Home materials options: fiber, plastic, or glass.
Home materials options: fiber, plastic, or glass.
I've been considering upgrading our family home's internet setup. Currently, we use Wi-Fi with a Cat 6 cable that runs outside in a rather messy manner. If I were to change it... I aim for something that can handle the future. That means fiber optic connections. The challenge is there isn't a single standard method. It looks like two main paths exist: plastic optical fiber, which is all about proprietary solutions and easy installation, and glass optical fiber, which is more standardized but can be tricky to install. Going completely wireless has its pros and cons. There are people who have tried these technologies at home—would you mind if I ask? We're a family of four adults: my parents and my sister. We all watch a lot of video and use cloud backups. Having the ability to eliminate physical cables would be great, especially since we already have a smart home setup that's growing. It would save us money on both cable TV and internet bills.
Opt for the existing cat cables—they’re simple to set up and support up to 10 gigabits per second.
Are you satisfied with the Cat 6 cable you have? If you anticipate needing more than 10Gbps in the near future, fiber might be worth exploring. It’s unlikely that any typical consumer gadgets will ship with speeds exceeding 10Gbps anytime soon, as 10Gbps is still emerging in the consumer market. For longer runs or tough environments, affordable and durable Ethernet cables are reliable choices and should hold up well. Fiber demands extra care at every connection point. While an OM3 cable from FS.com supports a 7.5mm bend radius, it’s not necessary unless you specifically need it. If your only goal is ultra-fast point-to-point links between a few devices, consider DAC cables and budget Mellanox NICs—40G and 100G can be affordable for multiple machines, though not ideal over long distances. For your situation, investing in quality rugged Ethernet throughout your home is sensible, along with enabling 10G on any wired device. Ethernet remains the most common standard for household use. If you’re interested in fiber, budget-friendly channels and cables are available under $20 for short-distance point-to-point setups, but it’s not practical for a full house installation.
Ten gig feels big now, but it won’t be that way in ten years. Around my location, 2 gig FTTH is offered at a high cost. Docsis 3.1 for 1 GB is also accessible at a more affordable rate. I’d rather not replace everything with Cat 6 just to avoid slowing down my internal network.
I value these precise suggestions. Picture... after installing these cables, it will last perhaps 10 to 20 years or more. At the moment, my Cat 6 setup should suffice. What trends will shape consumers in 10 to 15 years? (For our customers or anyone we serve). We’re beyond predicting. It might simply be that connecting so many devices—smart and interactive—creates a demand for ultra-high bandwidth. Maybe we’ll see streaming at 16K VR levels.
What a puzzling question! People still prefer traditional setups despite the benefits of full fiber. It seems like a big leap without clear advantages. Go Cat6
I have gone cat 6. I am just thinking about what should come after cat 6. Your comment does speak to the point that... there is no one standard of fiber to go to. Most devices consumer (and pro) don't natively support fiber. So I would have to run fiber from the cable company's CPE to each room or wifi router then adapt it to ethernet. At least in the near future. So I guess I'll just run with my Cat 6 until it breaks.
The challenge with "future proofing" lies in our uncertainty about future requirements. If you commit upfront and have a setup that supports fiber throughout while allowing flexibility for Ethernet connections on certain devices, it becomes feasible. Fiber wall plates are affordable, and pre-terminated cables save time and effort compared to custom lengths. OM4 fiber still offers 100G speeds beyond roughly 100 meters. To succeed, maintain adequate bend radius and avoid cable tension inside walls to simplify upkeep. Using cable raceway corners helps organize multiple cables at a single point. While not the most economical choice due to cost and limited compatible devices, it’s doable for a project or specific needs. If you already plan to leverage fiber, it’s worth exploring; otherwise, consider other alternatives first.
I would be interested to hear and certainly would not be the only one that would benefit from such a posting. This would be a medium term project. This house is kinda old and needs a repipe. Since the walls will be open... might as well get it done now if it's going to get done ever.