What hardware is needed for ATT fiber?
It’s important to understand how fiber comes into the house when discussing the AT&T Internet that’s being offered to consumers.
For those to wonder how fiber optic internet service enters your home, it involves the installation of fiber optic cables either buried or strung from the closest telecom facility to your home.
It all begins at the Provider Hub
Fiber optic internet service begins from a main hub location which is obtained by a broadband provider. This is the location where all the fiber optic cables coming to the homes and various companies in the area end. At the hub, the powerful routers and switches can assist in the efficient management of Internet traffic.
They have POPs in dense population concentrations and in most cases, they interconnect with the broader regional and national fiber transmission networks to access the World Wide Web. Well, the first thing that you need to be connected to fiber is your locality being connected to the nearest ‘hub site’.
Burial of Fiber Optics or Aerial Placement
Fiber optic cables are also pulled from the hub site through conduits or to utility poles in the local areas. The most protection as well as aesthetic is by burying cables while aerial fiber on power poles is cheaper and easy to maintain since they are more accessible.
Whenever it is feasible, providers make use of existing underground ducting or aerial pole plants. If none is available, they lay new conduits or poles that transport fibers to the new areas of neighborhoods. The fiber lines are then positioned using trenching equipment or aerial lifts.
When it comes to the connection to main fiber lines, the subject matter refers to the following.
When the main fiber optic line has been extended to your street or your compound for that matter, the provider has to terminate it at the terminal that supplies your home. If fiber is aerial, a drop line is pulled from a pole to the outside of your home, usually through the window. For the underground fiber, a smaller duct is placed from the property boundary to your home.
Installing the ONT
Fiber has now extended to your home; the next exciting part is placing the Optical Network Terminal or ONT. This small box which is fibre optic converts the light signals that are being sent through the fibre optic line into electrical signals that can be used by the various home devices.
The ONT is fitted on the inner or outer walls of your house or at least in the section where the fiber line ends. Using a small hole in the wall, the provider proceeds to pull the fiber cable to be connected to the ONT. Power is also taken to the ONT to ensure that the equipment is always running to enable it to perform its monitoring role.
Connected the Premises for Internet
That is where fiber comes inside the house to the Optical Network Terminal (ONT), and the last leg is the distribution of connectivity to the devices within the house. There are two main options for connecting the ONT to your router.
- 1. Ethernet Cable – A Category 5e or Cat6 Ethernet cable should be used to provide a straight connection between the ONT and the Router. This offers faster speeds.
- 2. Coaxial Cable – This means certain providers can connect you through the coaxial TV cables to cable-ready routers/modems. This uses MOCA technology.
- Whichever the case, a router is required to transmit wireless signals within the home for all your gadgets to connect to the high-speed fiber internet. In large homes, a specific type of WiFi system called a mesh WiFi system may be suggested to cover all areas. Extra cabling, often in wired Ethernet format, can also be directed to fixed equipment.
And that’s it! When the provider takes cables with fiber optics to the terminal points within the homes, the potential customers scattered across the neighborhoods enjoy dumb fast internet connection. This process begins with the provider and moves to the wireless coverage convenience of each room. Make a call to fiber internet service providers operating in your area to find out whether they offer fiber connection for homes and decide on when they can come and connect you.
Upgrade to faster, more reliable AT&T Fiber Internet today! Call us at +1 844-905-5002 and get connected with speeds that keep you ahead.
