Thanks to cell phones, 5G wireless internet is an increasingly popular option for connectivity. What started as 5G for roaming has turned into 5G for the home, with the cell phone signal used as the primary means of internet at home and away. However, when it comes to your home internet, what's the difference between using your cell phone signal and data vs. having a dedicated fiber connection to your home?
The main difference is in how the connection reaches your home. Fiber signal comes into the home through a dedicated line, acting as a private highway for your data. 5G uses a wireless signal broadcast from a cell tower over the airwaves that is shared by everyone utilizing the same tower for connection. The way the internet connection comes into the home impacts everything else, which is why fiber is widely considered superior to 5G wireless. Let's dig a little deeper into the how and why:
1. Superior Speed and Consistency: Fiber offers a stable, dedicated connection, and more than enough bandwidth to go around. With fiber, you also get synchronous speeds, which means you get the same upload and download speeds - not possible on other types of networks. In contrast, 5G is typically asynchronous, with much slower upload speeds. The speed you are promised with fiber is the speed you will consistently receive, unlike 5G which can slow down based on external factors.
2. Ultra-Low Latency: When even a few milliseconds matter — scenarios such as competitive gaming, video conferencing, or real-time trading — fiber's near-zero latency is a significant advantage that 5G cannot match.
3. Reliability and Stability: A fiber connection is impervious to weather such as rain, snow, and wind, which can disrupt a wireless signal, and doesn’t suffer from network congestion brought on by mobile users. This means it is a far more dependable connection for everything from work-from-home demands to security cameras.
4. Network Security: Fiber is the most secure form of internet available as it is buried in the ground and is extremely difficult to intercept without detection. Fiber signals move at the speeds of light, and physically tapping into a fiber-optic cable is basically impossible to do without disruption to the light signal. Fiber-optic cables also don’t radiate electromagnetic energy, making it so hackers can’t use remote equipment to intercept the data from a distance – a common technique for wiretapping. In contrast to fiber, while 5G does incorporate encryption, wireless signals can still be intercepted. Despite the improved security of 5G networks, vulnerabilities and attack avenues do still exist for motivated bad actors wanting to intercept data.
There’s no denying that 5G is the best option for our phones, but as far as your home internet connection goes, industry experts will agree that it can’t beat a dedicated fiber connection’s speed, reliability, and overall value.