The Cable War: Copper vs. Fiber

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WiFi is excellent. We all love it. But underneath any good wireless network, lies some serious cabling.The question is, which will be better for any given scenario? Fiber or copper?

Ethernet has certainly been in the news lately. From applications of LED lighting to advanced IP camera technology, there are no shortage of applications for ethernet cabling.Copper cabling such as Ethernet, is the cheaper of the two, making it a low cost alternative with a bevy of possible applications. But sometimes a high-cost option like fiber is required.Outdoor optical fiber cable

What emerges as you learn more about the two options however, is that there really isn’t much of a war at all.In fact, each solution has its fair share of pros and cons. With unique benefits and limitations to each technology, it hardly seems like they’re competing technologies at all.

Fiber is great for faster speeds, security and data delivery over super-long distances. But on the flipside, it’s brittle, a bit unwieldy, and much more expensive.Copper is getting faster, but it has some notable limitations with regard to distance. In its unshielded form, it can also be prone to interference.
So what’s the best choice? That’s easy, and I bet you guessed the answer… It depends.

If you’re connecting an ISP to a node or street cabinet, then fiber’s your baby. Glass is great for outdoor applications and you can transmit a lot of data over incredible distances with fiber cabling.

However, once you’re actually at the cabinet or close to the roofline of a home or building, the choice becomes more nuanced. This is where ethernet copper cable is giving fiber a run for its money.One of the main reasons comes down to cost savings.

HDBaseT and HDMI (both 1-cable solutions) come into play here as well. Frankly, these solutions deliver great performance at substantial savings. Copper also cuts down on the need for additional power sources.