Fiber to the Home and Glo Fiber: What You Need to Know

We use the internet more than ever before. But we don’t just need connectivity – we all have a need for speed! Data-heavy activities like streaming, surfing, and working from home demand faster connection speeds and better bandwidth across the board. That’s why homeowners around the country are buzzing about “fiber to the home” or FTTH.

Feeling out of the loop? Let’s take a closer look at what fiber to the home is, how it works, and the benefits of FTTH internet from Glo Fiber coming to your neighborhood.

Fiber to the home definition

So, what is FTTH? Fiber to the home, put simply, is fiber delivered to individual residences like your property.

Let's back up and explore how fiber internet works in the first place. This kind of internet uses titular fiber optic cables to deliver digital information from place to place. Unlike other types of internet, which use copper coaxial cables or phone lines, fiber optic cables transmit light pulses across vast distances. The network design enables fiber internet to be faster and stabler than alternative internet systems.

To build and use a fiber network, however, a fiber optic communications company needs to create, set, and bury fiber optic cables in a given place. In most cases, these networks are designed so that fiber internet is only available in big business areas or at key installations.

But FTTH internet is fiber delivered to residences and neighborhoods. Thanks to improvements in infrastructure and design, fiber internet is now more accessible to the average American than ever, and fiber providers are expanding around the country. That's why Glo Fiber offers best-in-class fiber internet to homes just like yours, and our network is always growing!

FTTH internet is sometimes compared to “fiber to the curb” or FTTC services. Fiber to the curb internet just means that fiber cables are placed on the curb near homes or businesses. Then coaxial cables finish the connection between a fiber network and individual residences or buildings.

How does fiber to the home work?

Fiber to the home internet networks operate with a streamlined design and setup.  an example:

• A fiber central office is created, which receives signals from the worldwide internet and prepares them to be delivered to other destinations along a fiber network. Think of the central office as the hub of a local fiber internet system.
• An internet service provider installs fiber optic cables that connect directly to a residential household. The cables are either attached to utility poles or buried underground.
• Within the home, the cables are connected to a network interface device or “NID,” which is usually a small box installed on the exterior of the property.
• The fiber optic cables are then connected to an ONT (Optical Network Terminal), which is the fiber internet version of a modem. It converts the light pulses from the fiber optic network into transmissible electrical signals using copper wires.
• Then, the ONT gets connected to a fiber internet subscriber’s router via ethernet cable. The subscriber can use additional ethernet cables to hard connect to the router or Wi-Fi connectivity to bring fast fiber internet to all the devices in their household.

It’s simple! When you work with an internet service provider like Glo Fiber, installation is quick, unobtrusive, and efficient.

The benefits of FTTH internet

There are lots of reasons why fiber to the home internet is growing in popularity. If you’re still not convinced it’s right for your household, keep reading.

Faster speeds and better bandwidth

First and foremost, fiber internet provides faster speeds and greater bandwidth compared to other internet types, including cable and DSL internet.

Just how much faster is fiber internet? On average, it’s 10x to 20x faster than another internet service. On a practical level, that means fiber internet lets you:

• Stream your favorite shows and movies without stuttering, all in high definition
• Game consistently without lag or having to wait hours to download a new game
• Work remotely, performing activities like uploading files and participating in video conference calls sans fuzzy images or uploading hiccups

If you use the internet every day for work or for leisure, fiber internet will provide an unparalleled upgrade to your experience. Since fiber optic cables also offer better bandwidth, everyone in your household can be online simultaneously without causing downloads to pause or other issues. More bandwidth means more “space” in the network for everyone’s favorite activities: a real boost to large families where everyone has their own mobile device!

On top of that, fiber to the home brings fully symmetrical uploads and downloads – in other words, the same speeds for both activities. When fiber internet just comes “to the curb” and you rely on coaxial cables for the last leg of connectivity, you’re still limited by coaxial speeds. True FTTH connectivity brings the full benefits of symmetrical speeds to your household.

Enhanced access to current and future tech

Think that modern internet technology is at its peak? That might be true right now, but it's almost certainly not true for the future.

Fiber internet lets you take full advantage of modern, lightning-fast internet speeds and advanced technologies. But it’s also versatile enough to empower you to enjoy future developments or advancements in this industry.

It's essentially a future-proof internet network. With fiber internet, you can get a new router for faster Wi-Fi speeds, take part in virtual-reality networks, and much more in the years to come without having to worry about whether your internet is up to the task.

Bundled communications services

Many of the best fiber internet providers bundle their communication offerings. That means you can get services like internet, phone, and TV all from the same provider in a single, affordable package.

For a lot of homeowners, that’s worth the switch almost by itself. Having a single monthly bill for all your telecommunications services makes budgeting for internet, phone, and TV easy, and it means you can often benefit from discounts or lower bundled prices.

Plus, if you get your TV from a fiber internet network, your TV viewing will have all the same benefits as your internet service: fast delivery speeds to your television, stable signal reception, and so on.

Thinking of switching to fiber internet?

All in all, fiber to the home internet is the next major evolution of residential internet service. The benefits are noticeable for households of all sizes, whether you’re a remote worker, a student, a serious gamer, or someone in between. If you’re ready to make the switch, Glo Fiber can set you up with high-quality internet in no time.

With internet speeds ranging from 600 Mbps all the way up to 5 gigs, there’s an internet plan perfect for your family and your budget. In addition, we offer TV and phone services, which you can bundle with your speedy internet. Get in touch with us today or visit our website to see Glo Fiber availability for your area.