In an age when remote work is a key element of many people’s professional lives, fast and reliable internet service is more important than ever. Even those who work a hybrid schedule need a high-performance connection for days they work from home.
That’s where fiber internet comes in. This powerful technology is the emerging gold standard for internet service today, and it offers big advantages for anyone who works from home. Ahead, we’ll talk about the benefits of fiber internet for remote workers and why it might be time to switch.
1. Fiber’s average speeds are substantially faster than cable or DSL.
Fiber’s most commonly cited benefit is its speed advantage over cable and DSL. Gigabit fiber packages, which offer close to 1,000 Mbps data speeds on both download and upload, are a popular offering from fiber providers. These speed upgrades make it possible to download bulky files in seconds, making fiber an excellent choice for remote workers.
Not all fiber is gigabit, and available fiber speeds will depend on the level of fiber infrastructure in your area. (You’ll also need the right hardware, like a fiber-ready router, to take full advantage of fiber’s higher speeds.) Fiber isn’t automatically faster, so it’s always worth comparing your local ISP’s fiber speeds against their traditional cable offerings. However, the most critical value of fiber for remote workers is often in aspects like reliability, symmetrical speeds, and low latency — all of which we’ll discuss further.
2. Fiber connections are more reliable than traditional broadband.
Glass fiber-optic cables deliver a big upgrade in reliability from the copper wires that power traditional broadband. Fiber cables have a long lifespan and are invulnerable to the electrical interference that can affect copper cables. Factors such as weather events that can disrupt copper-based connections are rarely a problem for fiber.
The reliability of fiber internet helps reduce downtime for your home internet connection. That means less apologizing for disconnected Zoom calls and less need to run to a coffee shop when your meeting is in 20 minutes and your internet has cut out. Fiber can still experience downtime issues if (for example) a cable is damaged, but overall, it’s a major step up in resilience from cable or DSL.
3. Symmetrical up and down speeds are ideal for video calls and uploading files.
Many traditional broadband connections provide upload speeds much slower than their download speeds. That’s not a problem if you mostly use your internet connection for basic web browsing and media streaming, but it can be a significant issue for anyone who works from home. Joining video calls and uploading big files are fundamental parts of the job for most remote workers, and sluggish upload speeds can wreak havoc on these functions.
Fiber, by contrast, provides upload and download speeds that are close to symmetrical. That makes it ideal for remote workers, who will appreciate fiber’s robust upload performance for teleconferencing, collaboration apps, and other 21st-century business tools.
4. Fiber offers lower-latency connections than other types of broadband.
A related benefit of fiber service is that its connections tend to have extremely low latency. Latency, sometimes known as lag, is the time that it takes data packets to travel to their destination via an internet connection. Jittery video, web applications that load slowly or not at all, and frequent buffering in media streams are all classic symptoms of a high-latency connection.
Because fiber connections transmit information through ultra-fast light pulses, data packets can travel farther faster, creating a low-latency connection over extreme distances. It’s the perfect technology for the age of remote collaboration, enabling you to give your best effort even when you’re hundreds of miles from your coworkers.
5. Fiber cables are inherently more secure than copper coaxials.
Working remotely often involves sending sensitive data back and forth over the internet, so a secure connection is critical. Here, again, fiber offers a built-in advantage: Fiber optic cables are much more difficult to physically alter than coaxial cables. Techniques such as cable tapping and jamming are basically impossible with fiber optics, adding another layer of protection against cybercrime.
Of course, many of the biggest cybersecurity threats, such as phishing and malicious downloads, target vectors other than your internet connection itself. That means you’ll still need to follow the usual data security best practices even when using a fiber connection. All in all, however, fiber gives you one less factor to worry about when it comes to data security.
6. In many areas, the price of fiber is comparable to traditional broadband.
A fiber connection was once a luxury, but that’s changing rapidly. Many of today’s fiber-enabled ISPs offer fiber service packages at or near the price point for standard cable broadband. While you’ll want to evaluate each package on its own merits, it’s worth looking into the deals available now, especially if the price of fiber has previously been an issue for you.
Your current ISP is a fine place to start. Check their website to see if they offer fiber service in your area, making sure to look up your specific address. In addition, a number of independent ISPs are competing with industry giants to offer fiber service, so it’s definitely a good idea to expand your search beyond the largest providers.
7. Your employer may subsidize some or all of the cost of a fiber connection — or you may be able to write it off on your taxes.
Many employers provide an internet stipend for their remote or hybrid workers, since broadband internet is essential for remote work. A stipend can make fiber substantially more affordable, so if your employer offers one, it’s a great reason to get the ball rolling on upgrading to fiber.
For the self-employed, you might be able to deduct the cost of fiber internet service on your income taxes. (W-2 employees unfortunately can’t.) The process can be a little complex, since it requires documenting how often you use your internet for business versus personal purposes. However, if you don’t mind the extra paperwork, it can offer another tool for getting affordable fiber for your home office.
As companies worldwide continue to expand remote or hybrid positions, fiber will play a key role in ensuring all employees have high-performance broadband connections. If fiber is available in your area, now is a great time to get on board. Once you’ve experienced remote work on a fast fiber connection, you’ll never look back.
