Another Verizon FIOS question for those who have it (houses, transfer)

[Bigfoot424]

I'm posting this in NOVA as internet speeds could vary elsewhere. I'm looking at switching to FIOS and one thing I really like is the internet speed. I currently have DSL and I use a separate wi fi for my lap top. Does the FIOS internet also allow for wi fi use or will I still need my own router? If I use my own can I assume the speed will be no better than what I already use? Hopefully this question makes sense as tech stuff like this is not my cup of tea.

[ChristineVA]

Originally Posted by Bigfoot424

I'm posting this in NOVA as internet speeds could vary elsewhere. I'm looking at switching to FIOS and one thing I really like is the internet speed. I currently have DSL and I use a separate wi fi for my lap top. Does the FIOS internet also allow for wi fi use or will I still need my own router? If I use my own can I assume the speed will be no better than what I already use? Hopefully this question makes sense as tech stuff like this is not my cup of tea.

Okay, I'm not sure I totally understand what you are asking but....

I have FiOS internet. We have one FiOS router plugged in that controls the internet and the TV (sits off in our "office"). I have one computer that that is not WiFi and plugged into the wall and FiOS router and then three laptops that operate on WiFi all over the house. I don't think you will need your own router and will just use what Verizon gives you. The speed is much better than when i was using DSL.

[GeorgiaTransplant]

Originally Posted by Bigfoot424

I'm posting this in NOVA as internet speeds could vary elsewhere. I'm looking at switching to FIOS and one thing I really like is the internet speed. I currently have DSL and I use a separate wi fi for my lap top. Does the FIOS internet also allow for wi fi use or will I still need my own router? If I use my own can I assume the speed will be no better than what I already use? Hopefully this question makes sense as tech stuff like this is not my cup of tea.

Short answer: You will get a router that can do both Wi-Fi and wired connections as part of the FiOS package. You can use that to do both wired and wireless connections in your house, or plug your own WiFi router onto that Verizon router, sort of daisy-chaining routers, but it probably won't give you any improvement. FiOS speed is frankly just amazing, and getting Internet at about that speed has become a criteria in choosing houses if we ever move again. It is worth EVERY PENNY if you are a heavy Internet user.


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Longer answer:
FiOS terminates a fiber connection at your house-the fiber goes straight to a box they mount on the wall.

At the box, the fiber connection is redistributed into your house's coaxial cable.

At whatever coaxial connection you designate, Verizon connects a router (you could always move it to any other coax connection, they just put it there to get it working) that has several Ethernet cable connections and a Wi-Fi antenna. The Wi-Fi signal is strong enough to cover my house, which is probably slightly above average-sized (~3000 sf).

You don't HAVE to use that router for the WiFi. You could always plug your own into one of the wired connections off the Verizon and use a channel that doesn't interfere with the channel that the Verizon router is using (WiFi has multiple channels that have limited overlap)-or maybe just shut off Verizon's WiFi signal, I've never tried it nor needed to. The Verizon equipment is just fine for almost any user.

Fiber -> Interconnection Box -> Coax -> Dual Wired and Wi-Fi Router (Verizon)->Your OWN WiFi Router (optional)

[farplaner]

Verizon FIOS will provide their router, and their router is wi-fi and ethernet enabled.

That said, you don't have to use their router (unless you also have FIOS TV, in which you have to do more work if you want to use your own router).

[Carlingtonian]

Confirming what the others have told you: We too have Fios TV and Internet and use the provided Fios wi-fi router for both. Works great and super easy.

[gammann]

Agree with what others have said. It all depends on what revision of the Actiontec router you get, as to whether it has just G, or N. Also I believe you can only get the Actiontec with Gigabit copper ports if you order the 150/35 service.

You can check these FAQs to find more info:
Verizon Online FiOS FAQ | DSLReports.com, ISP Information

Keep in mind that depending on how you set it all up, you may lose some FiOS features on your DVRs.

As for your speed, external to your house, your DSL is the limiting factor. Even the lowest speed FiOS is probably faster than what you have now. Now internal to your house, if you are doing a lot of transfers or streaming, then there may be a difference between your wifi router and the Actiontec, but we'd need to know what you have first.

[SallyField]

Originally Posted by Bigfoot424

Hopefully this question makes sense as tech stuff like this is not my cup of tea.

You've already got your answer (you don't need your own router). But let me just say this: we went from DSL to FIOS years ago, and my God, what a difference. You won't regret it! I'm very happy with FIOS.

One other thing, our router is plugged into fiber from the box, not coax like GeorgiaTransplant mentioned. I'm guessing that's because we had fiber available to plug into.

[Bigfoot424]

Thanks for the responses. Looks like I'm going to FIOS.

[GeorgiaTransplant]

Originally Posted by SallyField

You've already got your answer (you don't need your own router). But let me just say this: we went from DSL to FIOS years ago, and my God, what a difference. You won't regret it! I'm very happy with FIOS.

One other thing, our router is plugged into fiber from the box, not coax like GeorgiaTransplant mentioned. I'm guessing that's because we had fiber available to plug into.

Your house rocks. Most older houses have coax wired through them.

You *could* rewire with fiber, but it's a pain in the ... hiney, and you'd probably need to hire someone to do it for you. If you're building a house, someday you're going to want to see the holograms on your desktop and you'll need high bandwidth. Fiber has characteristics that make it inherently superior to coaxial cable in the long run.

[Carlingtonian]

Originally Posted by GeorgiaTransplant

Your house rocks. Most older houses have coax wired through them.

You *could* rewire with fiber, but it's a pain in the ... hiney, and you'd probably need to hire someone to do it for you. If you're building a house, someday you're going to want to see the holograms on your desktop and you'll need high bandwidth. Fiber has characteristics that make it inherently superior to coaxial cable in the long run.

Verizon will install the fiber for you if you don't have it. Our very old house was loaded to the gills with coax, and the installer came and took about 2 hours to run a line from the street, install various boxes inside and outside the house, then set up the set-top box and wifi router, and finally install some programs on my laptop.

BTW, Bigfoot: Installation is a great time to get them to upgrade your wifi security from WEP (easy to hack) to WPA2. You can do it yourself later, but it's somewhat tedious.