What’s the big deal with fiber internet? Better bandwidth, among other things. Discover what makes fiber optic bandwidth so excellent in this breakdown.
Fiber internet is a great choice for many homeowners and businesses thanks to its speed and reliability. But there’s another big reason why fiber is rapidly becoming the go-to internet type for folks seeking a better online experience: bandwidth. Fiber’s bandwidth is noteworthy in and of itself, but why?
In this article, we’ll explore what fiber’s bandwidth is, why it’s so effective, and the maximum length and capabilities of fiber cables. By the end, you’ll understand exactly what makes fiber optic internet work so well for your home.
The best way to understand bandwidth is to think of the internet as water flowing from a faucet. You see, your internet speed (measured in things like megabits per second or Mbps) is like the speed at which water comes from a tap when you turn it on. Bandwidth is the width of the faucet itself.
Therefore, your bandwidth is the maximum amount of data that can be transmitted over your internet connection in a single unit of time. The more bandwidth your internet has, the more information you can download or upload at once. Combined with fast speeds, high-bandwidth internet leads to an excellent online experience no matter whether you're streaming, gaming, or shopping.
Fiber internet uses specially designed glass cables to transmit information via light pulses. Because of this, internet speed with fiber optic connections is inherently very fast. What about bandwidth?nternet speed with fiber optic connections is inherently very fast. What about bandwidth?
The best fiber optic cables can carry up to 60 terabits of information every second. In comparison, copper coaxial cables used for DSL internet connections can only carry up to 40 gigabits of information per second.
Put another way, fiber optic internet has over 1000 times more bandwidth than traditional copper internet cables, making it the best option for switching to fiber internet.
While this is a good average bandwidth to reference when thinking about fiber optic internet, bandwidth can also vary depending on the type of fiber cables your internet service provider uses.
There are two types of fiber internet cable connections:
In terms of bandwidth, single-mode fiber connections have much more than multi-mode connections. Single-mode fiber internet has a higher bandwidth capacity than its counterpart because there aren't any modal dispersion effects, enabling these cables to transmit much larger quantities of data over longer distances. So, if your fiber internet provider wants to maximize bandwidth, they'll use single-mode fiber cables.
Technically, the way that fiber internet works is that it has no maximum distance – all an internet service provider has to do is lay enough cables during the fiber installation process to connect internet recipients to a broader fiber network.
But what about the maximum distance of a single cable? Generally, a single length of fiber optic cable can extend up to about 100 kilometers or 62 miles. The maximum signal transmission distance for a fiber cable also varies depending on whether the cable is single or multi-mode.
The multi-mode fiber length limit is about 10 miles. Meanwhile, the maximum distance for single-mode fiber is closer to 200 kilometers. Again, this is why many fiber providers prefer single-mode cables, which ensure they can deliver exceptional bandwidth and fast internet speeds to all of their customers.
Higher bandwidth sounds impressive. But what about the practical benefits of high bandwidth as an internet user? Better bandwidth means more people in your household can use your fast internet connection at once without experiencing lag or delays in their activities.
Remember the metaphor of internet as water flowing from a faucet? If your internet has high bandwidth, multiple devices can log on to the same network at once and upload or download data without interruption. If you have a busy household and everyone in your home likes to do different things, like stream a new show or game competitively online, higher bandwidth should be a top priority as you look for an internet provider.
For those seeking the best internet for gaming, higher bandwidth can also be beneficial when you're trying to download new games or large files. With high bandwidth from your internet connection, your computer or other device will be able to download those files faster than it would be able to otherwise.
High bandwidth is just one reason why fiber internet is the superior choice for many modern internet users. Fiber internet comes with many benefits, including lightning-fast speeds since data travels down fiber cables at the speed of light. Even better, fiber internet offers symmetrical upload and download speeds – you receive data at the same speed you send it to others. For instance, if your download speed is 1 Gbps, so is your upload speed.
That’s because fiber technology was specifically designed for transferring data from place to place. Cable, on the other hand, was initially designed for other uses – data transmission was added after the fact. On top of all that, fiber internet is reliable and resistant to weather-related interruptions [KL1] since the cables are buried underground.
Luckily, getting fiber internet for your household is easier than you may think. Glo Fiber offers a range of excellent internet plans with multi-gig speeds and a host of other benefits. Check out our plans today or contact us to learn whether we offer fiber service in your area.