Fiber optic internet is essentially the technology that transmits information as light pulses along a glass or plastic fiber. To put it plainly, fibre is internet connectivity that essentially moves at the speed of light!
Fiber optics is predominantly used for long-distance, high-performance data networking.
A singular fibre optic cable can contain various numbers of these glass fibres which can range from either just a few to potentially hundreds of fibres. These fibre optic cables have a glass fibre core that is surrounded by a glass layer which is called cladding. There is also a buffer tube layer that protects the cladding as well as there also being a jacket layer that acts as the final protective layer for these individual strands.
Fiber optic cables are commonly used because of their advantages over copper cables. Some of those benefits include higher bandwidth and transmission speeds.
How does fibre internet work?
Fiber optics differ from copper cables as data is transmitted in the form of light particles that pulse through a fiber optic cable. As mentioned, you get to experience the internet at the speed of light!
Well, not entirely. Due to the dense glass layers protecting the fibre optics, signals travel at around 30% slower than light which is still incredibly fast if we compare it to broadband internet.
In fact, fibre internet is so fast that it is currently considered to be the fastest and most reliable internet service available!
Fibre offers users access to multiple media types and larger file sizes while also increasing both upload and download speeds!
Advantages of fibre
As with all things, there are both advantages and disadvantages of fibre optic internet connectivity.
People generally tend to opt for fibre internet over copper cabling as it supports higher bandwidth capacities and the fact that light can travel further without needing any additional signal boosts.
Not only that, but fibre optic internet connectivity is far less susceptible to electromagnetic interference and is not prone to any environmental factors that generally cause damage, such as heavy rains and thunderstorms.
Fibre optic cables are incredibly durable and do not need to be replaced or repaired as frequently as copper cables. This saves everyone involved both time and money!
Disadvantages of fibre
When it comes to the disadvantages of fibre optic internet, there are a few points that are worthy of mentioning.
If we’re comparing the costs involved with installing fibre versus installing copper cabling for broadband internet, fibre is initially more costly as copper wire is often far cheaper than fibre optics as well as the fact that installing new fibre is labor-intensive.
Not only that, but fibre optic cables are more fragile than copper cables and require more protection for the fibre optics.
Conclusion
Now that we’ve taken a closer look into fibre optics and what it entails, it’s safe to say that its capabilities have changed the way we use the internet and how it has an impact on society.
The adoption of fibre internet has initially been slow as there are cost factors involved with the installation process but hopefully, in the near future, we can begin to see fibre internet being rolled out into more communities around the country!
Fibre optic internet is expanding and evolving and if you’d like to check for coverage in your area, make sure to take a look at our website to see how we can help you!
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