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The Future is Fiber Optics
Fiber is transforming the way we:
- Deliver your service
- Provide you with significantly improved choices
We are expanding our fiber optic network for a number of reasons including:
- Speed – Bandwidth up to 1 gigabit per second (Gbps) (that’s 1000 megabits per second!) with affordable pricing
- Value – Increases your home’s resale value by $5000+
- Reliability – More consistent connection critical for rural areas
- Longevity – “Future proof” infrastructure is more easily upgraded
- Security – Private connection that is more difficult to hack or intercept
What Is Fiber-to-the-Home?
Fiber to the home (FTTH) is the delivery of a communications and entertainment services over optical fiber operating equipment all the way to your home or business, replacing the existing copper infrastructure.
Optical fiber is:
- A hair-thin strand of glass
- Designed to transmit light pulses
Instead of electricity, fiber uses:
- Light to carry a signal
Fiber can:
- Carry high bandwidth signals over long distances
- At greater speeds
- Without degradation
- It can provide those signals simultaneously in both directions
- Upload
- Download
How Does Bandwidth Work?
Let’s say you are trying to download and image, which is 5 Mbps in size. Think of bandwidth like a freeway filled with cars traveling the same speed.
To get more cars (your data) to the desired destination (your computer or device):
- You need a wider freeway (more bandwidth)
1 megabit per second (Mbps) is the equivalent to:
- 1 lane freeway
With the same image, If you have bandwidth of:
- 1 Mbps (1 lane freeway) it would take:
- 5 seconds to download the image
- 5 Mbps (5 lane freeway) connection, it would take:
- 1 second to download the image
More bandwidth means that you’ll receive more data at the same time. In this example, you can download 5 images with the wider bandwidth in the same time you could download 1 with the narrower bandwidth. Now imagine what you could do with 1 Gig – 1000 Mbps of bandwidth!
Do I need a Gigabit of Bandwidth?
When is the last time you counted all of the internet-connected devices in your home? Think beyond your:
- Computer
- Laptop
- Tablet
- Smartphone
To name a few, many of us now have:
- Smart TVs
- Smart home hubs
- Google Home
- Amazon Echo
- Video baby monitors
- Smart appliances
- IP security cameras
If you have children, the number of devices – and the strain it can put on your WiFi – grows exponentially.
Consumers
Consumers are increasingly using their Internet connections to view:
- Movies
- Television programs
From content providers and websites like:
- Netflix
- Hulu
- Amazon
- Youtube
Did you know one HD movie takes up as much bandwidth as 35,000 web pages!
Software as a Service
A growing number of companies are offering “software as a service,” meaning you:
- Subscribe to applications over the web
- Do not need to install them on your own computer
These “cloud computing” applications are now available for:
- Word processing
- Emailing
- File backup
- Host of business
- Personal services
A Gigabit Internet plan can handle:
- All of these tasks
- The myriad of devices in your home
Even a 15 Mbps connection can buffer if you’re watching HD streaming video on multiple devices. Please contact our Sales and Support Specialists about upgrading your internet speed.
What’s In A Fiber Optic Cable?
The most common fiber cables are made of 5 layers.
1. Core
The core is the:
- First layer
- Most important
The core is made up of:
- Thousands of glass tubes bundled together
- Supported by a central strength element (e.g. a metal rod).
2. Cladding
The cladding is the:
- Second layer
- Protective sheath
This increases the core’s total internal reflection to prevent data loss.
3. Plastic Coating
The plastic coating is:
- Wrapped around the fiber optic cable to reinforce the core
- Cladding for the third layer
4. Strengthening Fibers
The strengthening fibers are:
- The fourth layer
- For added support
5. Cable Jacket
The layers are wrapped in a cable jacket, which:
- Protect against elements
- Are found on every cable and wire
How Do Fiber Optics Transmit Data?
Your data signals go through 3 steps when being transmitted by fiber optics. Let’s take liking a post on Facebook for example:
Stage 1:
After clicking “like” that action becomes:
- An electric data signal sent to your internet transmitter
The transmitter then converts the data into a light signal by changing its:
- Pulse
- Intensity
Stage 2:
Light signals traveling long distances:
- Pass through regenerators that give boosts to avoid attenuation (loss of signal strength).
Thanks to the boosts, the strong signal arrives at the destination attenuation-free.
Stage 3:
To complete the transmission, the destination’s transmitter:
- Receives the signal
- Decodes it back to digital format
For More Information on Our Fiber Projects
Please feel free to contact us to learn more about our fiber network and construction projects.
