A Consumers’ Guide to Fiber Optic Routers

Fiber optic is a cutting-edge internet technology, which beats all the other connection types when it comes to speed and consistency. It is a gold standard of residential and business broadband in the market. With fiber optic internet, you can enjoy equal download and upload speeds up to 1,000 Mbps with minimal latency. This spectacular performance is due to the next-gen infrastructure, which fiber optic providers and even some cable services like RCN internet employ to transmit blazing-fast internet signals to consumers’ homes.

To make a fiber optic internet connection work, you need mainly three things: A fiber optic internet provider, which if you’re living in a thriving metropolis, you’re sure to find in your area. Next, an optical network terminal or ONT, which is a small utility box that taps into the fiber backbone of the ISP and carries fiber internet signals to your home. Lastly, a fiber optic router or network box, which links to the ONT via an Ethernet cable and enables a wireless fiber network across your premises. While many fiber optic providers lease a special Wi-Fi gateway alongside their fiber internet plans, some may allow you to bring your own routers.

If you’re planning to purchase your own fiber optic router to escape the monthly rental fee, then, here are a few things you need to keep in mind while shopping, and the best varieties you should totally consider.

What are Fiber Optic Routers?

Fiber optic routers are just like any other router in that they forward data packets wirelessly between connected devices and web servers. The only difference is that they are equipped with advanced networking technology and geared to deliver a more powerful throughput than a regular router. Everything from their wireless standards to LAN ports is designed to handle gigabit speeds and enable lag-free transmission. 

Technically, they connect to the optical network terminal installed inside or outside a house through a Cat-6 or higher Ethernet cable, thus, receiving the decoded internet signals and redistributing them as Wi-Fi to data-hungry devices in the vicinity.

How to Buy Fiber Optic Routers?

As a conscious consumer, you need to consider a few factors while comparing fiber optic routers in order to select the best network hardware for your fiber-connected home. These are:

Wireless Standards – Nowadays, wireless routers are encoded with the 802.11ax or Wi-Fi 6 protocol, which is the latest networking standard with MU-MIMO, beamforming, and OFDMA support – everything that takes fiber internet to its full potential. The wireless standard dictates how a router should act. Wi-Fi 6 enables an extremely fast data transfer rate on multiple channels than Wi-Fi 4, which pales in comparison. So, when you’re evaluating a fiber optic router, check its wireless standard, which should ideally be 802.11ax or 802.11ac, at the very least. 

Frequency Bands – You may come across dual-band or tri-band Wi-Fi routers in the market. These are significantly better than single-band routers that transmit data on the sole 2.4 GHz frequency, which constantly clashes with other wireless devices in the area and throws signals off their pathways. Whereas the addition of one or two 5 GHz bands does the job of unburdening the network by opening up new pathways for data signals to traverse. So, prefer fiber optic routers with at least dual-band or tri-band frequency specifications for a seamless fiber internet experience.

Gigabit Ethernet Ports – For a router to receive gigabit speeds and circulate them throughout a house, the presence of at least one or more Gigabit Ethernet ports is a must. These LAN ports are configured to handle the high volume of data transmitted at two-thirds the speed of light. An older Ethernet port may not be able to catch the bandwidth in its full form, let alone forward it accurately to wirelessly-connected devices in the house. In other words, with a Fast Ethernet port, you can only get 100 Mbps throughput even though your package promises up to 940 Mbps speeds.

So, measure the top router varieties for fiber optic against these metrics to pick the best fiber optic router for your home.

What are the Best Fiber Optic Routers of 2021?

Here is a rundown of our most-recommended fiber optic routers to purchase this year:

ASUS ZenWiFi AX6600 Tri-Band Mesh WiFi 6 System

• Wireless Standard: 802.11ax 
• Frequency Class: Tri-Band
• Gigabit LAN Ports: 4

What’s the use of a super-fast fiber optic internet when your router can’t transmit fiber optic Wi-Fi signals without interruptions and latency? This is where a mesh system comes in handy. The ZenWiFi mesh system is at the top of our list because it checks all the boxes for lag-free connectivity. It has OFDMA for bandwidth prioritization, MU-MIMO for increased capacity, Wi-Fi 6 protocol for providing wireless speeds up to 6,000 Mbps, Gigabit Ethernet ports for wired access, ASUS Router App for remote control, and satellite router pods for extending Wi-Fi range up to 5,500 sq. ft. Although we love everything about this Amazon’s Choice product, we could certainly do without the $400+ pricing.

TP-Link AC1750 Smart WiFi Router (Archer A7)

• Wireless Standard: 802.11ac 
• Frequency Class: Dual-Band
• Gigabit LAN Ports: 4

TP-Link is a popular brand in the hardware manufacturing industry and a two-times JD Power Award-winner for the highest customer satisfaction. Archer A7 is its premium wireless router, which boasts of a super-fast data transfer rate of up to 1750 Mbps, making it ideal for your fiber optic plans. It consists of three external antennas that extend its range to every corner of your house, while the Gigabit Ethernet ports allow you to connect multiple devices in a row. Archer A7 is compatible with almost all internet service providers and is super-easy to set up via the TP-Link Tether App. It is an Amazon’s Choice product, costing you less than $50. One thing you might miss in this fiber optic router is that it doesn’t touch the Wi-Fi 6 potential, but is ideal for average homes.

ASUS AX6000 Wi-Fi 6 Gaming Router (RT-AX88U)

• Wireless Standard: 802.11ax
• Frequency Class: Dual-Band
• Gigabit LAN Ports: 8

The reason we have added a gaming router to our list is that these routers are built to sustain intensive web usage and provide a next-gen throughput for professional gamers. Due to their Wi-Fi 6 speeds, they are ideal for dispersing Gigabit-level internet signals in your home. The ASUS AX6000 is Alexa-compatible, offers commercial-grade AiProtection, syncs with AiMesh systems, and transmits data on dual-band frequencies. It also consists of four external beamforming antennas, Adaptive QoS, and several LAN ports for supporting more clients simultaneously. For all these amenities, it costs less than $300 and is an Amazon’s Choice product. The only downside is that it delivers its max output on Wi-Fi 6 devices, which are not widely available as of yet.

Wrapping Up

Thus, acquiring the right fiber optic router makes all the difference in the kind of wireless connectivity you experience at the end of the day with your fiber internet connection. Use this guide to fiber optic routers to learn the key buying factors and the top three products in the market at present.