• falsem
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    1710 months ago

    There are a lot of very good reasons to switch back to copper for the last portion of a run. I highly doubt that consumer internet in Japan is terminating fiber directly into peoples’ computers. Fiber is a lot more expensive both for the line, to run it, more prone to breakage, the network cards are more expensive, etc. It’s really not needed for most purposes.

    Also no one uses cat3 for data and it can’t be run for ‘hundreds of feet’. And LC fiber IS used in the US - that’s a kind of connector not the kind of fiber.

    • Dave.
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      10 months ago

      I highly doubt that consumer internet in Japan is terminating fiber directly into peoples’ computers.

      You run fiber to the home and gigabit ethernet or whatever internally in the premises. All your other complaints re: cost and etc aren’t really an issue for last mile consumer grade fiber.

      I have seen installers run a fiber drop cable across from a power pole, bring it down an outside wall , then staple it to joists under a house, cleave off the end and stick a mechanical splice on it, bang it in the power meter, all good, plug it in the fiber modem, good to go in less than 20 minutes. All this stuff uses standard components and technology that’s been available for 10+ years now.

      Also no one uses cat3 for data and it can’t be run for ‘hundreds of feet’. And LC fiber IS used in the US - that’s a kind of connector not the kind of fiber

      It’s probably the standard “last mile” half assed solution where they decide to use existing phone lines and VDSL from a box down the street instead of biting the bullet and running fiber.

      • Tippon
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        910 months ago

        This is how it works in the UK too. I’ve got Fibre To The Premises (FTTP), and the installation was pretty much exactly as you described.

      • SnausagesinaBlanket
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        010 months ago

        It’s probably the standard “last mile” half assed solution where they decide to use existing phone lines and VDSL from a box down the street instead of biting the bullet and running fiber.

        This is common in Upstate NY Cities. In fact Earth Link still owns some of the dark fiber and backbones.

    • TheMurphy
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      810 months ago

      This is like arguing that SMS is still a good messaging platform.

      • falsem
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        10 months ago

        No it’s not? Fiber is a bad solution for short runs for residential use inside people’s homes. Copper can pull 10 gig speeds or more.

        • TheMurphy
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          110 months ago

          Well, almost all apartments in the city I live in has fiber. They all have a box in a corner somewhere.

          Then we pull a standard ethernet cable to our router and we run full speed.

          Maybe I’m not knowledgeable enough on the area, but why is that bad?

          • Fushuan [he/him]
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            210 months ago

            They are arguing that inside the nlhouse ople don’t use fiber, they use the ethernet copper cable from the router. Which is like, fine, okay, that’s true, but also not at all what people are arguing and not something that should be required to be pointed out in this context.

            People are arguing that in some US cities the Internet distribution is done through copper for the whole building/complex, and just like you, in my home there’s a fiber port into my router, which then I use cat7 copper cables for my stuff. But up until my router there’s fiber, which is awesome.

            Anyway I hope this clarifies it.

    • tiredofsametab
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      210 months ago

      Typing from my Tokyo fiber-to-the-home connection now. They ran it off the pole, installed a little thing in my house, ran the fiber to the modem they make me rent, and it works like a charm.

      • falsem
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        -110 months ago

        Yeah, it’s not terminated in your computer though for all the reasons I said.

        • tiredofsametab
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          210 months ago

          I don’t think I understand unless you’re expecting me to buy some router and network cards that natively support fiber to go from the modem (which is fiber in from the pole outside).