When fiber is so fast, why not use fiber to connect the router to the computer?

Fiber optic network speed is indeed fast, long-distance transmission, can achieve the real one gigabit network speed. So, in our home LAN, between the computer and the router, why not use optical fiber to connect? Well, some people compare optical fiber to a highway, the home LAN to a small village, is it necessary to build a highway in this small village? Ha-ha, that's too far. Why not use fiber optics to organize a home LAN? There are mainly the following factors.

1. In short-distance networking, optical fibers have no advantages over network cables.

In long-distance data transmission, the advantages of optical fiber are obvious, and the speed is indeed very fast, which can reach the real gigabit level. However, in the distance of a few meters between the computer and the router, the speed advantage of optical fiber can not be played out, even if we use optical fiber to form a small network for the computer and the router, it can only reach the same speed as the ordinary network cable. Now the transmission rate of super 5 twisted pair cable theoretical value can also reach gigabit, although in actual use, can not reach this theoretical value, but 300 megabits or so can be easily achieved. And we now mainstream home fiber bandwidth is 200 megabits -300 megabits, such a speed, has exceeded the regular needs of an ordinary family. Remember a few years ago when Telecom had 10M? It's more than enough for a family. Therefore, the optical fiber has no advantage in short-distance networking.

Second, the cost of optical fiber hardware configuration is too high.

If we use optical fiber to network our home computer, the optical fiber line is not much money, but the other supporting hardware facilities of the optical fiber network are still a little expensive. Since you want to use optical fiber networking - the use of optical fiber between the router and the computer to connect, then the general router is not good, you need a special optical fiber router with optical fiber outlet (general light cat, only with optical fiber entrance), the price of this kind of router is not too cheap, is several times the price of the ordinary router. Since it is a fiber optic cable, the NIC interface on the computer should also provide a fiber optic interface. Desktop fiber-optic network card, the cheapest also want 500 more. If it is a laptop with a fiber optic interface, the price is not to mention. Just a simple rough calculation, optical fiber home networking is at least 1000-2000 yuan more than ordinary networking costs. Ordinary networking, twisted pair 5 meters is about 10 yuan, the ordinary router is better about 200 yuan, ordinary networking is also this cost.

Third, the late maintenance of optical fiber networking is difficult.

If you really use optical fiber to short-distance networking for the family, then the later maintenance is also very painful. Under normal circumstances, the entrance fiber of the telecommunications optical cat is basically not often inserted. The optical fiber head connected to our computer network card, we may need to dial it out and plug it in for some reasons (such as: moving the location, changing the network card, changing the computer). If you do this too often, you could break the fiber head. Once it is damaged, we can not fix it ourselves, only ask a professional welding master to repair, the price is not cheap. And if we use twisted pair network cable, even if it is damaged, we only need a few tens of dollars to make network cable, you can make it yourself.

Through the above analysis, it can be seen that optical fiber wants to enter the home LAN, the current market is almost impossible. And manufacturers are not in a hurry to promote the setting of optical fiber home to home, because the current twisted pair networking can fully meet the requirements of the local area network, the speed is not worse than the optical fiber.