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Internet

Getting the Most Out of MPW’s 10G Fiber Network

When you have 2 Gig or 5 Gig internet from MPW, you can reach professional-grade speeds, right from your home. With MPW’s Multi-Gig Internet Service, you’ll receive a professional installation of a new Multi-Gig optical network terminal (ONT) and, included with your service, a Multi-Gig router.

To get optimal speeds, you’ll need specific equipment to achieve them. Here’s some information on how to get the fastest internet speeds possible.

10G Fiber Network Speed Specifics

With MPW’s 10G Fiber Network, you can get symmetrical upload and downloads speeds of up to 2 Gigabits or 5 Gigabits per second as long as you use the following devices:

  • MPW’s WiFi@Home Multi-Gig router with MPW’s Multi-Gig ONT
    • Multi-Gig router is capable up to 2.5 Gigabits per second via wireless and capable up to 5 Gigabits per second when hard wired.
  • Your own router (see recommended router specs below) with MPW’s Multi-Gig ONT

Use your own router (Multi-Gig) specifications:

Minimum specifications:

  • Wi-Fi 6e (802.11ax)
  • Dual-band or Quad-band
  • Gigabit ethernet port (minimum 2 ports)
  • Minimum one 5GBASE-T RJ-45 (Ethernet) for 5 Gig
  • WPA2 security protocols
  • Mesh networking for multi-gig plans

Advanced specifications:

  • Mesh-router system for homes with larger coverage area or Wi-Fi dead spots.
  • Wi-Fi 6e (802.11ax) for advanced users who need the best Wi-Fi available.
  • Speed may be limited by your device or router capabilities; check device and router specs for support of multi-gig speeds.
  • A cable or DSL modem-router combo will NOT work with MPW’s Multi-Gig Fiber Network.

Hardware To Be Able To Speedtest

  • Apple Mac Studio or Pro High-end PCs with 10 Gbps network interface card 10 Gbps USB adapter for PCs Other connected device with a 10 Gbps ethernet port USB 3.0 or higher Solid State Drives (SSD) with PCIe 4.0 PC with 8-core processor or higher.

Multi-Gig Speeds For the Entire Household

One of the advantages of Multi-Gig Fiber is that anyone in your household can transfer large files in seconds or minutes—rather than hours. That means you can create professional-grade work at home, whether that’s creating and transferring UHD video files, rendering huge graphics or data files, collaborating on large and complicated projects with a large number of people — and anything that benefits from very fast transfers with high reliability. Remember, if you are running business operations from your home, we have Business Class Internet packages right for you.

MPW-provided equipment with Multi-Gig internet is enough to meet the speed needs of most customers. But as one of the first with 5 Gig, you might want bragging rights to super-fast transfers, system updates, game play, or speed tests — and for that, you’ll likely need a few extra things.

How To Go the Absolute Fastest on 5 Gig

The speed you see on your device in a speed test will be based on the speeds that you’re able to get through 1) your device (and its operating system’s ability to support fast ports), 2) your cables, 3) your Ethernet adapter or port, and 4) the USB port you’re connecting into.

In general, devices and cables that traffic flows through must be capable of 5 Gbps.

Internet speed depends on your devices and connections

You will need to verify all personal equipment supports the speed you are expecting to see.

Wired vs. wireless connections

Using an Ethernet connection to connect your device directly to the internet allows you to get a faster, more stable internet connection than you’d get over Wi-Fi. So, to get the fastest speeds possible, you’ll want to plug your device (or devices) into your router (or switch) directly, using an Ethernet cable.

Use a fast ethernet cable

  • If you’re connecting this way, make sure your Ethernet cable is Cat6A or greater (‘Cat’ is short for category, and if you’re not sure what type yours is, you’ll usually see this information printed on the side of the cable). 
  • Cat6 cables may not be able to reach 5 Gigabit per second speeds. You can, of course, use the Cat6 you have to get a connection—you just won’t get the fastest speeds available.

Use a fast ethernet cable for wired connections

  • If your device doesn’t have a built-in 10 Gb Ethernet port or faster (this is currently rare on laptops, but available as an upgradable component on desktop computers), you’ll need an adapter—also known as a dongle—rated at 10 Gb or faster.
  • A suitable 10G ethernet adapter plugged into a capable laptop/device is also needed.

Remember that not all adapters are compatible with all devices, so be sure to check before you buy it.

Connect your adapter to fast USB

Even with a fast adapter, slower USB ports on your device can slow your connection down. You’ll want to plug your adapter into USB 3.1 Gen 2 or newer – with a USB A or C port.

  • Don’t have those faster USB ports? You can still use 5 Gig to get the maximum speed your device is capable of, but won’t reach maximum megabits per second. The capabilities of the device being used will determine the speed you will be able to achieve.

Use a fast switch for multiple devices

In order to maximize your internet speeds over Ethernet on multiple devices, you’ll need a device known as a switch.

You’ll need a switch with enough ports to connect all your devices, capable of speeds 5 Gig or greater to get the maximum speed available from the router and the adapter. This setup will let you share your wired speed across all devices. Just make sure that the switch you’re using is compatible with multi-gig speeds.

How To Go The Fastest On WiFi

  • Typically, the closer to your router you are, the faster your speed will be when using a wireless connection.
  • Remember that some building materials used to create walls and other obstacles can block the Wi-Fi signal emitted by your router. For example, if there’s, a cinder block wall between you and your router, you may get a better signal by moving to the other side of the wall.
  • Your Wi-Fi connection can run into interference from signals being sent by microwave ovens, cordless phones, baby monitors, garage door openers and other devices. So, when possible, connect using your network’s 5 GHz Wi-Fi frequency, and turn off any devices that may be interfering when you want to go fast over Wi-Fi.

Other factors that affect multi-gig speeds

Some devices won’t be able to handle multi-gig speeds (like 5 Gig) even with a wired connection, simply because they’re not up-to-date. There are several things you can do to bridge those gaps, including updating your operating system and having a new network card installed.

Keep in mind, the older the device is, the less likely it will be able to achieve today’s high speeds.