Fiber vs cable internet. When looking into internet connections for your business, there are many options. With the right internet connection, your business can have higher productivity and efficiency. But most people are unaware that they can choose different methods to receive their internet.
Sure, you can stick with the more traditional option, cable internet. But you may also have access to fiber. Both of these solutions give you internet access, however there are many differences that need to be considered. Let’s dig into these differences, fiber vs cable internet.
How Do We Get it?
When we first look at fiber vs cable internet, we need to look at delivery method, as they have certain similarities, but major differences. Fiber internet uses fiber optic cables mostly buried in the ground to transmit data. Fiber optic cables are made of glass and data is transmitted via light. Therefore, digital data can travel very quickly, near the speed of light.
Cable internet uses copper cables called coaxial cables, similar to how telephone service and cable television are delivered to businesses and residences. This delivery method has not changed much since its introduction in the 1880s. Imagine the difference in data transmission between the 1880s and now.
Cable internet comes to businesses and residences through a central hub. Therefore, during peak hours, internet service can slow down.
Which is Faster?
Internet speed is measured in megabits per second, or Mbps. It is also broken down into download and upload speeds. When looking at fiber vs cable internet, a glaring difference is in speed performance.
The internet speed on fiber-optic networks is faster than cable speed up to 10 Gigabits in both directions. Many people can access the same network without affecting its performance. This makes it ideal for high demand use that needs to be consistent even during peak work hours. Fiber also has the ability to carry more information with pristine efficiency than copper.
Cable internet generally has much faster download speeds than upload speeds with upload speeds that average at only 50-100 Mbps. As mentioned earlier, cable internet users share a “hub” which acts as their network. This is a problem not only for businesses trying to get high internet speeds during the workday, but also for residential users.
Fiber optics cables are only about 31 percent slower than the speed of light and that speed is significantly more noticeable than copper cable speeds. For example, a download that takes 22 minutes over a copper wire internet connection takes as little as eight seconds to download over fiber.
Which is More Reliable?
In the business world, it is very important to have a reliable source for your internet. In the fiber vs cable internet battle, fiber edges out cable again in the reliability sector.
Fiber beats cable in signal strength. Both lose signal strength the farther they travel, however cable signal loses significant strength from the moment the signal is sent. In fact, the signal can only travel about the length of a football field. On the other hand, fiber can travel about 25 miles, or 440 football fields, before losing signal strength.
Fiber is not as susceptible to outside interference. Fiber is insulated, so things like radio signals and electromagnetic waves have very little effect on fiber internet. However, copper cables are very likely to have interruptions in signal strength due to these outside factors.
Because fiber is made from glass, many people assume it is very fragile. This is simply not the case. In fact, fiber cable lines can withstand up to 200 pounds of pressure. This is very impressive considering traditional copper cable lines can only withstand up to 25 pounds of pressure.
What’s more, fiber cables are often ran underground, protecting them from outside elements. Copper cables are often attached to poles, subjecting them to heat, rain, snow and other natural elements. As a result, copper cable is much more likely to break down over time.
How Does Cost Compare?
Cost effectiveness and return on investment is one of the most important deciding factors for any business. Let’s take a look at fiber vs cable internet costs.
As fiber optic internet has become more popular, the connections are now more comparable in price to cable providers. However, cable internet service costs can come with built-in discounts. These discounts are offered when you bundle services like internet, television and phone together.
But when comparing price with speeds, there are undeniable benefits to spending a little bit more for a lot more connection.
Fiber Internet – For the Win!
When you review the above data it’s clear that fiber internet wins in the fiber vs cable internet battle. With a more reliable connection, affordable price point, and faster speeds, fiber leaves cable in the dust!
SUMOFIBER is here to help your business reach its full potential through fiber internet. With our lightning speed fiber internet, we can offer you some of the best internet service available, so your business achieves more! Contact us today to get started with fiber internet and knock out your competition!
