How does fiber optic internet work?

Fiber internet, which transmits data as light through flexible glass tubes, is a tried-and-true technology. It is durable, far-reaching, fast, and easy to install in your home.

We’ll dive further into how fiber optic internet works, so you can decide if it’s the right fit for you.

What is fiber optic technology?

Fiber optic technology transmits data as flashes of light through strands of clear glass or plastic. What’s groundbreaking about fiber optic technology is not only how quickly it can send data but also how consistently it can do so without degrading the signal over extremely long distances.

Fiber optic is a wire of light, in essence. It’s composed of a core, cladding, buffer coating, strengthening materials, and an outer jacket. At the center, or core, of the fiber optic wire is a bundle of ultra-thin, clear glass or plastic strands. Like a rope is composed of thousands of tiny threads, a fiber optic wire contains countless threads of transparent fiber — all acting as little tubes for light to pass through.

The cladding on a fiber optic wire directly surrounds the glass core. It’s reflective to keep the light data inside the fibers and bouncing toward its destination. Around that is the first of its protective coatings, a thin plastic to keep outdoor elements from reaching the core.

That’s your basic fiber optic wire, but most will also have strengthening coatings. For the most brutal of applications, some fiber optic wires are coated in Kevlar — the same material used in bulletproof vests. These shields help the wire stay flexible while avoiding damage from sharp objects or other forces that might puncture, bend, or break the cord.

Finally, an outer waterproof jacket protects everything underneath from the sun’s UV rays and dangers like rain, dirt, and insects.

How and why was fiber optic technology invented?

In the 1960s, physicist Dr. Charles K. Kao discovered that glass fibers could transmit light signals over long distances without losing strength. This capability was picked up for military, medical, and communications uses in the ‘70s.

Once fiber optic internet connections were developed in the ‘90s, they were installed only at large businesses and cutting-edge tech companies. As the fiber infrastructure spread out from major cities, it became a choice for residential use in the early 2000s. The way fiber optic works has proven so valuable to modern life that in 2024, fiber optic internet is already available to 43% of the country — and expanding daily.

How does fiber optic internet transmit data?

Fiber optic internet transmits data by converting digital information, or data, to signals of flashing light that travel inside a clear wire from your device to the internet and back again.

The fiber internet process begins when data, such as loading a website or streaming a video, is converted into light signals. This conversion happens in an Optical Network Terminal (ONT) device at your home, which takes the digital data and transforms it into pulses of light.

Next, these light pulses are sent through the core of the fiber-optic cable, which is made of crystal-clear glass or plastic. The core’s design allows light to travel and the coatings around the core keep the data contained and protected.

As these light pulses move through the fiber, they bounce off the cladding and are contained in the wire through a process known as “total internal reflection.” Fiber optic data travel long distances without losing speed or quality.

When the light signals reach their destination, like a data center, the ONT converts the light pulses back into digital data. This data is then used by a server, computer, smartphone, or other device at the other end to load the content you requested.Then it all happens again, in reverse, thousands of times a second at the speed of light.

Fiber optic internet works by using the power of light to transmit data quickly and efficiently, providing a fast and stable connection that’s perfect for streaming, gaming, working, and more.

How is fiber different from cable, DSL, and other internet connections?

We already know how fiber works, but other technologies currently available use other means to transmit data.

• Coaxial Cable internet uses copper coaxial wires built for television transmission, so it hits speeds of up to 500Mbps or so, but can’t approach fiber’s multi Gbps speed. Gbps+.

• DSL (digital subscriber line) uses thin copper-wire telephone lines and is slower than cable.

• Satellite internet beams data back and forth between your home’s dish and the satellite orbiting the earth — this can be high-latency, high-cost, and easily disrupted by weather and data caps.

Another benefit of fiber is that its high speeds run equally in both directions. Other common networks, like cable and DSL, are asymmetrical, meaning they typically send data quicker in one direction (download) than in the other (upload). That can be problematic for gaming, live-streaming, and working from home.

What are the components of a fiber optic network?

The components of a fiber optic network include:

• The optical fibers and wires themselves

• Transmitters and receivers that send and take in the ultra-fast data between ISPs and data centers

• ONTs transform data back and forth from light to data so your home devices can communicate with the fiber network

• Signal boosters that can be used by ISPs to extend range and boost speed

• Local fiber distribution terminals that connect the fiber lines of multiple households or neighborhoods to a mainline running back to the ISP

Types of Fiber Connections (FTTH, FTTB, FTTC)

There are three main types of fiber connections that you’ll come across as you’re browsing your options: FTTH, FTTB, and FTTC. Let’s take a closer look at each type and how they work.

Fiber to the Home (FTTH)

FTTH (Fiber to the Home) is the most direct fiber connection available to residential customers. In the FTTH setup, the fiber optic cable runs directly from the service provider’s central network to your home or apartment.

That means the entire connection is fiber, so you get the highest speed and most reliable service. FTTH is considered the gold standard for residential internet, offering symmetrical upload and download speeds that easily exceed 1 Gbps.

Fiber to the Building (FTTB)

FTTB (Fiber to the Building) refers to fiber brought into a multi-household hub or something like an apartment complex, office center, hotel, or commercial center.

In this setup, fiber runs into a communication room or other central location, then branches out to individual subscribers. Those branches might be more fiber — but they might also be cable or DSL-style wires making the final leg from the hub to your desk.

Unfortunately, this means you may not get the full benefits of fiber. Speed and reliability might max out at what the copper wires can handle. While this is an efficient way to bring fast internet to a lot of subscribers, it’s not the optimal way to bring fiber to consumers since it stops short of complete, end-to-end fiber transmission.

Fiber to the Curb/Cabinet (FTTC)

FTTC (Fiber to the Curb/Cabinet) brings fiber-optic cables to a street-level utility box or a curb near a group of homes or buildings. Like FTTB, the final connection to your home might travel over non-fiber lines, so speed degradation can occur.

Traditional copper wiring typically covers the distance from the cabinet to the individual homes. While FTTC delivers faster speeds than traditional DSL, it doesn’t offer the same high speeds or reliability as FTTH or FTTB because the final connection to the home still relies on copper, which is more prone to signal degradation over distance.

What do I need to run fiber optic internet?

Fiber optic internet is installed by connecting your home to the ISP’s fiber network (at the house, building, or curb) and then connecting the fiber ONT device to your home network.

The ONT, is provided by your ISP to convert the light signals from the fiber optic cable into data that your home’s devices can use. Your ISP may also install a fiber distribution terminal outside your home to ensure a strong, stable connection.

A modern Wi-Fi router and manager (Gateway) is necessary to handle the high speeds of fiber internet. This is also usually provided or available from your ISP.

Is fiber internet right for me?

The way fiber internet works allows it to generate the fastest, most reliable connection.

If fiber internet is available in your area, there’s no reason not to choose it over cable, DSL, or other options for home connectivity. It has many benefits that make it a good option for a variety of customers.

The only thing left to do is choose the right fiber internet provider.

Consider Kinetic for your fiber internet needs. We provide 99.9% reliability and plans that offer multi Gbps speeds, Whether you’re a gamer, streamer, or work-from-homer, our high-speed fiber internet keeps you online when it matters most(99.9% Service Availability: As measured by Windstream from March 2023 to March 2024, Kinetic service reliability is calculated by dividing Available Customer Hours by Total Customer Hours, excluding planned maintenance, emergencies (like hurricanes, winter storms, floods), and other uncontrollable events).

Find out if fiber internet is available in your area today!

How does fiber internet work? FAQs

How does fiber internet connect to your house?

The internet service provider (ISP) connects their fiber optic cable from their nearby network hub to your home’s external fiber terminal. That line brings the connection indoors to the receiver ONT. Replacing your old modem, the ONT converts the fiber optic’s light signals into digital data for your home Wi-Fi router to beam out to all your devices.

What equipment is needed for fiber optic internet?

Fiber optic internet requires an ONT, instead of a modem, which is provided by your ISP. You also need a home Wi-Fi router that can handle the speeds of fiber internet. Kinetic provides an Internet Gateway, which is essentially an ONT and router, combined.

Your ISP may install a special fiber optic terminal on or outside your home to receive their fiber connection. If you are in a far-out spot, they may also add a signal booster.

How long does fiber optic take to install?

Depending on whether fiber is already laid in your area, setting up whole home Wi-Fi can be a very quick process and take under an hour. More advanced installations may take a couple of hours.

Either way, Kinetic offers FREE whole home Wi-Fi set-up to our customers, so you can rest assured everything is installed correctly from the beginning.