Fibre vs VDSL | A Complete Guide

If you are looking for the ideal connection for your home, you might be scratching your head, trying to figure out the difference between the different connection types. This guide should help make sense of the differences between fibre and VDSL.

First, let's clear up some of the confusing terminologies. When researching the different connections, you will find two standard terms: "Internet Speed" and "Bandwidth". While it may look like they mean the same thing, there are vital differences between them.

The difference between Bandwidth and Internet Speed

In one sentence, bandwidth is the capacity for information to transfer, and speed is the time it takes to reach its destination.

Imagine you are transporting boxes of goods from a warehouse to a store to sell. You need to load a truck with the boxes, and it will travel to the store to unload the boxes. The bigger the truck, the more boxes you can fit inside, which leads to fewer trips to complete the order.

In this analogy, we will say that each box represents one megabit, so if you have a bandwidth of 30 megabits per second, your truck could hold 30 boxes.

The speed would be how long it takes for the truck to travel to the store, so if it takes 1 minute for the truck to arrive and the store orders 60 boxes, it will take 2 minutes to complete the delivery.

What is the difference between VDSL and Fibre?

Fibre optic technology and VDSL (Very-high-bit-rate Digital Subscriber Line) are two different types of technologies used for transmitting data over long distances.

Fibre optic technology uses thin strands of glass or plastic to transmit data as pulses of light. This allows it to transmit data over much longer distances and at much higher speeds than VDSL.

VDSL, on the other hand, is a type of digital subscriber line (DSL) technology that uses copper wire to transmit data. It is capable of higher speeds than regular DSL, but it has a shorter range and is not as fast as fibre optic technology.

In general, fibre optic technology is considered to be the better option for high-speed internet connections because of its higher speeds and longer range.