More and more often we hear about fiber optics. But what is it really? And what is fiber used for?

In recent years, more and more companies and individuals have opted for the use of optical fiber, a new technology that allows data to be transmitted at a very high speed. It represents a valid alternative to ADSL, the most widespread system to date.

Thanks to new investments in infrastructure by telephone companies, the fiber optic network in Italy has had extensive development and is continuously improving, despite the natural geographical conformation and the lack of a basic infrastructure in some areas, such as the islands .

Fiber Optic: what it is and how it works

The optical fiber is a particular  data transmission  tool which uses, unlike the copper cable or twisted pair, more complex materials, such as for example the filaments of glass fiber or plastic polymers protected by a rubber sheath capable of reflecting light, which makes them lighter and more resistant.

This allows, thanks to its capillary shape, to transfer more rapidly, through a light-type signal, a lot of information at the same time compared to a normal copper cable. Therefore, more data for less time unit.

The main characteristics that make fiber the pioneer of high-speed data transmission today are:

• the lightness,
• the flexibility
• immunity to electrical noise or changes in atmospheric conditions (such as temperature changes).

It is precisely these peculiarities that make optical fiber efficient and that allow it to have significantly higher performances than those obtained with the use of the classic copper twisted pair. In fact, precisely for this reason, data transfer via fiber cable:

• does not experience any decrease in signal over distance,
• uses a higher frequency band.

This allows to reach a high transmission speed between the various devices used for the transmission and reception of signals such as:

• modem-router created ad hoc for fiber optic networks,
• server,
• infrastructure of telephone operators.

To allow a high and effective transmission of data and information it is important that the connection speed is not negatively influenced by external factors.

In fact, there are 3 categories of factors that can affect the normal  performance  of the fiber:

• problems due to hardware , such as an outdated PC or operating system;
• software problems  such as the presence of malicious software, too much traffic on a certain site or many connected devices;
• structural problems  affecting the system, such as the quality of the copper pair.

In fact, even in the presence of a fiber optic connection, it may happen that part of the connection is made up of a copper pair and this can negatively affect the total transmission speed.

Precisely for this reason it is important to make some clarifications between two types of connection structures:

• Fiber to the Cabinet (FTTC)  in which the connection is formed by a fiber optic hybrid part and a copper twisted pair part. In this typology, in fact, the fiber cable starts from the exchange and reaches the street cabinet, i.e. the exchange from which the various copper pairs branch off and enter the various buildings and individual apartments. With this type of connection you can reach, on average, a maximum download speed of 100Mbit/s.
• Fiber to the Home (FTTH)  is the connection made entirely with optical fiber from the central unit to the individual apartments. It represents the most widespread in Italy and allows you to reach a speed of up to 200 Mega, 300 Mega or 1 Giga.

Fiber Optic and ADSL: what’s the difference?

The difference between optical fiber and ADSL is exclusively “physical”, i.e. relating to the connection cables used. ADSL cable is made up of copper, referred to as a twisted pair. Instead, the fiber one is made up of thin glass fiber filaments.

The data transmission speed is given precisely by this difference:

• for the ADS connection the maximum speed that can be reached is 20Mbit/s and 1Mbit/s in upload.
• with fiber in FTTH, it is possible to reach 1 Gigabit in download instead. For fiber in FTTC the download speed can reach 300 Mbit/s, 200 Mbit/s or 100Mbit/s.

Another difference may also be due to an economic factor. Until recently, optical fiber had a much higher cost. Today, fortunately, technology has made great strides and this has allowed an increase in applications which has consequently led to a reduction in costs.

Therefore, the fiber optic connection is provided by the providers at advantageous conditions for both activation and management.

Fiber Optic: the advantages of a fast connection

Surely having a fiber optic connection allows for higher speed and better connection stability. Above all, if you need to use the connection to carry out operations with intense and continuous data exchange.

Among the advantages of optical fiber most appreciated by users can be counted:

• higher download speed, with the possibility of downloading very large files in a short time;
• a high upload speed which is very useful for sending large attachments via email;
• stability and speed in video streaming, especially for high quality footage;
• excellent quality for video calls, therefore a more fluid and clear image without any audio problems.

One of the disadvantages in choosing optical fiber is precisely that of the shared connection that operators offer to their customers. MAC, on the other hand, only offers a guaranteed symmetrical connection.

MAC CONNECTIVITY

MAC, thanks to its latest generation technology, offers its customers a  guaranteed symmetrical bandwidth  connectivity system capable of satisfying every real request from its customers.

Thanks to the innovation of its networks,  MAC provides a WDSL band  that allows you to have:

• Connectivity up to 1Gbps
• Symmetrical Download / Upload speed

It is a technology based on radio links that allow MAC to bring connectivity everywhere thanks to the installation of external antennas, without the need to build new transmissions.

WDSL MAC is a service aimed exclusively at the  Italian and European business market of small and medium enterprises, public administrations and freelancers.

Furthermore, MAC is able to provide, in a few minutes, if there is a need, a bandwidth upgrade without the need to replace the hardware. This allows customer expectations to be reduced to a minimum, who quickly receive the requested bandwidth increase in less than 60 days through an effective and efficient assistance service.

Why choose WDSL MAC?

Choosing WDSL MAC means  working with the best connectivity , guaranteed by a new generation network capable of providing exceptional performance.

With the 10Mbps bidirectional connection, it is possible to manage all the services you need at the same time, such as internet, voip telephony, surveillance cameras, cloud storage, much more.

In this way, the company can carry out its activities in complete tranquility, without resorting to continuous transmission errors