5 Benefits and Advantages of Fiber Internet (Updated 2022)
Many people have been told that fiber optic internet speeds are better than regular internet speeds. Or, that the overall performance of their connection will be better when using fiber internet.
What does this really mean, though? Many people who are not using fiber internet have no issues working from home or browsing the internet in their spare time. So, do you really need fiber optic to improve your internet experience?
There are some key benefits to using fiber optic internet instead of a regular connection. Depending on what you’re using the internet for, having a fiber internet connection can be an important decision. If you have been contemplating making the switch to fiber optic internet or are just looking into this option for your needs, you need to know more about what fiber optic internet can do for you.
If you are ready to learn about the benefits and advantages of fiber internet, you need to read on!
What is Fiber Internet?
Fiber internet or fiber optic internet is a data connection carried over a cable made up of very thin glass or plastic fibers. Data travels very fast through this kind of cable, and speeds with fiber internet can be exceptionally fast.
Cable and DSL internet can both fall prey to throttling practices and performance issues related to copper-based infrastructure. You might experience slowdowns in your connection during peak usage times due to this aging technology. Fiber internet will not have this issue, and it provides the most reliable and stable connection speeds due to its superior upload and download speeds.
With fiber optic internet, there is “cladding” or an outer layer of material on the cables that keep the light beams transmitted on the wires and allows for transport in a more efficient way. This means that fiber optic internet can provide greater coverage without reducing performance or loss of transmission speed.
Fiber internet is delivered to your home in one of three ways, based on how the provider has installed their infrastructure:
Fiber To The Home (FTTH) or Fiber To The Premises (FTTP)
This is the fastest and best way to use this kind of internet connection. Fiber lines will be delivered straight to your home, which can be a nice benefit for ease of access and stability of the connection. This is the method EPB uses to deliver fiber internet speeds to its customers.
Fiber to the Curb (FTTC)
You will get your fiber delivered to the utility pole near your home, and you will need to have a coaxial cable extend the connection into your house. The downside of this style is that you will have added a short length of copper wire to the connection, defeating some of the purposes of investing in fiber internet.
Fiber to the Node (FTTN)
Fiber to the node style connections are done when fiber optics are delivered within one mile of your home to a neighborhood or to serve a group of houses. This is the least favorable option as you will have a mile of regular cable running to your home, slowing down your connection to the internet.only viable solution for users that live in very remote areas.
What Are the Advantages of Fiber Internet?
1. Speed
Fiber internet delivers the fastest speeds available with enough bandwidth for multiple devices to be running at the same time. You will get superior internet upload speeds and flawless streaming with this kind of internet. EPB is also one of the only internet providers that offers equal upload and download speeds.
2. Reliability
Fiber internet is much more reliable than a regular connection since you will not have to wait for buffering processes. Packet delivery is so fast that you will not have to worry about the size of the files you are working on downloading or viewing.
Fiber internet from EPB is also not limited by throttling, which is common among other internet providers. The throttling practices of regular internet providers is meant to handle peak times more effectively, but they can leave you without necessary bandwidth during busy times of the day. Your connection is never throttled with EPB and you’ll always have the maximum speed and reliability.
3. Quality Connection
You will have access to a high-quality streaming and video conferencing experience when you use fiber internet thanks to the identical download and upload speeds. This means that you will be able to watch 4K TV in one room and join a virtual meeting in another without any issues. This is true for gamers, too, as there is no better internet choice for those who love to play video games or internet-based games of any other kind.
Symmetrical speeds are the most significant benefit of this kind of internet connection, and many other types of connections offer upload speeds that are only a fraction of the download speeds. You will know that you have proper fiber speeds when the speeds are equal, both up and down.
4. Connect Many Devices
With fiber internet, you’ll enjoy fast speeds on as many connected devices as you own — all at once. And if you have a gamer in the house and are working from home at the same time, you will both be able to enjoy a reliable, fiber-fast internet connection that will let you do everything at the same time with no slowdown.
Other kinds of internet connections can cause issues with latency and lag, both of which can make your user experience poor and can make work and school responsibilities more challenging to complete.
Considerations Related to Fiber Internet
If 100% fiber internet is available in your area, there is no better choice. But there are some factors that you will need to consider before you begin shopping for a new provider:
First, fiber optic internet might not be available in your area. This is especially true for those that live in remote or rural areas. Fortunately, that’s not the case in Chattanooga. This lack of access has been solved by EPB with our increased coverage areas compared to other providers. All EPB customers inside their service territory have access to EPB’s Fiber Optic Internet Services.
You may also hear that 5G is another answer for high-speed internet, but fiber will consistently deliver better results than 5G due to impediments from trees, weather, and an increased number of devices. But if you do not have access to fiber optics, 5G promises to offer really excellent speeds and stability once it is fully rolled out across the US. 5G will also be much more costly than fiber internet, which means that you will be saving money by trusting tried-and-true fiber internet for your needs.
You also want to review available pricing and read the fine print before committing to a new service provider. With EPB, there is no fine print and the pricing is fixed, transparent and you’ll never be surprised with added fees. Being able to service customers for a reasonable price each month is a point of pride for EPB, and you will have the best internet you have ever enjoyed without breaking the bank.
Be careful about trusting other providers when they quote you low and reasonable prices as they often cannot deliver as EPB can. And watch out for long-term contracts. Fiber optic internet from EPB is month-to-month with no long-term contracts and no hidden fees.
Who is Fiber Internet Best For?
Fiber internet might not be necessary for your needs if all you are doing is shopping online in the evenings or streaming the occasional show on your phone. However, some people benefit from fiber more than a regular internet connection.
Gamers
Gaming requires really high connection speeds, connection reliability, and incredible data packet transfer. The low latency offered by fiber is the key to streaming and gaming without issues. Without these benefits, the gaming experience is not seamless and can be fraught with lost connection issues and clipping and lagging.
Serious gamers who play online games every day for work or pleasure will need to have a perfectly stable connection and extremely fast connection to have a great gaming experience. This is one of the key features of fiber internet, and it is the only real option that provides this kind of connection for the serious gamer.
People Who Work From Home
If you have to run a company from home that requires a lot of data transfer or spend many hours in virtual meetings, having fiber internet on your side can make all the difference. Trusting that you will not struggle with throttling during peak periods or on hot summer days can be critical to smooth business operation. Fiber can also allow the streaming of important information or content to other people located worldwide if that is necessary for your business to function optimally.
Virtual Education and School
If you are attending school online or working on continuing education for your job, you need to ensure that your connection will not fail you. Having high-speed internet delivered by fiber internet can make all the difference in your school experience. This is particularly true if you need to stream lectures or share video information related to your work. Presentations and interactive learning are also much more manageable with fiber internet on your side.
People Who Love Streaming
If you love to stream all of your movies or TV shows, a fiber internet connection can greatly improve your experience. You will get seamless download speeds that will give you a theater-quality experience. You will never have to wait for buffering or download issues that can cause reduced picture quality or problems with movies and shows pausing as downloads are completed. Streaming is a really great way to enjoy all kinds of media, and you will find that a fiber internet connection can provide the best streaming experience.
Large Families with Dozens of Devices
If you have more than one person working from home or if you live with a gamer and need to work all day online, fiber internet can be the best choice for your needs. Being able to connect many devices accessing the internet with high demand at the same time is a key benefit to fiber internet. If you have a busy household that needs access to stable and fast internet for everyone at all times of the day, fiber internet is the right choice for your needs.
Why is Fiber the Best Choice for Your Needs?
What if you cannot get fiber where you live or you cannot afford to add this benefit to your home?
You might be able to pay for higher internet speeds with your current broadband, which can greatly improve your user experience. This is often the most cost-effective option for those looking to increase their internet speeds with better stability and access to more devices. Most internet carriers offer these slightly better plans for your use, and you might not have to pay much to get increased speeds and better bandwidth. This will not ever offer you the speeds associated with fiber, but you might have to settle for this option if you cannot access fiber in your area.
If you’re in a remote area, satellite internet is the best choice if you cannot get fiber delivered to you. This can be expensive, and it is not as reliable as other forms of connection, but it can be the right choice for locations that don’t have any good options otherwise.
Fixed wireless delivers internet to your home through radio waves. This is a more stable option than satellite in some places, and it does not have latency issues that satellite can have. This is never as good a choice as regular cable internet or fiber, but it might be your best bet in places where services like internet are limited.
Fiber will always be superior to a regular internet connection, but it is just not available to some people in the current internet landscape. You might have to move to a place where you can get fiber access if you struggle with internet issues on a regular connection in your area.
Sometimes the internet in your location is just not ideal no matter how you get your access to it, and you might need to relocate to be able to run your business or enjoy your favorite online pastimes with ease. The 5G internet reality might eliminate some of these concerns for good, but this is not a reliable solution for most people either.
Fiber Internet is Superior to All Other Kinds of Internet
When you are considering upgrading your internet access to be fast and reliable, the only really good option at this time is fiber internet. Upgrading your current internet plan to access higher speeds can help in some cases, but regular internet connections will always suffer from the throttling issues and upload and download limitations that fiber will not.
The 5G movement has reduced the interest of many cable companies in working on providing fiber internet to most locations, but there are still places where you can get access to a fiber internet connection if you want it. You will want to be sure that you look into FTTP connections if you want to get the most out of your fiber internet, like EPB is delivering in Chattanooga.
you want to get the most out of your fiber internet, like EPB is delivering in Chattanooga.
There’s often a misconception that fiber costs a lot more because of how others have priced their “fiber”. But when you look at the cost per Mbps here in Chattanooga, there’s no better value than EPB’s fiber internet.
Hopefully, you can see that there are no shortage of reasons that you might want to upgrade your internet to offer increased speeds, better streaming, and more. The work-from-home reality along with the changing nature of the way that we enjoy games and movies has made this consideration much more common than it used to be.
Fiber internet will always offer advantages that regular internet connections at this time cannot. If you can afford to upgrade to fiber internet, this might be the best way for you to get the most out of your hours online each day.
