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Consumers today face an abundance of choices for high-speed internet. And since you’re already paying for a data plan with your cell phone service provider, you may also wonder if you should use that company for your internet service.

In this article, we explain what cellular internet is and why fiber is far and away the better choice for most consumers.

Your neighbors at Northcentral Connect are proud to have the fastest and most reliable internet you can get. And we’re especially thrilled that our internet speeds can keep up with major metropolitan areas around the country, helping our communities compete in the global economy.

Read on to learn more about these two technologies and why fiber is your best choice—and that, yes, you really do need a separate fiber connection for high-speed internet.

What is Cellular or Wireless/5G Internet?

With all the high-speed internet options available today, it’s not surprising that customers need clarification when choosing an internet provider.

And it’s not only the technology that’s complicated—even the names of different internet-related products and services can be so similar and complicate things further!

So what is cellular or wireless/5G internet? Let’s start with what cellular or wireless internet is not. First, wireless internet is not the same thing as Wi-Fi.

Wi-Fi disperses internet signal throughout a home or office so that all your devices—smart TVs, laptops, tablets, cell phones, smart speakers, etc.—can be connected to the internet without a wired connection.

Thus, just like other kinds of internet (cable, satellite, or fiber), cellular or wireless internet enters the home or business and is distributed by Wi-Fi through the Wi-Fi router or related technology. Most customers will still use Wi-Fi and a router unless they plan to hardwire every connection to every device, which is highly uncommon.

Cellular or wireless internet, also known as 4G or 5G internet, is delivered by cell phone towers. Instead of being delivered by a hardwired connection like coaxial cable or fiber, cellular or wireless internet is transmitted “through the air.”

While it can often deliver decent speeds, wireless or 5G internet is notorious for service interruptions due to obstructions from other structures. And because cellular/wireless or 5G internet is totally dependent on the number of cell phone towers dispersing signal—and even more crucially, the distance a customer is from a cell phone tower—their speeds and quality of the connection can greatly vary.

What is Fiber Internet?

Fiber internet’s advanced materials and technology make it the fastest and most reliable form of internet on the market today. Short for “fiber optic” internet, fiber utilizes fiber optic cable, which consists of hundreds of densely packed strands of glass inside the cord.

The fiber optic cable connects directly to your home or business before being dispersed to your devices. Pulses of light transmit internet data along these glass hairs at near light speed!

Due to fiber’s impressive components and infrastructure, it has a vastly greater capacity to handle and transmit all the online data that you use daily—from social media, documents, and emails to music, gaming, and television.

Fiber also has higher upload speeds, which is used when your device sends information back to the server (or other internet users). Higher upload speeds are essential for stable and clear video calls and conferences.

Only fiber can power a household full of devices at once without causing slowdowns on any of them—making it the #1 choice for modern households.

So, What’s the Difference Between Fiber Internet and Cellular/Wireless (5G) Internet?

The connection-type is the first key distinction between fiber and cellular/wireless internet.

Importantly, fiber is “hardwired.” Its internet signal enters your premises through physical wiring, not cellular or wireless 5G signal sent through the air.

This distinction means that obstructions like trees and other buildings can’t stop fiber’s excellent speeds from delivering internet to your home or business. Fiber internet also has far greater bandwidth capacity than cellular/wireless internet because its materials can carry much more information than wireless signal can.

There are other significant disadvantages to cellular/wireless/5G internet service.

Remember that cellular service prioritizes its originally intended purpose—providing mobile phone service. That one function takes up most of cellular’s capacity to transmit data. Thus, cellular internet services lack the power to consistently provide the data you need to enjoy the online activities you love, like streaming movies and TV, video calling and conferences, online gaming and so much more.

But it gets even worse. To deal with the ever-growing demand for data, cellular companies reduce the speed and quality of their internet service to prevent internet users from gobbling up too much of their data capacity.

That’s why cellular companies enforce data caps on their internet services, which significantly limit or even outright prevent you from doing the online activities you’ve come to enjoy.

They also employ “throttling,” another annoying practice that slows down bandwidth—and your entire internet performance.

While some companies only do this after you’ve reached a certain pre-determined amount of data usage each month, others throttle your broadband anytime and for any reason. For countless customers, these restrictions are extremely frustrating.

On the other hand, fiber internet never has data caps or bandwidth throttling because its superior technology doesn’t get overwhelmed like cellular/wireless internet. Fiber’s high bandwidth capacity and fast upload (as well as download) speeds can handle just about everything online without data caps, throttling, or other intentional slowdowns.

Fiber’s Superior Security

But fiber’s advantages over cellular/wireless internet extend well beyond fiber’s superior speed and reliability (as essential as they are). Better data security is another reason to choose fiber.

Because cellular/wireless internet requires a signal to transmit “over the air,” it is susceptible to being intercepted.

Wireless internet is especially prone to a particular cybercrime known as a DDoS Attack—short for “Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Attack.” DDoS attacks overwhelm servers and slow down traffic, even jeopardizing sensitive data. And DDoS attacks are unfortunately on the rise.

Fiber, on the other hand, is hardwired straight to your walls—its internet flies through fiber optic cable without needing to disperse signal through the air. Thus, fiber’s advanced technology provides a layer of protection and security from hackers, scammers, and other criminals that cellular or wireless internet simply cannot.

From faster speeds to more reliable signals, a more secure connection, and greater capacity to carry out more online activities from multiple devices simultaneously, fiber internet stands ahead of cellular/wireless 5G internet.

For more information on fiber internet and why it’s your best choice for high-speed internet, feel free to reach out to the knowledgeable support team at Northcentral Connect. We’re local and here to serve you!

There comes a time in the life of every video game player when they discover the joy of experiencing a video game alongside others. Sometimes, siblings watch each other defeat a hard level in a game. Other times, gamers will hang out with friends and enjoy a brand-new game together.

By using video game streaming platforms, gamers can experience their favorite video games with their friends and others in the gaming community from home. However, the world of video game streaming can be intimidating to someone new.

What resources do you need to start streaming? Why do people stream video games? What’s the best type of internet for streaming?

Before we go too far, let’s take a step back and cover the basics.

What are video game streaming platforms?

Video game streaming platforms provide a digital space to view and stream content. On these platforms, gamers can interact with each other while playing their favorite games. This allows for real-time competition as well.

Fortunately, it’s simple to join a video game streaming service. Most are free and easy to use. By signing up for free accounts, those wanting to stream games or view other streamers can access almost anything they’re interested in.

Gaming content on these platforms can be enjoyed live and on demand. This allows fans to be part of the action as it happens or catch up when they have free time.

Many streamers are also trying to earn money while doing what they love. And the most successful make a career from playing video games. Income opportunities are typically determined based on ads, your viewers and followers, and the work streamers put into making their content stand out.

Each streaming platform has its rules for monetization, so be careful to read the fine print before deciding where to stream.

Most Popular Streaming Platforms

There are many streaming platforms on which gamers can interact, and some are better than others. The top three contenders today are Twitch, YouTube Gaming, and Facebook Gaming.

Twitch has been the top streaming option for gamers for years, though its platform has undergone some changes. Video game streaming wasn’t popular when Twitch launched, but streamers have found new and innovative ways to interact with their viewers through its community.

YouTube Gaming has made fresh waves in the streaming community recently. YouTube has been one of the most well-established platforms since the inception of the internet, so adding a section for live streaming was a simple decision. Through YouTube, streamers have a platform to host live events and viewers have access to the most extensive inventory of gaming videos on the internet.

Facebook Gaming is the newest streaming platform for video games. Facebook’s niche is its existing connections at a streamer’s disposal. Most gamers use Facebook to connect with family and friends. By adopting Facebook to allow a streaming platform, Facebook Gaming gives streamers instant access to connections made long ago.

Why is video game streaming important?

A word that is often repeated in gaming is community. Everyone enjoys video games in their unique way, but the community brings players together. Through community engagement, gamers can experience something deeper than playing solo.

A sense of comradery forms when gamers get together to debate, discuss, and dissect their favorite medium of entertainment. These communities build bridges of friendship that last a lifetime.

Streaming platforms are just one of the ways for gamers to participate in the community. Gamers can also interact with one another via online modes, which is one of the most popular genres of video games.

Plus, community platforms like Discord allow gamers to connect with small groups of friends or a large following in real-time.

How to Stream

There are thousands of resources to help you begin streaming and we could never fit them into a single article.

If you’re just looking to watch other streamers and have no plans to stream yourself, simply signing up for a streaming platform allows access to live and existing content. It’s as simple as having great internet and a passion for gaming!

For those who want to try their hand at streaming, the list gets longer. Traditionally, the best way to connect with your community while you stream is to be able to interact with them. A good headset and microphone go a long way to creating great conversation.

For viewers to see a streamer’s content, a streamer either needs to (a) connect their gaming console to the streaming platform, which is possible on most modern consoles, or (b) for players streaming through their PC, they should invest in a capture card. Depending on what you’re looking to do, research what you’ll need online and reach out to others who are already streaming and get their input.

But the most important part of streaming? Your internet connection.

Best Internet for Streaming and Gaming

Video game playing and streaming can only be truly enjoyed with reliable internet.

There is no debate that fiber internet is the best internet for both streaming and gaming. This allows for strong competition and can give you an edge in the streaming community.

Fiber internet, such as the fiber provided by Northcentral Connect, is faster than cable internet. Fiber internet can transmit data for gaming and other applications 20 or even 30 times faster than traditional copper-based cable internet.

This empowers you to manage multiple devices simultaneously so you can stream your game, have a camera rolling, and be a part of your community chat.

To learn more about how Northcentral Connect’s advanced, high-speed fiber internet can power up your gaming and streaming service, follow our social pages and become a part of the video game streaming community!

Winter is upon us—and with it are cold temperatures, heavy snowfalls and ice, and dry, chafing air.

While parts of the country are lovely in winter, there’s no escaping the fact that colder temperatures and bleak weather can take their toll.

Wintry weather also brings higher energy expenses. Home heating units often pump out warm air constantly just to keep the house comfortable—and at great costs, too.

Thankfully, today’s technology can help make winter more bearable. And utilizing Northcentral Connect’s high-speed fiber internet not only connects you to the most reliable network available but also helps keep your home warm and snug.

Together with “smart technology,” it all adds to saving money this winter and beyond!

Below we highlight some of our favorite tech to help you get through the coldest months more comfortably. These unique items will make you and your loved ones feel cozier all winter, from Bluetooth devices to smart thermostats and even smart clothing.

Smart Thermostats

One of the best upgrades you can make to your home this winter (or any season) is to install a smart thermostat that monitors and controls your heating and air conditioning.

Smart thermostats can sense temperature changes in different rooms and can be easily programmed to get warmer or cooler at various times of the day.

Smart thermostats can connect to your home’s internet network, and through Bluetooth, to your smartphone and other devices for easy control.

Even more conveniently, many smart thermostats are controllable through voice-activated technology like Alexa or the Apple Home Kit (using Siri). And according to the federal government’s Energy Star program, which researches and provides consumers with reliable information on energy-efficient products and services, smart thermostats can save homeowners up to 30% on their energy bills.

Several solid options exist, including the Google Nest Learning Thermostat. We’re particularly impressed with Google’s device because, over time, it learns your temperature preferences in each room and at different times of the day.

Using a Smart Thermostat can more effectively heat your home than conventional thermostats—and because of its “smart” features and controls, it saves energy costs, too!

Smart Space Heaters

If you’ve reduced your energy bills by lowering your home’s temperatures a tad, but find that you or others in your household still feel cold, consider adding a smart space heater to those chillier rooms. Smart space heaters are ideal when one or two people prefer the temps just a bit warmer than everyone else or when the temperatures drop drastically.

The Atomi Smart Ceramic Tower Space Heater is among the best options available. The Atomi can heat up to 750 square feet, perfect for small rooms.

Its safety features are also top-notch, including notifying your smartphone if the heater tips over. Then, you can easily shut it off from your phone. It’s base sits evenly on multiple flooring types reducing the likelihood of tipping over at all.

You can also connect the Atomi Smart Space Heater to Alexa or Google Assistant for hands-free voice control through your home network.

Smart Clothing (Jackets and Shirts)

We recommend smart clothing for personal warmth, especially a jacket and shirt.

Smart clothing safely and steadily heats your body in different zones that you can control. And you can even quickly recharge them when you’re on the road with your car’s charging ports.

We recommend the DEWBU Heated Jacket because of its multiple heating zones. It also comes with a convenient 12V Battery Pack that can keep it powered longer on the go.

Also, check out smart shirts from Venture Heat, which make different styles for women and men.

Bluetooth-enabled, you can control Venture Heat’s smart shirts ten-temperature settings with your smartphone, helping to fine-tune the perfect temperature to keep you feeling comfortably toasty on even the most frigid days!

Smart Hats

Growing up, you may remember hearing that you can lose nearly half your body heat just through the top of your head.

While science has proven that that was not exactly accurate, you can still lose around 10% of your body heat off your head alone. So grandma was right—you should keep your head covered in colder weather!

And believe it or not, there are actually smart hats available for you to get the most coverage for your noggin!

We love the iLive Beanie (not only because it’s quite fashionable in a cute, wintry way) but because its Bluetooth-enabled speakers connect directly to your smartphone, doubling as a music-listening and hands-free calling device, too!

The internet and smart technology can’t stop Mother Nature’s annual blast of wintry weather. By utilizing these smart devices and a reliable fiber internet connection like Northcentral Connect’s, we bet you’ll cope better than you ever have before!

To learn more about how smart technology and high-speed fiber internet can work together to improve your quality of life and save money, follow Northcentral Connect’s social pages!

Now that the holidays have passed and you’ve opened your gifts and set up your latest tech and coolest new devices, you may wonder if you’re getting the most out of all your new gadgets.

You might be curious about whether that subtle internet service slowdown is caused by your new tech instead of a gremlin or bad weather.

New devices can be incredible, but with new tech comes new potential impacts and complications. You’re probably dealing with head-scratching setups, bandwidth hogs, programming the proper settings, and protecting your privacy. So, we understand that new tech can sometimes be a headache or hassle.

The good news is that you can ensure that your new devices don’t overwhelm your internet. And because you utilize Northcentral Connect’s advanced fiber network, you’ve got a head start on maximizing your new tech’s speeds and innovations.

We’ll discuss some common issues to look out for when setting up new devices and technology in your home. Then, with a few simple steps and adjustments, you’ll be on your way to having the most tech-savvy digs on the block!

Bandwidth Hogging

One of the most common sources of frustration for many internet users is bandwidth hogging.

Bandwidth refers to the amount of data an internet connection can transmit per second. Bandwidth is different from internet speed, which refers to the rate data is transmitted per second. You want high speeds and increased bandwidth capacity for reliable, fast, and productive internet. 

Bandwidth hogging occurs when a device or internet activity uses lots of bandwidth, making everyone else’s internet experience sluggish.

Devices that use a lot of bandwidth include that awesome new smart TV you’ve just set up—especially once you’ve started streaming movies in high definition. 

Or maybe one of your family members has started recording and uploading more videos to TikTok, YouTube, or Instagram from their brand-spanking-new smartphone. That budding at-home cinematographer uploading and downloading videos is another infamous bandwidth hog!

If you’ve noticed an increase in slowdowns or general sluggishness with your internet after setting up new devices or tech at home, bandwidth hogging is a likely culprit.

There are online tools available to analyze bandwidth usage among all your devices and activities that will help identify the source of bandwidth hogging.

Once you’ve confirmed that bandwidth hogging is your problem, consider upgrading your internet’s bandwidth capacity by improving your internet plan. Upgrading your internet speed to 1 gigabyte per second (Gbps) will significantly increase your home’s bandwidth and should meet just about all of your needs.

So contact the knowledgeable and helpful agents at Northcentral Connect for more information about improving your bandwidth. We offer speeds of up to 1 Gbps, dramatically enhancing your home’s internet performance.

Check for Software Updates—and Install Them

Even though you can’t wait to start streaming on your shiny new devices or show them off to your friends, you should do a few things beforehand.

And the very first thing you should do after setting up a new device and connecting it to Northcentral Connect’s fiber network is to run a software update check.

Just about every tech device runs on software and firmware that the manufacturer and programmers regularly improve. Updating software is essential for security, as programmers always work to identify security weaknesses in their code or vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit.

Remember that your new device may have been sitting in a warehouse or store for months before you purchased it—and during that time, the manufacturer may have issued multiple software and firmware updates already! So you must ensure your software is up-to-date.

Most devices have settings that let their systems automatically check for software and security updates. You can also let the system install those updates automatically. Still, many people prefer to be prompted to install them first (especially if you don’t want to be stuck waiting for several minutes or longer for installation to be complete).

We consider staying on top of software, firmware, and security updates a must—it’s simply a step you cannot afford to neglect for any of your devices, old or new.

Location Settings

After updating your software and updating your security, take a few minutes to check your new device’s privacy settings. So much of your online activity leaves a digital trail that you might prefer to reduce.

You can start by turning off your “location.”

Many devices track your physical location—right down to your zip code or street address! Though some apps depend on your actual physical location to operate properly (i.e., navigation, weather, and other map-related apps), plenty of apps do not need your location to work well.

You can adjust your location settings to require permission from certain apps before they start tracking or even hide your location altogether. Every device is different, so check the options in each device’s settings or preferences before proceeding.

Other Privacy Settings

Next, check out other privacy settings and make some common sense adjustments. For example, many devices are digitally “spying” on you, tracking your browsing activities or seeing the kinds of TV series and movies you like to watch.

Smart TVs utilize a technology known as “Automatic Content Recognition” or ACR, which scans the titles of the streaming content you view and transmits that information for digital analysis—which then gets used to better “target” you with ads and other marketing materials.

Yes, we know it sounds creepy (though the practice does reduce the costs of smart TVs).

The good news is that you can altogether disable ACR tracking on your smart TV. Of course, each smart TV is different, so check your device’s settings and follow the prompts to turn it off.

Additionally, some devices are even “listening to you.”

Smart speakers sit around just waiting for their unique “wake word” to be uttered, hearing every sound in its range, including your voice.

Again, each manufacturer’s device is unique, so log in to your account and check out its settings or preferences. For example, you can limit how long to keep your voice recordings (i.e., the questions you ask Alexa or Siri, or Google) or simply turn them off entirely.

Wipe Your Old Tech Before Passing It On!

Finally, don’t forget to take some common sense precautions with your old devices.

It’s tempting to pass an older tablet, smartphone, or smart TV on to your kids or even to sell it. But remember that sensitive information and data could be there, too. And we’re not just talking about your browsing history!

Credit card information, Social Security numbers, and even personal photos can linger digitally for years on old devices.

Be sure to “wipe” the memory off your devices before you sell them, give them away, trade them in, or even trash them (or, preferably, recycle them at an appropriate facility). Look into the settings and features of each device or even invest in an app or other program to safely eliminate all of your data before you get rid of your old device.

And for more helpful tips on using Northcentral Connect’s high-speed fiber internet securely and efficiently, check out our social pages!

These Bandwidth Hogs Slow Your Internet (Unless You Have Fiber)

Many internet users experience a sluggish connection even with “high-speed internet.” They’ve invested in a good Wi-Fi router, perhaps a range extender, and may have even upgraded to a faster internet plan.

So why do they find themselves frequently frustrated by slowdowns and freeze-ups? What about their devices—or internet plan—causes this underwhelming performance? And what, if anything, can people do to reduce or even eliminate these issues?

The most likely culprits behind poor internet performance are bandwidth hogs—devices and online activities that gobble up too much bandwidth and slow down everyone’s internet access.

The good news is Northcentral Connect’s advanced fiber network provides exceptionally high download speeds and the much-overlooked bandwidth capacity that only fiber internet can offer. Combined, fiber’s high speeds and excellent bandwidth can end internet sluggishness.

We discuss bandwidth in greater detail below and explain why every internet customer needs to understand it.

Then, we turn to the most common bandwidth hogs in most people’s homes—devices and online activities—and then explain how Connect’s best speed tiers can help resolve any bandwidth issues.

What Is Bandwidth—and Why Is Higher Bandwidth So Important?

Bandwidth can be confusing. Put simply, bandwidth is the amount of information an internet connection can manage per second.

Bandwidth doesn’t measure a particular internet connection’s rate (or speed). Instead, it’s about the volume of online data a connection can “carry” and transfer at any given time.

High bandwidth levels let internet users accomplish activities like streaming TV shows, participating in video calls, playing online games, and posting to social media simultaneously without any slowdowns.

More bandwidth is indispensable for keeping an active online household productive—and happy!

What Exactly Is a Bandwidth Hog?

A bandwidth hog is a colloquial term for a device or online activity that eats up more than its fair share of bandwidth. It hogs too much bandwidth and greedily takes it from other devices or activities. Keep in mind that everyday web browsing typically has little impact on overall bandwidth use.

Some devices are famous bandwidth hogs. So, just by turning on and connecting to a bandwidth hog, a huge amount of available bandwidth on your internet connection will be used.

And certain activities require excess bandwidth to carry out your needs.  So when even one (or more) bandwidth hogs are activated, the dreaded slowdowns and freeze-ups can occur, leading to frustration and anger in your home!

 Common Household Bandwidth Hogs

Smart TVs

Today’s smart TVs feature enhanced technology that displays amazing picture quality.

High-definition, 4K, and 4K Ultra-HD TVs produce stunning imagery and hog lots of bandwidth in the process. Using your smart TV will devour an enormous slice of your home internet’s bandwidth. If you have limited bandwidth capacity, your smart TV could impact other devices and online activities or even slow down a show you want to watch.

Video Streaming

By far the activity with the most excessive use of bandwidth is streaming video.

Netflix tends to be the top offender, in part due to its popularity and vast library of content. Many people stream shows and movies on other devices like their tablets rather than just their smart TVs. And if you have more than one person in your household—and multiple tablets and phones in use—your bandwidth can easily be hogged just by streaming shows and movies.

And Netflix isn’t the only problem.

Streaming services like TikTok and YouTube also use lots of bandwidth. Posting TikTok videos also compounds the bandwidth problem because it involves sending information from the device to a server, consuming even more bandwidth in the process.

Video Calling

During the Covid-19 pandemic, video conference calling became a daily part of life for many people. Zoom, FaceTime, Skype and other services allowed people to stay connected face-to-face, even across long distances. But video calls are notorious bandwidth hogs.

Voice, text, and video all combine to devour bandwidth—and that’s why you’ve experienced those ridiculous freeze-frame faces during the call!

And remember, with video calling, you are not just receiving data—you are also continuously sending it back to the server (and then to your loved ones’ devices). That accounts for video calling’s massive appetite for bandwidth and why so many video calls end up frustrating people (unless you have fiber internet!).

Online Gaming

Another big-time bandwidth hog is online gaming.

Online gaming is incredibly problematic from a bandwidth perspective because, like video calling, information is shared—from the player back to the server and the server back to the player. It often jams the internet connection for gamers and others in the house.

Higher bandwidth allows this excessive volume of data to transfer with far less latency or other delays. So gamers experiencing lag or freezes will benefit from internet plans and tiers that provide more bandwidth.

What’s the Best Way to Get More Bandwidth?

Well, apart from eliminating bandwidth hogs—the devices and activities you already have and love—your best solution is to upgrade to fiber internet.

DSL, cable, and satellite internet don’t have fiber’s high speeds or bandwidth capacity because fiber’s innovative design and cutting-edge materials allow for data to transfer faster and in much higher volumes.

 If you already have fiber internet and would like to improve your internet service, you should increase your plan’s maximum speeds. With fiber internet, you can select a service tier with 1 gigabyte per second (and possibly more, depending on your provider).

A 1 gigabyte per second tier provides plenty of bandwidth to allow a steady flow of online activity like streaming TV and movies, video calling, online gaming, and social media posting. Just by using fiber internet and upgrading your internet speed, you should easily get all the bandwidth your household needs.

To sum it all up, the more bandwidth an internet connection has, the more information it can send out and get back at any particular moment.

And with fiber’s advanced technology and higher speeds, you’ll have additional bandwidth to disburse throughout your home and among your devices. With fiber’s higher bandwidth capacity, your household can avoid the freeze-ups and slowdowns that still plague so many internet users today.

If you have more questions about how fiber internet and its maximum speeds and higher bandwidth can make a difference in your internet connection, feel free to reach out to the helpful experts at Northcentral Connect. And be sure to check out Northcentral Connect’s social pages to learn more about our fiber network!

You’re probably bombarded by lots of advertising trying to persuade you to switch internet providers. And these ads all promise the same thing—fast, reliable internet at a great price.

However, quality internet service has nothing to do with the spiffy corporate logos and glossy images of smiling faces in marketing materials. At its most fundamental level, the speed and reliability of your internet is based on the kind of technology and quality of materials used to deliver internet into your home.

The most common internet services available today are DSL, coax cable, wireless, satellite, and fiber optic. Though some of these technologies have been around for a long time, they are not created equal.

Given the number of choices, deciding which service is right for you can get confusing. At Northcentral Connect, we take pride in helping our community grow with our powerful fiber network. And we’d like to explain in more detail why fiber internet is the best choice for your home or business.

 Fiber Internet: What It Is, How It Works, and Why It’s the Best Internet Option Out There

Before we compare and contrast fiber to its competitors, we’d like to describe what it is and its advantages in more detail. There are three primary reasons why fiber stands heads and shoulders above the rest: outstanding download speeds, upload speeds, and bandwidth.

 Fiber’s Superior Download Speeds

Fiber is shorthand for “fiber optic” internet. Utilizing fiber optic cable, which consists of hundreds of tightly compacted thin glass strands or “hairs,” fiber internet technology has an enormous capacity to transfer online data. Fiber internet converts internet data—your emails, photos, videos, messages, and everything else you send and receive online—into data packets.

These tiny packets of data are transmitted to your devices through light pulses along fiber’s glass strands. Fiber internet literally transfers online data at the speed of light! This means that fiber’s maximum download speeds can easily hit and exceed 1 gigabyte per second. And fiber’s top download speeds continue to increase as its technology improves.

Fiber’s Exceptional Upload Capabilities

While most people look at download speeds when assessing internet quality, savvy internet customers know to consider upload speeds as well.

Upload speeds refer to the rate at which your devices send data back to other people and servers. High upload speeds are crucial for stable video conferencing and calls (like Zoom or FaceTime), posting on social media (especially for online videos like on TikTok), and online gaming.

Because of its cutting-edge material composition and sophisticated system design, fiber internet has a great capacity to download and upload data in equivalent measures.

Techy folks call this “symmetrical internet,”—and no other technology currently has fiber’s ability to deliver it so well. Fiber’s technology provides equally fast download and upload speeds through its outstanding symmetrical internet capability.

Fiber’s Massive Bandwidth Capacity

Last but certainly not least, fiber internet has far greater bandwidth capacity than other forms of internet.

Bandwidth is often confused with speed, so let us clarify: bandwidth is the quantity of data and information an internet connection can handle over a specific time (usually per second). Higher bandwidth is critical in households with multiple devices—and for families that like to stream movies, regularly post and view online videos, and enjoy online gaming.

Because of more bandwidth, fiber internet providers typically have no data caps, so you won’t have to worry about end-of-month slowdowns.

ISPs employing older technology (like the kinds discussed below) are far more likely to have plans that sneak data caps into their services. With fiber and its vast bandwidth capacity, you seldom have to worry about data caps hindering your internet!

 Fiber’s Rivals Just Can’t Keep Up

Fiber transmits data faster and more reliably than other internet options that rely on older infrastructure and materials designed for other purposes like telephone or television. That makes fiber a faster and more dependable internet service for your home.

While the other options on this list may have fast download speeds—or even claim to match some of fiber’s speeds—no other current technology has either the upload speed or bandwidth capacity of fiber. 

Below are the four main alternatives to fiber internet available today. We briefly describe them—and explain why they fall short of fiber’s outstanding capabilities.

DSL

DSL, short for “Digital Subscriber Line,” is one of the earliest forms of “high-speed” internet.

Built on the copper wiring used for landline telephone service for decades, it can achieve maximum download speeds of around 100 megabytes per second—or about 10% of fiber’s typical 1 gigabyte per second rate.

DSL is still found in many small towns and rural areas that don’t have access to fiber. But since DSL’s maximum speeds are just a tenth of fiber’s, DSL doesn’t even come close to matching fiber.

Coax (Cable)

Next, we turn to the most common alternative to fiber available today: cable.

Short for coaxial cable, “coax” uses copper-based wires to transmit internet signals. While cable is an improvement over DSL, it uses a technology created to send television signals, not internet data. Consequently, cable’s copper wiring doesn’t have the “capacity” to transmit data nearly as well as fiber, especially regarding uploading and upload speeds.

And fiber’s speeds are just astounding, up to 10-to-20 times faster than cable. Cable’s copper wiring just can’t keep up with fiber. So when you add in cable’s relatively poor bandwidth capabilities, it’s clear that fiber internet leaves cable in the dust!

Wireless Broadband (or Fixed Wireless Internet)

Another internet option is wireless broadband. The name can be confusing, as WiFi provides your own home with “wireless” internet, but in this case, wireless internet offers service to customers through cell phone towers with 4G and 5G signals.

Because cell phone towers are increasingly common in areas without other telecommunication or cable infrastructure, they may be a good option for people living in remote areas.

 However, wireless internet cannot compete with the high speeds delivered by fiber and here’s why.

Your home or business’s distance from the wireless cell phone tower will impact the speed and stability of your internet—and probably leave you frustrated. In addition, wireless broadband’s signal is easily obstructed by other buildings and structures or affected by the weather and other environmental impacts.

Due to fiber’s “hard-wiring,” those obstructions simply don’t apply, letting fiber’s light-speed data transmission deliver outstanding service. 

Starlink

 Starlink, a relatively new company, owned by SpaceX, provides satellite internet to remote areas, including many rural areas in the United States.

Starlink’s low-orbit space satellites provide faster speed capabilities than other satellite internet technology. But Starlink is still hampered by the same quality and consistency problems that plague all satellite internet options, including weather interference and other atmospheric factors.

While Starlink may improve previous kinds of satellite internet, it just can’t provide as reliable a signal as fiber’s advanced “hard-wired” infrastructure and technology regularly does.

Other Factors to Consider

So what, if any, are the downsides of fiber internet? Well, the biggest downside to fiber is that it’s not available everywhere. The good news is that more and more communities are accessing fiber, including rural and smaller communities.

Another consideration is that fiber’s highest download speeds per second—usually a gigabyte per second—can be pricey, meaning some people may not as easily afford to max out on fiber’s outstanding benefits. But even fiber’s more modest speeds are still faster and more reliable than the other forms of service currently available, making any fiber internet plan an excellent value.

As you can see from the above comparisons, fiber clearly delivers superior internet at greater speeds and with more consistent reliability than any other option. It’s the best choice for high-speed internet on the market today.

If you have other questions about fiber internet and how it can help make you more productive, the friendly support team at Northcentral Connect is available to help. And be sure to follow Northcentral Connect’s social pages to learn more about our fiber network!