Fiber Frequently Asked Questions
- Which is Better - Fiber Optics or Wireless?
- What are Fiber Optics
- How does it Work
- How fast can it be?
- What construction must be done?
- Can I get a Subsidy of funding for my project?
- Is it reliable and secure?
- What about IP addresses?
- How do I get more information?
Which is Better - Fiber Optics or Wireless?
Wireless networks are ALWAYS plugged into either a fiber optic or a Copper broadband connection on the other end. Wireless networks cannot be faster than the wire they are plugged into.
Many of the local wireless companies use WindWave Fiber Optics in part or in whole for their connection to their antenna towers, or to the Internet. ALL use fiber optics in some fashion to connect their network.
A fiber optic strand is a piece of glass, about the size of a human hair, which allows light through it over long distances.
Click here for a detailed explanation
Scientists have tested the maximum speed between North America and England over the Trans-Atlantic telecom fibers. The top speed they have acheived is 1.2 Terabytes per second.
To get perspective on Terabytes, here is a table...
| Medium | Speed | Time to download 1 - 6Mb MP3 song |
| Dial-up | 56kb/s - 56000 bits | 14 minutes |
| DSL | 1.5 Mb/s - 1,500,000 | 72 seconds |
| Fiber Optic DS3 / OC3 | 45 Mb/s - 45,000,000 bits per second | 1.06 seconds |
FiberOptics - (proven maximum) |
1.2 TB = 1,200,000 Mb/s - 1,200,000,000,000 bits per second | 0.000000000000000048 seconds |
(Editors note: Realistically, nobody has their web page on a 1.2 terabyte connection, so you can't buy this speed today on the market. Sorry. - the Mgmt.)
What construction must be done?
This depends highly on how close you are to the existing fiber. All construction has the basics of bringing a small fiber optic cable to your facility. Underground or overhead wiring come into your facility, is 'terminated' inside the building, a patch cord connects the outside fiber to the inside fiber equipment (Cisco switch or Optical Solutions box, for commercial or residential service, respectively.)
This equipment will connect to your existing equipment, computer, tv, or phone, as they are currently - no massive changes to make.
Can I get a Subsidy of funding for my project?
In some cases, Rural development grants, Erate, and other awards can be applied, depending on your qualifications. See www.USAC.org for more information
Fiber Optics are radio wave, water, and interference resistant. Unlike Copper wiring, Fiber is not affected by radio or water issues. Fiber is known for being much less expensive to maintain, and has a lifetime of about 30-60 years.
Security is excellent on fiber. With copper, one can physically splice into your cable and eavesdrop on the network. WIth Fiber, you must break the fiber to splice into it, and you need to purchase a $14,000 fusion splicer to connect to it.
We recommend strongly that all users purchase a firewall or firewall software, along with antivirus and antispam solutions.
WindWave has it's own Public IP addresses to assign to you. These are allocated to us, independant of other upstream providers. This means that when you change to our IP address scheme, you do not have to change it again until you decide to move from WindWave to another provider.
Residential customers recieve a private IP address for each device, unless they would like to purchase a public IP address from us.
How do I get more information?
Contact us at sales@windwave.org