Quote:
Originally Posted by Mleeja
That was a “pretty deep in the weeds” review. Give us the 35,000 feet version.
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Here is the "High-Level":
Fiber Internet companies such as Quantum Fiber are upgrading the network equipment "driving" their existing optical fiber network to be able to offer internet speeds from the current 1-2 GBs max. to up to 10Gbs max. Cable companies are doing the same but since the copper cable has physical limitations even with the newer modem technologies, it still only approaches what fiber can provide.
Quantum has been upgrading their network with this new technology here in the Villages. In many Villages you can now get 500Mbs for $50, 1GBs for $75 ( unless you got that $35 deal back in December), and 2Gbs for $95. In some areas such as near Bonita Villas you can also get 3GBs, 5GBs and 8GBs service. In addition, the new SmartNid which is the optical network terminator/router installed in our data cabinets in the garage or elsewhere look identical to the older units but now have instead of 1GBs ethernet ports, they have a 10GBs port, faster processor and rated to run at 10GBs. I have one installed in my house and I can tell you yes the internet speeds are a little faster but other than that, it looks and the connections are identical to the older SmartNids.
All this said, it's interesting that Quantum Fiber is investing in the Villages, a place where here on Talk of the Villages many feel 100Mbs is overkill for them and want the cheapest, slowest Internet they can get such as the $20 deal from Spectrum or the $30 Xfinity Now deal to save money.
Even so, I'm not sure how we could use even 2GBs service given that all streaming devices that I know of, only have 1GB ethernet ports and nothing streams anywhere over 80MBs. (Sony has a service where they stream high definition movies at this speed). With my fairly new Dell XPS computer using OpenSpeedTest as a server I was only able to test up to 8GBs over a hardwired ethernet connection when I was testing the max capacity of the Cat5E cabling installed in my house. Even if you are running a business, streaming, video conferencing, etc.., I'm still not sure how you utilize 8GBs. But on the other hand, if you were a Target, Costco, or other large busines, then 8GBs service may be in order. Just a thought.
So to the "experts" out there who like to perdict the future, why do you think Quantum is offering this new technology here in the Villages?
I was reading in the Sun this morning that Sumter County is trying to attract data centers and distribution centers and other large businesses to build and invest in our area. Maybe Quantum is laying out the infrastructure to accomodate these potential customers and us Villagers are just in the middle getting the benefit?
I remember back in 2004 in NY when Verizon FiOS was first being deployed, they offered 10Gbs service or the "faster" 20GBs service. Back in the day we couldn't believe how fast that was and we were amazed to have that kind of speed at home. Now it's 20 years later and whether you think we need it or not, 500MBs and 1GBs service is very common in the home.
Please post your thoughts.