Many fans have been messaging me on WeChat and asking whether it is necessary to use the FTTR (Fiber to the Room) recommended by service providers.
What is FTTR (Fiber to the Room)?
First, let’s understand that the common method we currently use at home is fiber to the home, which means the service provider’s fiber optic cable goes directly to the weak current box in the house, and then from this weak current box, network cables are laid to each room in the house.
FTTR refers to using fiber optics to replace the currently common network cables throughout the house, allowing fiber to be laid to every room, effectively making it fiber to the room. However, at this point, you must use the router equipment specified by the service provider, which directly utilizes fiber optics.
My answer is very clear: there is absolutely no need for FTTR.
Why is FTTR unnecessary?
1. In home usage scenarios, gigabit broadband service is currently the limit, and there will not be significant changes in the future.
Ordinary Cat 5e cables can easily handle gigabit speeds, and within a length of 100 meters, they can even run at 10 gigabits (10Gbps). If you live in a large villa and want something better, you can buy Cat 6 cables, but there is absolutely no need to use fiber optics.
2. Fiber optics have higher maintenance costs than network cables.
While the price of fiber optics is not high, the maintenance costs are. Especially since maintaining fiber optics can significantly increase the difficulty, requiring a fusion splicer and specialized personnel to come and handle it, which is much more complex than network cables. You can easily handle network cables and electrical ports at home; it only takes five minutes to learn.
3. Using fiber optics requires the service provider’s specified optical modem and router.
This means you have limited options for the products you can use, and those specified products are often unsatisfactory. With that budget, you could easily choose better products, such as a variety of excellent Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7 router products that you can select and replace at will.
In summary, FTTR is a pseudo-demand packaged by service providers and certain equipment manufacturers.
It not only makes you spend more money without improving your network experience but also increases maintenance costs significantly. It’s similar to when you just want a decent router for regular internet use; spending three to five hundred yuan is sufficient, yet some people insist on recommending high-performance gaming routers that cost several thousand yuan, which are more than enough for a small company, but completely unnecessary for ordinary home use.
Currently, FTTR likes to promote that it can achieve whole-house WiFi coverage, which is a conceptual substitution; it still uses a Mesh networking method, but the devices use fiber optics instead of network cables. Most ordinary mid-range routers on the market already support Mesh networking at a much lower price.
When is it necessary to use FTTR?
So when is it necessary to use FTTR?
For ordinary home use, there is never a need.
One situation is if your house has not previously laid network cables, and running network cables visibly is difficult; then you might consider using FTTR, as fiber optics are thinner and can be directly adhered to the wall, making them less noticeable and more ‘invisible.’
Of course, another situation is if it is free, then you might consider it.