Google Fiber

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Google Fiber is operated by Alphabet, Inc., the parent company of Google search, Google Maps, Gmail, Chrome, YouTube and more. Google Fiber is a high-speed broadband internet service that uses fiber optic cables to deliver gigabit speeds to homes and businesses. Fiber optic cables transmit information using light, allowing for much faster speeds than traditional cable, DSL, or dial-up connections. Google Fiber debuted in 2010 and is built to deliver high-speed connectivity to businesses and individuals in select cities.

Google Fiber is available in 15 states and 21 cities as of 2023. It is installed in selected locations in Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Washington. It is available in parts of these cities: Atlanta, GA; Austin, TX; Carrboro, Chapel Hill and Raleigh NC: Chicago, IL; Denver, CO; Des Moines, IA and Kansas City, MO. Plans are underway to add 22 more locations across cities in Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada and Idaho.

In general, fiber optic cables can be installed both underground and above ground. When buried underground cables are placed in a conduit system and can be pulled through conduits or even submerged in water. Fiber optic cables should be buried beneath the frost line at a minimum recommended depth of 30 inches. Above ground service is usually the less expensive option because the infrastructure is already in place. If there are above ground telephone and utility poles, it can be cheaper to string fiber optics onto these existing poles.

Google fiber comes to your home from fiber cable placed at the street level. Fiber is run from the street to your home and connected using a small box on the outside of your home called a Network Interface Unit (NIU). The fiber optic line is usually buried in your yard and attached to the side of your house. The line is connected to a small Fiber Jack that is mounted on your inside wall. Your router takes the gigabit connection from the Fiber Jack and distributes fast, reliable internet throughout your home.

You only need to be home for the in-home part of the installation. You don't need to be home when they're working outside.

Google Fiber plans do not have data caps and so your speeds won’t get throttled the way they can be with some other forms of internet service that have fast-data caps after which your signal slows to allow everyone access to the network. This isn’t necessary with fiber service.

Google Fiber does not have annual contracts. There is 24/7 customer support and connectivity is 99.9% reliable. Installation and activation are included in your service.

All Google Fiber service plans include a router and whole-home Wi-Fi at no extra cost. The 1 Gig plan comes with a Wi-Fi router and up to two access points, which extend the range and coverage of Wi-Fi service throughout your home. The 2 Gig plan requires the use of the custom Google Fiber Multi-Gig Router to achieve top speeds.

You can use your own third-party Wi-Fi router with Google Fiber, as long as it's able to handle 1,000 Mbps of incoming speed from the ONT Ethernet converter. Some say that the TP-Link Archer AXE75, Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500, ASUS RT-AX3000, Netgear Orbi RBK752, ASUS ROG GT-AXE 16000, and ASUS RT-AXE7800 are compatible routers for Google Fiber but be sure to do your own research before you buy a router.

Google Fiber provides internet connection speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second (1,000 Mbit/s) for both download and upload. This is roughly 100 times faster than what most Americans have. Google Fiber says its service allows for the download of a full movie in less than two minutes. That’s fast.

As of January 2022, the average download rate for Google Fiber is 239.4 Mbps. The average latency on Google Fiber Internet speed tests is 19.08ms. and for a comparison it takes about 100ms (one tenth of a second) to blink an eye so latency is minimal.

Google Fiber also offers a Neighborhood 100 Meg plan with upload and download speeds up to 100 Mbps, which allows for streaming, video conferencing, and learning without disruption or delays.

Google Fiber currently offers two tiers of plans: a $70/month 1 Gig plan with download speeds up to 1,000 Mbps and a $100/month 2 Gig package that gets you 2,000 Mbps download speeds. The 1 Gig plan includes no data caps, free installation, mesh Wi-Fi, 1TB of cloud storage, and unlimited data with no contracts or installation fees. The 1000 Mbps plan can handle multiple 4k streams, downloads, and video calls with no break in speed.

If or when your city is chosen to receive a Google Fiber infrastructure installation you likely will hear about it on social media or promotional messaging from Google because in cities and growing suburbs the telecom landscape is competitive and Google will have to win your account. People in You may have many options for getting online and that’s a good thing. On the flip side, if you live in a rural area or in an area of rugged terrain your options may be fewer and potentially more expensive.