Fiber Optic cables vs Coaxial cables Explanation please

[Tai N]

Hey guys, I can't seem to google a well in depth article about this and wondering if we have experts here on this topic.

I am moving to a place in Illinois and there's 2 apartments nearby. One is offering Xfinity and they using hybrid fiber coax cables for how they have the internet wired I'm guessing? Which isn't probably the best for providing consistent good ping/latency for gaming correct? Because it connects to a node or something with everyone in the apartment something like that? Could anyone explain what a node is and how it differs from people with fiber optic connections? Wouldn't they also be shared with the node in the neighborhood? I would appreciate it if anyone could give a well in depth explanation of how this works. Oh, and the other option is using at&t's full fiber optic services with 1,000 up/down symmetrical speeds. 

 

Thanks for taking the time to read! 

[PharmDawgg]

Honestly FTTH (Fiber to the Home) is better than HFC (Hybrid Fiber Coax). The HFC will be fiber to the Node (which will be only approx a mile to your home) and from there it will be a coax connection to your home. 

Here is a good read: http://www.tarluz.com/ftth/comparison-between-hfc-and-fiber-to-the-home/

[titofuenla]

Hi!

Add, since it is not explained in the article, that a node is a data exchange point. When the data leaves your house, it travels to this first node and that first node is in charge of sending the data to the next one, until it reaches the destination server. If your connection is Ftth as is logical, when using a technology based on light your data will travel faster to this first node, which will have lower latency than if you use Hfc, it is the great difference between Ftth and Hfc, Because of the speed issue, most of the companies that use Hfc updated their networks to DOCSIS 3.0 and already offer symmetrical and high speeds, but that little latency can never be eliminated when using coaxial cable.

Greetings!

[CableGames22]

16 hours ago, Tai N said:

Hey guys, I can't seem to google a well in depth article about this and wondering if we have experts here on this topic.

I am moving to a place in Illinois and there's 2 apartments nearby. One is offering Xfinity and they using hybrid fiber coax cables for how they have the internet wired I'm guessing? Which isn't probably the best for providing consistent good ping/latency for gaming correct? Because it connects to a node or something with everyone in the apartment something like that? Could anyone explain what a node is and how it differs from people with fiber optic connections? Wouldn't they also be shared with the node in the neighborhood? I would appreciate it if anyone could give a well in depth explanation of how this works. Oh, and the other option is using at&t's full fiber optic services with 1,000 up/down symmetrical speeds. 

 

Thanks for taking the time to read! 

Light has better latency than Rf through air and or down a wire. If you were subscribe to an Hybrid coax provider that had a topology of less than 125 subs for one node or N+1 you might have a decent latency/single digit pings. (Node Plus one active amplifier). the modern node topology is around 500 subs total for one node but that was made for far back around 2010ish.

A lot of things changed since then. many cable providers are going to node splits (reduction of subs on 1 node), but some even have 1000 subs on a node depending on their architect. most are or have even updated their UBR's, (Universal Broadband Routers) in their head-ends to occomodate  more internet traffic..

 the upstream is the hinderance for cable isp's as of now until docsis 4.0 comes along.  Fiber wins unless you live with grandma and she's in a assisted living residence and they have their own node just for her residence. but hey who in the assisted living residence  is really using the internet except for the employees/healthcare workers in that node? Some people with cable get lucky and are in an area that is less densely populated and get great low pings and low latency, it is rare these days but possible

 

[Tai N]

22 hours ago, PharmDawgg said:

Honestly FTTH (Fiber to the Home) is better than HFC (Hybrid Fiber Coax). The HFC will be fiber to the Node (which will be only approx a mile to your home) and from there it will be a coax connection to your home. 

Here is a good read: http://www.tarluz.com/ftth/comparison-between-hfc-and-fiber-to-the-home/

Thanks for this, this is the kind of article I was looking for.

18 hours ago, titofuenla said:

Hi!

Add, since it is not explained in the article, that a node is a data exchange point. When the data leaves your house, it travels to this first node and that first node is in charge of sending the data to the next one, until it reaches the destination server. If your connection is Ftth as is logical, when using a technology based on light your data will travel faster to this first node, which will have lower latency than if you use Hfc, it is the great difference between Ftth and Hfc, Because of the speed issue, most of the companies that use Hfc updated their networks to DOCSIS 3.0 and already offer symmetrical and high speeds, but that little latency can never be eliminated when using coaxial cable.

Greetings!

After it reaches the first node, then goes to the next node data exchange point, until it reaches to the destination server isn't this still shared at some point, or from there is it fiber till it reaches to the destination server? Ugh, I wish Xfinity would use ftth instead of hfc!

8 hours ago, CableGames22 said:

Light has better latency than Rf through air and or down a wire. If you were subscribe to an Hybrid coax provider that had a topology of less than 125 subs for one node or N+1 you might have a decent latency/single digit pings. (Node Plus one active amplifier). the modern node topology is around 500 subs total for one node but that was made for far back around 2010ish.

A lot of things changed since then. many cable providers are going to node splits (reduction of subs on 1 node), but some even have 1000 subs on a node depending on their architect. most are or have even updated their UBR's, (Universal Broadband Routers) in their head-ends to occomodate  more internet traffic..

 the upstream is the hinderance for cable isp's as of now until docsis 4.0 comes along.  Fiber wins unless you live with grandma and she's in a assisted living residence and they have their own node just for her residence. but hey who in the assisted living residence  is really using the internet except for the employees/healthcare workers in that node? Some people with cable get lucky and are in an area that is less densely populated and get great low pings and low latency, it is rare these days but possible

 

Thanks for these numbers in the example, I definitely understand it more now. I guess that's why these cable companies have that odd internet packages 1,000 mbps download and like 35 upload, haha. I'm wondering why with Xfinity's gigabit pro plan which I believe is ftth they only offer it to home owners, and not people in unit apartments which I find really strange. Do you know why this is? I'm also going to research on docsis 4.0. Thank you for your response!

[CableGames22]

On 9/27/2020 at 8:37 PM, Tai N said:

Thanks for this, this is the kind of article I was looking for.

After it reaches the first node, then goes to the next node data exchange point, until it reaches to the destination server isn't this still shared at some point, or from there is it fiber till it reaches to the destination server? Ugh, I wish Xfinity would use ftth instead of hfc!

Thanks for these numbers in the example, I definitely understand it more now. I guess that's why these cable companies have that odd internet packages 1,000 mbps download and like 35 upload, haha. I'm wondering why with Xfinity's gigabit pro plan which I believe is ftth they only offer it to home owners, and not people in unit apartments which I find really strange. Do you know why this is? I'm also going to research on docsis 4.0. Thank you for your response!

MDU's (multiple dwelling units) you need permission from the mdu owners and usually they don't want some phone or cable company coming in after the properties are already build and running unsightly wires and cables all over the place. Makes for a MDU complex not attractive. Many other reasons like if its town homes many owners don't want it either or the board members. At any rate the wires on the poles have lease agreements  with the counties and state so this route never has issues versus the other. this  is only a few of the reasons not all.

[Tai N]

2 hours ago, CableGames22 said:

MDU's (multiple dwelling units) you need permission from the mdu owners and usually they don't want some phone or cable company coming in after the properties are already build and running unsightly wires and cables all over the place. Makes for a MDU complex not attractive. Many other reasons like if its town homes many owners don't want it either or the board members. At any rate the wires on the poles have lease agreements  with the counties and state so this route never has issues versus the other. this  is only a few of the reasons not all.

I checked up on this or heard a similar situation to this. To even possibly get fiber in the area you might have to take it up with hoa which sucks! Thanks you for your response.