By Lindsay Bull, technical writer 

If you’re like most people, you may have been reluctant to adopt fiber cable. There is no shortage of debates about whether there are enough benefits to switch from the comfort of using copper cables to the newer territory of fiber. Being as unbiased as we can be, here are seven solid reasons you’re missing out by not employing fiber in your installations: 

1. Less attenuation
   Because fiber cables experience less signal loss than copper cables, fiber is more reliable—period—and more reliable over longer distances. While copper cabling can limit the distance over which you run wires, that distance is extended much further with fiber. 
2. Less electromagnetic interference
   We’ve all been in the situation where we’re experiencing packet loss when we shouldn’t be, and it isn’t until we realize our wiring has been run too closely to another piece of the network that we understand what’s causing the interference. Say goodbye to this problem with fiber—fiber cables don’t conduct electricity. 
3. Sturdier
   It sounds counterintuitive, based on the physical characteristics of copper vs. fiber—fiber is typically made of glass. But it is true, fiber is more resilient than copper to damages due to bending. 
4. It's becoming the new standard
   No, we’re not saying if all your friends jumped off a bridge you should do it, too. But we are saying you need to remain competitive if you want to play the game. You might have an affinity for copper now, but soon, your customers will be expecting fiber. 
5. More bandwidth
   Copper wire was initially designed for voice communication, not the network applications we’re still using it for today; while it has served us well, perhaps it’s time we upgrade our wiring with the upgrades in demands. With a standardized performance of more than 10Gbps, fiber is capable of providing a much greater bandwidth than the copper alternative. 
6. It's more secure
   Again, fiber cables don’t conduct electricity, which means they can’t be tapped by an antenna like a copper cable can. With security being such a huge issue the more people rely on their networks, this should be a huge selling point. 
7. Cost
   While fiber cable is still more expensive than copper upfront, prices have dropped significantly over the past few years. If you include that with fiber, you’re less likely to need a signal booster and the cost of maintenance is lower, you’re getting close to a break-even in cost, while adding all the benefits listed above. 

As with any technological development, the shift to something new can cause reluctance. Often, it’s difficult to help consumers understand the need to replace outdated equipment with the latest trend. Fiber is the future of cable, if for simply the seven reasons listed above. 

It’s important to us that you understand the latest technologies, so stay tuned for a couple follow-up posts diving deeper into the details of fiber cable. And as always, please feel free to let us know your thoughts by dropping a comment below.