Are you a handyman looking to try a new out a new skill or save money by installing your own fiber-optic internet? This may seem like an easy task or an interesting challenge, but fiber internet installation requires a technical expert due. Here’s why.
How fiber internet gets installed
Before you even think about getting fiber internet to your home, you need to know if it’s on your street. Fiber infrastructure is still being built out across the country and is not available everywhere. When it is available, it’s hooked up to utility poles or buried underground. This requires an “aerial drop" or a "buried drop" — that is, the connection needs to be linked to your home from the pole or via a shallow underground trench on your property.
Read more: How does fiber internet get installed?
Fiber-optic internet, as the name suggests, uses light to transmit data. You’ll need an Optical Network Terminal to then translate these pulses of light into an electrical signal. Then you’ll need a router to convert that signal into radio waves, which is how your devices connect to WiFi.
Read more: What’s an ONT? The complete guide for fiber-optic internet users.
The challenges to installing your own fiber internet
Let’s say you know you have a fiber line you can connect to. Just getting it into your house is going to be an issue, whether it’s wrapped up in the overhead lines or buried somewhere in your yard. Figuring this out could be lethal.
Aside from that, here are some other hurdles:
- Specialized equipment: Fiber installations require precise equipment, including optical power meters, fusion splicers and the ONT and router. These tools and equipment are often costly and typically not available for retail purchase.
- Precision work: Fiber-optic cables are extremely thin — the diameter of a hair — and they require precise handling. Even a slight bend or twist can impact performance or damage the cable. Splicing two fibers, if necessary, requires specialized skills to align the microscopic cores perfectly.
- Connection to service provider: For fiber internet to work, you need to connect to a nearby fiber network. Service providers need to install a fiber line from the main network to your property. Even if you built a fiber connection, you’d still need to work with an ISP to get on the network.
Why it’s not recommended to install your own fiber internet
- It’s not safe.
- It takes trained expertise to handle the micro-thin fiber strands without damaging them.
- You still need to get on a network.
- It doesn’t necessarily save money. Fiber installation is not usually very expensive, and internet service providers sometimes throw it in for free.
- It doesn’t save time. Professional installation is a multi-step process if you need the line connected to your home. Even if the line is already there, a tech can get you connected in about 30 minutes — less than that time you decided to replace the toilet yourself.
What you can DIY with fiber internet
While it’s not recommended — and pretty much impossible — to connect your own fiber-optic internet, you can easily DIY the end-user part of the process. You can rent or buy your own router and install it yourself easily. That just involves connecting the Ethernet line, turning it on and setting up your personal or business wireless network. Buying your own router could save money over renting it from your ISP.
Read more: What equipment is needed for fiber internet?
The final word
Installing internet is not the same caliber of work as fixing a line in a breaker or changing the oil in your car. The internet is connected to a massive physical network of wires and signals that technicians are trained to work on. Even still, different techs do different things. A construction tech may be able to splice wires, while an installation tech is mainly hooking up your ONT and router and getting your service turned on by communicating with a network operator.
Installing internet is a job best left to the professionals. You’ll save time, money and maybe more.
Interested in having a pro come out and install fiber internet? Check your address with Ziply Fiber. Most of our plans come with free installation and affordable monthly rates.
