family of four to have four smartphones, three laptops, a desktop computer, a gaming system, a smart speaker, a smart thermostat, and a smart camera—all running on one internet connection. If this sounds like your home, you might want to seriously consider getting internet powered by fiber.
How do I choose a fiber-powered internet plan?
If you’re wondering exactly how much internet you’ll need for your household, Premier Fiber provides multiple plan choices based on your internet usage needs. For example, the Internet 300 plan has 15x faster upload speeds than cable4 and allows you to connect 10+ devices at once throughout your home.5
4. Comparison of Internet 100 wired upload connection speed to Spectrum 100MB with 100MB download and 10MB upload.
5. Number of devices depends on screen size/ resolution.
Is fiber-powered internet available everywhere?
You will have to check with internet service providers in your area to see if they offer fiber-powered internet where you live. For plans powered by Premier Fiber, you can use the check availability feature to see which plans are available at your address.
Hopefully, this post gave you a solid overview of fiber optic technology and how it works. Go here if you want to learn more about plans powered by Premier Fiber.