The Different Types of Fiber Internet

Fiber internet uses the reflective properties of light within a glass tube, or optic fiber, to transmit data packets in the form of light signals. The technology’s reach is quickly expanding, along with its popularity, thanks to its relative low costs and high speeds.

Fiber to the Neighborhood

Fiber to the neighborhood, or FTTN, is the least fiber-optic of the three connection types. FTTN uses a combination of fiber and another wire, usually DSL, because the actual fiber installation only extends to a particular neighborhood or area. All the homes within the radius of this area then have access to fiber internet which is carried to individual homes through DSL lines. So FTTN is mostly fiber – you technically are receiving fiber service, just through a DSL line at the end – but the DSL line means there can be issues with speed.

FTTN fiber internet is affected by a property of DSL known as attenuation. Attenuation is essentially the degradation of a signal as it travels farther away from its starting point. This means that by the time the data reaches your home, it will be degraded slightly. This affects both speed and the amount of data that can be transmitted.

Since the fiber/DSL wire ratio is overwhelmingly fiber, this attenuation isn’t too extreme. However, when compared to other types of fiber-optic internet, the difference is noticeable.

Fiber to the Curb

Fiber to the curb, or FTTC, brings the fiber installed in a neighborhood or particular area up to the nearest telephone pole or utility box closest to your home. From there, normal cables will carry your fiber internet to your home. FTTC is like FTTN but closer to your home. Instead of using a DSL line that can be a mile long, fiber to the curb (or nearest utility box) uses coaxial cables (traditional telecommunications copper wires) to carry your signal only a few yards or so.

FTTC means that you are somewhere in the middle of the fiber-optic internet spectrum – not fully fiber but not heavily reliant on pre-existing DSL wires. You should be able to expect fast speeds with minimal interruptions or issues.

Fiber to the Home

FTTH stands for fiber to the home (also called fiber to the premises) and is a complete fiber internet connection from ISP to home. FTTH is the ultimate modern internet connection – customers can expect high-speed internet that is more reliable than any other form of internet connection preceding it.

The fiber internet service provider sets up the completely fiber connection from node to home which means that digging or drilling to make room for fiber-optic lines will be necessary.

However, if your family wants the best fiber service possible, see if a FTTH connection is available.