The internet provider is the name given to the company that allows you to access the internet on your home computer. They are also referred to as a cable or satellite service. You can get your internet cable or satellite internet from a local cable or satellite company.
You can also get cable internet from Google Fiber, but most people prefer to get their internet from their ISP.
The cable and satellite companies are the same. They both run you through a computer connection to your computer.
Cable service is not the same as fiber. A fiber connection uses optical fibers to carry a signal that can be transmitted from a head-end or a central hub to wherever you are. That information travels through your home’s copper conduit, which is what you can see on a TV or in a cable box or a dvr. Fiber is a different concept entirely.
In the internet context, a fiber connection may be referred to as a “cable connection,” but the internet company that runs the fiber is called the “fiber provider.” Fiber providers make it possible for fiber to travel along the entire length of your house. So you can have fiber through your garage, or your home, or your business, or even through your whole house.
Fiber is a major way of getting internet in the home because it doesn’t depend on copper wires at all. Fiber is only really used in residential applications with copper (or fiber) cable. But you can’t see any copper cables in any of the pictures here, so fiber is what you need to take a look at. Fiber is also called coaxial cable, which is the term I had in mind when I said it was a different concept entirely.
Fiber is used to carry signals in both directions, which can be useful for cable TV. It is also used to carry phone signals over the same cable. The cable itself is a relatively thin line. You wont be able to see the cable in any of the pictures, but you can see some of the copper that runs underneath.
I was recently in Houston and I have to admit I’m not a big fan of fiber. I know that the people who put fiber into houses know how to build a cable system and install it properly, but they are not very good at explaining what is involved. Plus, I’ve been told that as a user of cable, I am pretty much a non-user. I’m not a cable subscriber, but I do have a TV in my living room.
The fact is, fiber is a good thing, but it is not a very popular option in Houston. The biggest problem is that the cable companies are not exactly building fiber optic cable in Houston. And the ones that are are building it out of their own backyards so they can make as much money as they can from it. You will see fiber everywhere, but nowhere near enough.
A good number of the city’s internet providers are located in Katy, but the cable companies don’t actually have any fiber laying in the area. The closest fiber optic cable to the city is actually in Fort Worth, TX, and the only fiber in Houston is in our own neighborhood.