Fiber to the Home and Wi-Fi Capabilities: What You Need to Know

 

Faster fiber speeds may mean new realities for your hardware.

As mentioned, Whole Home Gig is the most robust data speed tier on the market. But it does not necessarily mean that level of speed may be achieved with the click of a button. Below are a few details to keep in mind as we venture to better, faster connectivity to your home.

 

Wi-Fi and Data Speed are different.

Most of the marketplace wireless routers top out at 433 Mbps or less (Wi-Fi). They simply are not designed to handle the capacity of anything higher. Wi-Fi speed is the aggregate speed available to all of the wireless devices connected to any single wireless router. Data speed is the total speed available in your home, including all wired and wireless devices.

 

Upgrading your router may be a good idea.

The average lifespan of a Wi-Fi router is 24-36 months. That may seem short, but like any hardware that remains on and in use 24x7x365 — it has lifespan limitations. Routers will slow down over time. In addition, older routers were not designed to be capable of wireless speeds much above 30 Mbps. Once your fiber is installed, you will want to ensure your router can handle your new speeds. Routers with the capability to handle faster speeds are available at most retailers, and Hamilton carries routers capable of 833 Mbps which is currently the highest wireless speed available.

 

Complete Coverage

Standard wireless routers may not give you enough wireless coverage throughout the home. If you are experiencing excessive signal loss farther away from the router point, we recommend our managed Wi-Fi pod system. With two or more pods placed strategically in your home you can expand your coverage to include all the areas where you need it most and help ensure that your Wi-Fi experience is smooth no matter which room you are in. See our Managed Wi-Fi page for more information.

 

Parental Controls

Parents, are you wanting more control over the type of content available on your children’s devices? Would you like to restrict access during meal times and bedtimes? Our managed Wi-Fi system will not only give you the extended coverage throughout the house, it also comes with an easy to use mobile app which gives you the ability to control content by age, customize access times, ad blocking, and the ability to manage your network like a pro. See our Managed Wi-Fi page for more information.

 

Device Capabilities

Some mobile devices, laptops or computers may not have a chipset that allow the capability of delivering fiber-level speeds. When using internet wirelessly in your home, you may be limited to the speeds your devices are capable of delivering. Laptops capable of receiving the highest wireless speeds are available from Hamilton or other providers.

 

Ensuring a fast, reliable connection for you is our priority.  Fiber to the Home allows us to deliver much faster internet speeds than we ever have before. For any questions regarding your existing hardware or your overall online experience, please give us a call — we are happy to help!