Gigabit: to be or not to be?

Technologies’ features

Data transmission at a speed of 1 Gbit/s is often simply called Gigabit Ethernet (GbE). The process of transition to this technology and gradual departure from the previous one (100 Mbit/s - Fast Ethernet) began in the 90's in America, and today Gigabit Internet in Ukraine is gaining popularity among users.

Both Gigabit Ethernet and Fast Ethernet are based on the same family of Ethernet technologies, which is today the main technology for building local networks. The rapid and widespread success of Ethernet has been achieved by its high adaptability and the ability to build networks across multiple topologies using different links.

Gigabit Ethernet technology involves the transmission of data over twisted pair and fibre optic cable and is defined by the IEEE 802.3 standard group. Switches are used as intermediate nodes. In this aspect, a more advanced technology is the Gigabit Passive Optical Network (in general, we talk in detail about PON in this article). A special feature of GPON is that it does not require the use of additional devices to establish a connection between the operator and the user (instead of switches in PON used splitters, which do not depend on external factors, in particular the power - a significant advantage in the current conditions of rolling blackouts in Ukraine). In addition, gigabit internet in GPON is the default option.

Who will benefit first

Upgrading to 1Gbit/s is useful in the following cases:

1. If you are considering a home network attached storage (NAS) device. These are self-contained storage units with a processor and RAM. They are needed for creating backups, interacting with cloud storages, and transferring information to anywhere in the world. Such devices operate with large data volumes, therefore it is recommended to provide them with high-speed Internet connection for fast data transfer.
2. For your corporate network. Connecting gigabit Internet will be especially useful if the specifics of the company imply working with large files (video, photo).
3. If 100-500 megabit internet connection does not meet your needs. The more devices in your home have Internet access, the more bandwidth is needed. The Internet of Things is already a part of our lives, but you need high bandwidth to keep all the smart systems from interfering with each other by stealing traffic. And a gigabit internet connection running at 5 GHz can provide that. It is worth noting that if your neighbour has a Wi-Fi router which supports the more commonly used 2.4 GHz band, it will not affect the connection quality for you.
4. To work with streaming video, large amounts of photos. If you are a streamer, designer or photographer, constantly sending and receiving graphic material in large quantities, you probably don't want to wait.

What to consider before you connect to gigabit Internet

Please note! The connection speed is measured in bits per second and the file volume is usually shown in bytes.
1 byte=8 bits.
1 Gbit/s = 0.125 GB/s.
Therefore, a 4GB movie will take 32 seconds to download at 1Gbps, not 4.

This example is true for ideal conditions. However, it is not realistic to achieve 1 Gbit/s Internet speed in real conditions due to external influences on the transmission medium (cable bending, noise from neighbouring cables) and imperfections of the network equipment (all questions to the manufacturers).

Before connecting a gigabit Internet connection, you need to consider:

1. Daily incoming and outgoing data volume. For standard web surfing, a speed of 100 Mbit/s will suffice. However, even the usual social networking and movie downloading will be much more enjoyable with a higher speed (HD or BD quality movies are downloaded in 20-50 seconds).
2. Availability of suitable equipment. Gigabit Internet connection kit includes:
   • a router that supports Gigabit Ethernet (this is written in the specification and on the ports of the device). Such a router belongs to the dual-band category, i.e. it broadcasts Wi-Fi at both the 2.4 GHz frequency, on which all Wi-Fi networks now mostly operate, and the 5 GHz frequency. Since the 5 GHz frequency is used less frequently, it has less interference and a higher data transfer rate;
   • a network card/adapter capable of running at 1Gbps (see the card model in Device Manager and search the Internet for its specifications);
   • a fast hard drive (ideally SATA) for speedy data handling and transfer;
   • Gigabit cable for the Internet (assuming an eight-core twisted-pair cable from the switch in your home to your subscriber's equipment).
3. ISP capacity. The switch needs to be 'ready' to switch to 1Gbit/s.

The characteristics of the terminal devices are very important. Many network cards are not designed for 1 Gbit/s. In such situations, a gigabit USB network adapter will be required. But even this will be useless if the device is obsolete. An «ancient» computer will simply not have time to receive and record incoming packets. Operating systems below Windows 7 may not be able to cope with these speeds either.

To summarise

When it comes to upgrading to 1Gbit/s Internet, the saying «a picture is worth a thousand words» is true. And once you've tried Gigabit, you're unlikely to want to go back to your old tariff.

Gigabit Internet opens up possibilities for fast work with big files, allows creation of data storage and instant access to them. It saves time and makes it possible to work more quickly and productively.

Some time ago, people used to use 10 Mbit/s and were confident that this speed met all their needs. But technology has moved on, and today that speed is no longer sufficient even for simple file browsing. The popular 100Mbit/s package is also receding into the background, giving way to the modern Gigabit Internet.

For those who want to keep up with the times and are interested in Gigabit Internet in Kharkiv, our company offers a 1 Gbit/s rate. Try it. You will definitely like it!