More than 60.5 million homes in the United States have access to fiber-optic broadband internet service, the leading internet technology available on the market today. Households that have made the switch to fiber-optic internet service have, by far, the highest customer satisfaction in the industry.
It’s important to remember that fiber-optic internet service is really the first network designed specifically for the needs of the internet users of today (and tomorrow). Dial-up and DSL networks use systems originally created to carry person-to-person telephone calls, and cable internet systems have been retrofitted from systems designed to deliver one-way television signals to your home.
Why are so many Americans choosing fiber-optic internet service, and what are the benefits of fiber for your home and your family? It starts with speed and reliability.
Fiber-optic Internet is Faster Than Copper Wire
Fiber-optic internet connections carry data through a tube filled with thin glass or plastic fibers. The data is transmitted by beams of light pulsed in a pattern. Older internet systems generally use copper wire and transmit data with electrons. The copper wire can create resistance and slow down speeds.
Because fiber-optic internet moves at the speed of light, these networks can transfer much more data at much higher speeds. The maximum bandwidth of copper wire internet is about 1.5 megabytes per second. Fiber-optic internet networks regularly provide 1 gigabit speeds to residences.
The benefit to you is that you can get your work (or play) done much faster with fiber-optic internet. For example, downloading a 6.5 GB media file using cable could take up to 14 hours. On a fiber network, the same file could be downloaded in about one minute. You’ll be surprised at how fast it is to:
- Back up your priceless videos and pictures to the cloud
- Download HD movies
- Enjoy smooth online gaming
- Video chat with friends, family and colleagues
The best news is that with fiber-optic internet, you benefit from fast speeds both ways. That means that if you work from home, you’ll enjoy fast upload speeds for your large data files. If you want to upload family videos to your favorite video hosting platform, you’ll be able to do so in minutes, not hours.
More Bandwidth Means Fewer Headaches
How many devices are connected to your home internet network? Cell phones, networked speakers like Amazon Echo or Google Home, Smart TVs, networked home security systems and more all tap into your network, which may slow the flow of data to the sources you really want to use.
Fiber-optic internet provides the most bandwidth available on the market today, which means you can create the smart home of your dreams (or let every member of your family stream their favorite show at the same time) while still having plenty of internet data for yourself.
Fiber-optic Internet is the Most Reliable Available
Because copper-wire internet is an aging technology, it can be unreliable. When was the last time you settled in with a loved one to stream a movie and your internet service couldn’t connect? Antiquated internet infrastructure is rapidly aging and is often more vulnerable to outages.
Many Households Can Benefit From Fiber-Optic Internet
Fiber-optic network internet speeds are as much as 20 times faster than cable internet and 80 times faster than DSL. The faster speed, greater bandwidth and more reliable connection can benefit a wide variety of households, especially those who:
- Work from home
- Have multiple internet-connected devices
- Video chat with friends and family
- Stream online television and movies
- Play online games
Fiber-optic internet service is available in many parts of Oregon and Northern California thanks to Hunter Communications — and we’re adding more neighborhoods every day. If you think you can benefit from faster and more reliable internet service in your home, click here to see if our fiber has arrived at your door.
