Reliability and outages
If you've experienced your cable internet cutting out during thunderstorms, this question probably matters a lot to you. Fiber handles weather significantly better than older technologies.
Fiber-optic cables transmit light, not electricity. They're immune to electromagnetic interference from lightning strikes and don't corrode or conduct electricity. This means the signal itself is inherently more stable in stormy weather.
The physical routing of the cable matters. Underground fiber lines are largely unaffected by ice storms, high winds, or falling branches. Aerial fiber lines (strung between poles) are more exposed but still more weather-resistant than coaxial cable because they don't carry electrical current.
Even with fiber, outages can occur when: a tree falls on an aerial line, a construction crew accidentally cuts a buried line, flooding damages a network hub, or the provider's central equipment experiences issues. These scenarios apply to all internet types — fiber just has fewer inherent vulnerabilities.
Your fiber ONT and router require electricity. If your power goes out, your internet goes out — regardless of how weather-resistant the fiber cable itself is. A UPS (uninterruptible power supply) battery backup can keep your equipment online during brief outages.
Cable internet performance degrades in heavy rain because moisture can penetrate older coaxial cable fittings and splitters, especially in homes with aging infrastructure. Fiber doesn't have this problem — water doesn't affect the optical signal.
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