How is fiber-optic internet installed?

Check this brief guide to learn how fiber-optic internet is installed and what to expect during your installation appointment.

Fiber-optic internet is transforming internet connectivity nationwide. If you’ve had the same internet plan for a few years or recently moved to a new area, you might find that fiber is now available near you.

Before you can start using your new multi-gig fiber speeds, you’ll need professional installation since most homes don’t have an existing fiber hookup. Read on for an overview of how fiber-optic internet is installed and a detailed list of what to expect during your appointment.

How is fiber internet installed?

And how does fiber internet connect to your house?

Fiber is installed the same way other internet technologies were about 30 years ago: your provider builds a central network of internet cabling, then installs branches off that main network to reach their subscribers’ homes or businesses.

Cable, DSL, and fiber providers build that last leg to your home in a variety of ways, sometimes to a node shared by multiple customers and sometimes directly to each subscriber. Fiber to the home is the best type of connection — it means lower lag and more reliable performance.

What to expect from your fiber installation appointment

During your fiber-optic installation, your technician will need outdoor and indoor access to where you want to plug in your router. Usually, they’ll complete the installation steps in this order:

  1. Your technician arrives, checks in with you, and helps you decide the best place to put your router.
  2. The technician drills a hole in your wall between that spot and the exterior, then threads it with an Ethernet or fiber-optic line and connects it to a small box called an optical network terminal (ONT). Your ONT may sit indoors next to your router or outside in a weatherproof casing.
  3. Outside, your technician runs a fiber-optic line from your ONT to the closest connection point with your provider’s central network, carefully anchoring the cable where needed.
  4. Back inside, your technician plugs your router into your ONT via Ethernet cable, then configures your Wi-Fi network — and you’re good to go.

How can I get fiber internet?

Hankering for fiber internet speeds? First, check availability. If your area is eligible for Brightspeed fiber, you’ll see plans between 200 Mbps and multiple gigs, plus a phone number where you can order.

Already have a Brightspeed account? Reach customer service for help with account snags or technical issues.

 

 

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How and Why to Test Your Internet Speed

Speed tests can help you troubleshoot your connection — and decide if you want something better.

Does your internet seem slower than usual? Run a speed test to measure your current download speed, upload speed, and more. The results can help you understand how well your home internet performs, giving you info you need to either work toward a solution or consider a switch.

How to test your internet speed

It’s simple — run the Brightspeed internet speed test. First, make sure that you’re on the internet network you want to test (you can’t test your home network from the café or vice versa). When you’re ready, click below to go to the Brightspeed speed test, then hit GO and watch your results populate in moments.

Run the Brightspeed internet speed test

Understanding your speed test results

Once the Brightspeed speed test wraps up, you’ll see a small report with four speed measurements. Here’s how to interpret those results.

Download speed

Higher = better

Download speed measures the highest volume of data, in bits per second, that your router can accept from the greater world wide web at the moment of testing.

This figure doesn’t reflect how much data you’re using at that moment, just how large your container for data is. Your container size is determined by the maximum plan speed you purchased and how your ISP protocols are parsing out data capacities at the exact moment of testing.

Upload speed

Higher = better

Upload speed measures the highest volume of data, in bits per second, that your router can send to the greater world wide web at the moment of testing.

If your upload speed is much lower than your download speed, that’s normal. Historically, people have spent the vast majority of their internet time on download-direction activities, so internet providers have structured their plans accordingly.

However, the need for higher upload speeds is rising with the use of upstream activities such as cloud backup, video calling, and multiplayer gaming. Fiber internet does an excellent job of meeting both needs — usually, fiber plans offer upload speeds as fast as download speeds.

Ping (rate)

Lower = better

Ping measures the actual clock time that elapses between a single input, such as a tap or click, and its intended result. This window is so short it’s measured in milliseconds, i.e., one-thousandths of a second. 

As any internet user in history can attest, though, milliseconds can feel like millennia — that’s why high ping rates are often simply referred to as “lag.”

Since dozens of data requests happen every time you click, tap, or scroll, it’s important to measure more than one of them to get useful insights from a speed test. The ping you see in your report is usually an average of ping rates from multiple data requests in a row. 

The lower average ping you have, the smoother and more responsive you can expect your internet to feel, provided you have enough bandwidth to support the activity you want to do.

Jitter

Lower = better

Jitter measures the average difference in clock time between each of the ping rates your speed test collected. 

If you look at only the average ping rate, you’ll have no idea how widely the ping rates in that data set vary. Looking at the variance between pings helps you understand whether they stayed fairly stable or jumped all over the place during a brief internet task.

The higher the jitter, the more your ping rate varies from click to click and the less you can depend on a consistently responsive internet experience.

Why to test your internet speed

Mostly, a speed test is handy for two things: troubleshooting a slow or spotty internet connection, and informing your search for better internet if you don’t like your results.

To use the Brightspeed internet speed test for troubleshooting, run one before calling customer service and share the results with your agent. The test will help them understand whether the problem is on your home network or the larger area network you’re connected to.

If they can’t help you, you may need to upgrade to a higher speed plan — or shop for new internet service with more promising upload speeds, download speeds, or lag/reliability indicators.

Experience the Brightspeed difference 

Shop reliable Brightspeed internet speeds starting at up to 100 Mbps — and Brightspeed fiber with multi-gig speeds and exceptionally low lag.

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The most popular Mario game series in your state—and the world

The world loves Mario—here’s how much. Click through to see numbers on the bestselling Mario game series and compare the trends in their online traffic.

One of the most beloved video game characters in history, Mario Game, the Italian plumber has been jumping turtles since before the scrunchie came, went, and came back into fashion again.

In 2023, Mario appears in over 100 self-titled Nintendo games, hangs out in Nintendo World at Universal Studios Orlando, and stars in the Super Mario Bros. movie premiering next month. And with over 70%1 of Gen Z, Millennials, and Gen X gaming online at least weekly, Mario might keep the public’s attention for years to come.

The team at BrightspeedPlans.com wanted to put some numbers on Mario’s popularity. Take a look below to learn your state’s most searched Mario game series and which titles in the franchise claim bestselling status.

Most searched Mario game series in your state

The bestselling Mario games of all time

Interesting findings

  • The Super Mario game series launched in 1985. Nearly 40 years later, it has become one of the bestselling and most-talked about series in the franchise.
    • 23 states google Super Mario more than other Mario series.
    • The series’ first-ever game, Super Mario Bros. (1985, NES), is also the series’ bestseller with $40.2 million in worldwide unit sales.
    • A favorite among critics, Super Mario games average a Metascore of 87 out of 100. The highest individual score of 97 goes to Super Mario Odyssey (2017, Switch).
    • As of March 2022, Super Mario games had earned over $396.8 million worldwide, making it the bestselling video game series of all time.
  • Mario Party takes the lead for Mario-oriented game searches in 17 states.
    • Super Mario Party (2018, Switch) is the bestselling game of the franchise, bringing in $17.8 million in worldwide sales.
    • The series’ most recent game, Mario Party Superstars (2021, Switch) claims the highest Metascore (80) against a series average of 71.
    • As of March 2022, the whole Mario Party series had earned over $68.9 million in worldwide unit sales.
  • Mario sports series take the controller in 8 states, with top searches split between three series: Mario Strikers (5 states), Mario Golf (2 states), and Mario Tennis (1 state).
    • Mario Tennis Aces (2018, Switch) is the bestselling Mario sports game with $3.7 million in worldwide unit sales.
    • The average Metascore for Mario sports series is 73 out of 100.
  • Despite boasting some of the highest sales in the Mario franchise, Mario Kart gets searched most in only 2 states.
    • With $45.3 million in worldwide revenue, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (2017, Switch) is the bestselling game in the series—and in the entire Mario Nintendo games franchise.
    • As of March 2022, Mario Kart titles had earned over $166.4 million worldwide. 
    • Mario Kart titles claim an average Metascore of 86 out of 100, running neck and neck with Super Mario for critical acclaim.

Methodology

First, we compiled a list of the most popular Mario game series in the Nintendo franchise using ratings from Fandom, VGChartz, and Metacritic; we then ranked the game titles in each major series by their all-time unit sales worldwide. We also used Google Trends, a website that analyzes the popularity of top search queries by region, to compare online interest over the last 12 months in each major Mario game series. We gathered this data in November 2022.

About

BrightspeedPlans.com is an online authorized reseller of Brightspeed. 

For media inquiries, please contact media@brightspeedplans.com.

Most searched Mario game series in your state

StateSeries
AlabamaSuper Mario
AlaskaMario Strikers
ArizonaMario Party
ArkansasSuper Mario
CaliforniaSuper Mario
ColoradoMario Party
ConnecticutSuper Mario
DelawareMario Party
District of ColumbiaMario Kart
FloridaSuper Mario
GeorgiaSuper Mario
HawaiiMario Party
IdahoMario Party
IllinoisSuper Mario
IndianaSuper Mario
IowaMario Kart
KansasSuper Mario
KentuckySuper Mario
LouisianaSuper Mario
MaineMario Party
MarylandSuper Mario
MassachusettsMario Party
MichiganMario Party
MinnesotaMario Party
MississippiSuper Mario
MissouriSuper Mario
MontanaMario Golf
NebraskaMario Strikers
NevadaMario Party
New HampshireMario Party
New JerseySuper Mario
New MexicoMario Strikers
New YorkSuper Mario
North CarolinaSuper Mario
North DakotaMario Golf
OhioSuper Mario
OklahomaSuper Mario
OregonMario Party
PennsylvaniaSuper Mario
Rhode IslandSuper Mario
South CarolinaSuper Mario
South DakotaMario Tennis
TennesseeMario Party
TexasSuper Mario
UtahPaper Mario
VermontMario Strikers
VirginiaMario Party
WashingtonMario Party
West VirginiaMario Strikers
WisconsinMario Party
WyomingMario Party

1. Arbanas, Jana; Westcott, Kevin. “Gen Z gamers are poised to shake up the media and entertainment industries for good,” Fortune. Retrieved 7 February 2023 from https://fortune.com/2021/04/19/gen-z-gamers-video-games-media-entertainment-outlook-changes-future/

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