Going From BB to Fiber Optic

[Lurch]

Hi,

I'm thinking of switching from Charter BB that's up to 100 Mbps for $66/mo to Fiber Optic from Brightridge with up to 200 Mbps for $49.99 / mo.

She says I will need a router with at least a 1 GB port that's at least 2016 or newer.
Then she said my Cisco / Linksys E1000 router might work with it.

Does this sound like a good plan?

[Philip]

You should be fine with it, but you won't see the full 200 Mbps if that is the only NAT router. What type of equipment do they provide?

The way fiber works is, you will get an ONT (optical network terminal, aka the fiber modem) that has the optical cable on one side, and a Gigabit Ethernet port on the other. You will likely/maybe get another Modem/Gateway Router that has gigabit ports, provides NAT, maybe even Wi-Fi. If your ISP provides such NAT Gateway, it is should already come with Gigabit ports to take advantage of speeds over 100 Mbps. I used to have Verizon FIOS fiber in Tampa, now I use AT&T fiber in Jacksonville, both provided their own NAT Gateway, it is connected via CAT6 Ethernet cable to the ONT.

If they don't provide a NAT router, you may want to upgrade your E1000 sometime in the future to take advantage of the faster speeds at the WAN port (i.e. to get speeds over 100 Mbps). Or, just get a cheaper plan/slower speed from them

[Lurch]

Thanks Phil. They say I will need a router starting with AC, like the Linksys AC1200.

They set up the NID and ONT. Then I plug their terminal into an ethernet cable to run to the AC1200.
I'll let you know how it goes. It sounds like a better connection for less $$.

[Lurch]

I bought a TP Link Archer C20 for $34.99 at Office Depot.
The man there thinks it will serve me well for my fiber optic needs.
They'll be setting up my fiber optic connection on Sept 16. I could probably set up the router myself.
It has 5 ports, 1 for internet (WAN), and 4 LAN, all with ethernet sockets.
I think the ethernet port marked internet would run to the ONT [optical network terminal] that they're going to install in my dining room.
Then the other 2 sockets will go to the wired Dell PC and to my BasicTalk VoIP modem.
I could be wrong but good chance I'm not.

[Philip]

The TP-Link Archer C20 is a fine router and you are right that you have to connect the WAN port to the ONT. However, seems that it doesn't have Gigabit Ethernet ports. 10/100 LAN/WAN ports will only allow for speeds up to 100 Mbps. If you'd like to get faster transfers, you'd have to ensure both the router and your PC have Gigabit Ethernet.

https://www.speedguide.net/routers/t...nd-router-3511

[Lurch]

Hmmmm. I had a feeling that might be true.
The man at Office Depot said all I will be able to get is 100 Mbps even if my fiber optic supplies 200 Mbps.

I set it up tonight and I seem to get faster speeds and better reception on my WiFi TV.
I now get up to 90 Mbps on the Dell vs about 80 I seemed to get with the Linksys E1000 router.

I suppose I could see how I like it when it's all set up with fiber optic and go from there.
I might get newer gear with gigabit ports so I'll have lightning fast speeds, altho I already get quite suitable / fast speeds as it is so I may keep what I have and be glad to save a few bucks and get somewhat better reception, etc.

For $35 this is definitely better than that Linksys E1000.

I'd kind of like to get one of those smaller newer Dell towers and get rid of this big heavy 960.

Do you now about how much a gigabit router would cost?
I doubt they'd be too expensive, maybe about $100 or less? I was told the TP Link is a good brand to stick to.

[Philip]

You will be fine with that TP-Link, just wanted to point out that port limitation. Gigabit routers are all different prices, on the cheaper end the TP-Link Archer A7 (AC1750) is ~60 on Amazon.

[Lurch]

Hi,

The guys set up the outdoor fiber optic cable today and I showed one of them the box my TP Link Archer C20 came in.
He says it will work well with my fiber optic cable. It has 300 Mbps and 433 Mbps on the cover and that, according to him, is what I need.
But if not I'll definitely get the AC1750 on amazon. But I think I need to run it and see how it runs. I might be pleased with the way it runs.
It's like buying a car that can go 150 MPH. My car will do 125 but will I ever drive that fast? No way. When I click on a link, I get there fast. I don't know why I'd want to get there any faster.

The man at Office Depot may have been referring to my older Dell PC with it's 10/100 ethernet port.
I don't know but I thought I made it clear to him that I didn't want to buy something that would limit my reception of the 200 Mbps fiber optic internet.

Can you tell me of a way to identify newer desktop PCs with gigabit ethernet jack?

Thank you.

[Lurch]

What I think I need in a PC to get full use of the 200 Mbps the fiber optic internet will supply, is a 10/100/1000 LAN port, is that right?
I think my Dell Optiplex 960 has the 10/100 LAN port.

[Lurch]

I'm seeing how some TP Link routers are called gigabit routers. The one I bought at Office Depot isn't what I wanted. I told the man I didn't want to buy something that would create a bottleneck in my system. He didn't sell me what I wanted to buy. The Archer C20 isn't a gigabit router, you're right. It takes a gigabit router to take full advantage of the 200 Mbps I'll be getting with a fiber optic internet connection. At some point I will upgrade to a PC that also will be fiber optic ready.

I guess I can return the router and get a refund. He was right, it's a good unit but also not what I was looking for. It will work with fiber optic but it's going to limit it and I specifically told him I don't want to buy something that will limit it.

[Philip]

Yeah, it will work, just not to the full capacity of that connection. If you want it to be future proof, you can get a gigabit one and return this, or just use it, up to you. It won't make that much difference in normal situations, as may sites won't be able to serve files at that speed anyway. Even streaming HD video rarely uses over 10 Mbps. The most likely places where you'd notice the difference is if you have a NAS (network attached storage), or transferring stuff between your computers locally (provided they have gigabit ports), or downloading huge files off the internet (Operating Systems, large video files, torrents, etc.). That's where gigabit vs. 10/100 really matters.

[Lurch]

Interesting stuff. Thanks again.

I guess that little Archer C20 might be a good router for me after all, and my old Dell Optiplex 960 should have many years left in it.
And as I said, I'm pleased already with the improvement in my WiFi / Roku TV and what seems like sharper images on my PC due to this Archer C20.

I got this from a specs page on the Dell 960.
It sounds like it's already gigabit ready.

NETWORKING : Data Link Protocol : Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, Fast Ethernet