Skip the navigation menu
Tips & Tricks

Fiber-Optic Internet Speed: How It Compares to Other Internet Types

Smiling mom sitting on a couch holds a tablet and explains fiber optic speeds while her daughter sits in her lap and watches

Are you wondering how the fiber optic internet speed compares to the pace of other types of internet? Read on and learn more here.

Did you know that information can move at the speed of light?

 

The speed of light is the speed limit for the universe. We can transmit our data via that light. That means our data speed should be almost instant, right?

 

There's a catch. The medium we use to transport light affects the data exchange rate . Cables, satellites , and fiber optic internet speed all use mediums that slow down this data transmission.

 

So which one do you choose?

 

Today you'll learn about the different ways of sending information. That way you can know how to get the fastest internet speeds possible.

 

What is  the Fastest Internet Connection: Everything You Need to Know About Internet Speeds

 

DSL: The Slowest Internet Speed

 

DSL sends information through your telephone lines. Phone calls use one frequency, while the internet uses another. This means you can have one line for two things.

 

However, DSL is slow internet. You can expect to get a maximum of 100mbps. Worse, the speed of DSL slows down as more people use it.

 

If someone is making a landline phone call, that will slow down the network. That makes it difficult for many people to use DSL calls and internet at the same time.

 

DSL is also unreliable. Compared to other internet connection types, you can't expect to get the fastest internet speed. But this is a cheaper option.

 

DSL is an old standard that can deliver high-speed internet, but there are much better options. For those that want a landline phone, you will need DSL.

 

The main benefit of DSL is that you can find it anywhere. This tech has been around for a long time, so it's already ubiquitous.

 

Cable: The Most Common Internet Speed

 

Cable sends information through electricity. Electricity also travels at the speed of light. That said, resistance and other factors mean it cannot reach light speed.

 

Cable is fast internet, much faster than DSL. You can expect to get from 200 up to 1,000mbps. Also, it's widely available and affordable. 

 

Internet companies can easily set up a cable line to your house. They can also use existing lines.

 

One major advantage of cable is that you can bundle other services with it. You can include your TV package in a standard cable setup. However, this won't be as fast as a fiber internet entertainment package.

 

Cable has one major drawback: it slows down as more people use it. So if your neighbors are heavy internet users, that will slow down your internet, too.

 

Among everything on this list, cable is the standard internet medium. You can find cable almost everywhere. Only rural cities struggle to get cable.

 

Wi-Fi: The Most Convenient At-Home Internet Speed

 

Wi-Fi sends information through the airwaves. This means you can send and receive information without a physical connection. This information travels as fast as electromagnetic signals.

 

Wi-Fi is convenient and easy to use. As long as you are within range and know the password, you can get up to 10 Gbps. 1 gigabit is 1000 megabits. Likewise, the gigabit-to-megabyte conversion shows that one gigabit is 125 megabytes. That means Wi-Fi is ten times as fast as cable.

 

There are some significant limitations, though. Wi-Fi is not as secure since hackers can intercept your data. 

 

Also, Wi-Fi slows down when it encounters obstacles like walls and doors. Radio interference can ruin a good Wi-Fi signal. And the further you get away from the router, the worse the signal gets.

 

Wi-Fi is also dependent on your existing internet connection. If you only have DSL, your Wi-Fi cannot go faster than DSL speeds.

 

Cellular: The Most Accessible Internet Speed

 

Cellular networks use a series of towers to send and receive radio signals. This means you don't need to plug into a router to access the internet. Depending on the coverage, you can access your cellular internet almost anywhere.

 

With the arrival of 5G, you can get as many as 10 Gbps. These speeds are comparable to fiberoptic internet speed. 

 

The major drawback with cellular is the cost. To get 5G speeds, you need an expensive plan. Standard or budget plans may only include a slower 4G speed.

 

Cellular internet speed also slows down as users increase traffic usage. This gets worse when more people are in the same place. On a busy day, your 5G speeds will slow down. This causes many users to want to switch internet providers to avoid these busy-day slowdowns!

 

For the fastest cellular service, consider a fiberoptic internet speed.

 

Fiber Optic Internet: The Fastest Internet Speed

 

Fiber-optic internet beats out all the competition, but is fiber the fastest internet available? The key lies in its use of glass to transport light., which only slows down light by a fraction compared to other services. That makes fiber optics  the best internet on the market. So, how fast is fiber optic internet?

 

Fiber optic internet can theoretically transmit 44 Tbps. That's terabytes per second. One terabyte is equal to 1 million bits. In other words, that’s 44,000,000mbps! Fiber optic speeds are bringing the internet of the future right to your home.

 

Fiber optic internet is ten times faster than other internet types. Its speed can send data faster than our current technology is capable of reading. That’s what you call “future proofing!”

 

Even better, fiber optics speeds do not slow down no matter how many users are online. Even if the entire neighborhood is using all its bandwidth, the network does not slow down.

 

These cables used to be expensive, but now they are affordable. The cables that send internet between continents are, in fact, fiber-optic cables.

 

Get Fast Fiber-Optic Internet Today

 

Fiber-optic internet speed is the ideal modern internet technology. It provides blistering speeds far above any of its predecessors. It allows heavy bandwidth usage and does not slow down no matter how many people are using it. It doesn’t matter how many people are watching TV or talking on the phone through your fiber lines, either!

 

Best of all, you can find an affordable fiber-optic solution in your hometown. Get in contact with the professionals for a quote. After you try fiber-optic internet speed, you'll never go back.