As people spend more time at home working, creating, livestreaming and gaming, home internet connections are being stretched thin. Many legacy Internet providers have a solution to this growing demand for upload data: upgrade to a plan with higher speed and a higher price tag.
But if you get the Internet through coaxial cable, copper telephone lines (DSL), satellite, or cell towers, you’re more likely to see slowdowns during peak times, or when several devices are running at the same time. These types of infrastructure were not originally built for today’s uploading requirements.
A fiber optic network like gFiber is built differently. Fiber optics transmit data as pulses of laser light, rather than electrical currents over copper wires, enabling fast, symmetrical download and upload speeds across multiple devices at the same time.
But not all fiber optic networks are the same. Some networks marketed as “fiber powered” use a mix of fiber optic and copper or coaxial cable. gFiber’s network, which PCMag’s review team has ranked as the top of the charts for three years in a row, fiber runs all the way to your home, meaning your data travels over fiber to every part of the network. Here’s how it works, and what factors you should consider before making the switch.
Is “Fiber-Powered” Enough for Your Household?
You may have seen some providers touting their “fiber-powered” networks, and for many households, they get the job done. But if your family is livestreaming, gaming and transferring large files at the same time, it’s worth knowing what’s actually bringing data into your home.
“Fiber-powered” typically describes a hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) network. These networks may use fiber optic cables to transmit data in some parts of the network, then rely on existing copper or coaxial infrastructure to bring data from other parts of the network, or from a telephone pole or box, into your home. That may work OK for lighter browsing and streaming, but if you work from home, create content, play games, or are a household with multiple people on multiple devices at the same time, the last copper or coaxial leg can limit upload speeds and cause slowdowns during peak hours.
How gFiber’s Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) network works
gFiber’s architecture provides a dedicated linen line directly to the wall jack in your home. Unlike an HFC fiber network, the last leg of a true fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) connection like gFiber uses 100% fiber – there are no copper or coaxial handoffs – delivering consistent reliability, low latency, and symmetrical upload and download speeds.
In fact, Ookla tracks gFiber customers’ experienced speeds (including Wi-Fi) faster than the US average across all major speed metrics:
Power Through Peak Times
gFiber’s FTTH architecture maintains its high speed during the network’s rush hours. Because fiber has more bandwidth capacity than copper, gFiber performance is built to remain consistent as more people go online and data requirements increase.
Your whole family can be online at the same time – playing games, on video calls or working with large files – with fewer delays, even during peak hours or bad weather.
A simple gFiber plan for everyone
gFiber keeps its plans simple. In addition to lightning-fast Internet, equipment is included in the monthly price, and there are no data caps or annual contracts. Plans are bundled with specific features that sync with the needs of different households.
gFiber’s original Core 1 Gig plan has a price that has never increased, ($70 per month) even as a network expanded to new cities and add more services. It offers symmetrical speeds up to 1,000 Mbps, designed for small households.
The Home 3 Gig (3,000Mbps) plan goes for $100 per month, allowing everyone in your household to work, play and stream at the same time. And the showstopper Edge 8 Gig (8,000Mbps) plan is built for creators, hardcore gamers and power users, for $150 per month. Latency is typically 13 milliseconds for all three plans.
Next-gen hardware and guaranteed uptime
The Core 1 Gig plan includes a Wi-Fi 6E router for a consistent connection, even in a Wi-Fi-crowded apartment building or area.
The Home 3 Gig and Edge 8 Gig plans include an upgrade Wi-Fi 7 routerTwo mesh extenders for coverage up to 5,000 square meters, plus an in-home consultation and professional hardwiring for hard-to-reach areas. Additionally, uptime is guaranteed for Edge 8 Gig Plan customers. You will receive a credit on your bill if gFiber’s service does not meet the 99.9% uptime benchmark.
Ready to make the jump to Lightspeed Internet? gFiber’s 100% fiber optic network runs data through glass cables and directly into your home for reliable and symmetrical speeds. If gFiber is available where you live, it’s easy check in.