Full Fibre broadband is becoming increasingly common across the UK. But what actually makes it different from the broadband you’ve already got?
In simple terms, Full Fibre uses fibre optic cable all the way to your home. Unlike older broadband connections that rely on copper phone lines for part of the connection, there’s no copper section making up the final stretch with Full Fibre.
That means faster speeds and a more reliable connection, with more capacity for to handle the number of devices and online activities going on in a modern household.
What is Full Fibre broadband?
Full Fibre broadband, also known as FTTP (Fibre-to-the-Premises), uses fibre optic cables to carry data from the network to your home.
Older, partial fibre connections, such as FTTC (Fibre-to-the-Cabinet), use fibre for part of the journey before switching to copper cable for the final stretch.
Having a connection entirely made up of fibre, instead of copper, can have a big impact on your broadband speeds and performance.
In short:
- Fibre all the way to your home
- Faster broadband speeds
- More capacity for multiple devices
- Faster upload speeds
- Lower latency
- A more reliable connection
What’s the difference between Full Fibre and standard broadband?
Most people only think about their broadband when it stops working.
Usually around 7pm. Halfway through a Netflix film. During an important Teams call. Or just as someone decides it’s the perfect time to download a massive game update.
The evening buffer is getting old.
One reason Full Fibre can make a difference is the technology behind the connection. Traditional broadband networks can still rely on copper infrastructure, which can be more susceptible to distance, interference and signal loss.
At Grain, every property receives its own dedicated Full Fibre connection, rather than sharing the fibre connection to your home with neighbouring properties.
That’s broadband designed around how modern households actually use the internet: lots of people, lots of devices and usually all at once.
What are the benefits of Full Fibre broadband?
Faster speeds and less waiting
The obvious benefit of Full Fibre is speed.
With Grain, you can get broadband speeds of up to 2000Mbps, subject to availability.
That means large downloads, game updates and other hefty files can be completed much faster.
But speed isn’t just about downloading things quickly. Having enough capacity means your connection can cope better when several people are doing demanding things online at the same time.
More reliable broadband
Full Fibre doesn’t rely on ageing copper phone lines for the connection into your home.
Fibre optic connections are less susceptible to interference, helping provide more consistent performance.
That matters when your broadband is doing more than one job at a time.
Better for busy households
If a typical evening in your modern household looks like:
- Someone watching Netflix in 4K.
- Someone else gaming online.
- Two people on video calls.
- Phones and tablets are connected.
- A games console downloading an update.
- Smart home devices are quietly doing their thing.
Then Full Fibre would provide you with the speed and capacity to handle multiple activities and devices at the same time.
Better for streaming
Full Fibre is well suited to streaming HD and 4K video, particularly in homes where several people want to watch different things at once.
The more devices streaming, downloading or gaming simultaneously, the more capacity your broadband needs.
A fast Full Fibre connection gives you more room to do all of that without your connection becoming the bottleneck.
Better for gaming
Full Fibre is a good choice for gamers because it combines fast speeds, low latency and a stable connection.
Latency is the delay between data being sent from your device and a response coming back. Lower latency can help make online gaming feel more responsive.
Fast download speeds also mean less time waiting for games, updates and patches to download. And when modern games can involve downloads of 100GB or more, that’s not insignificant.
Smoother gameplay, quicker updates and fewer excuses when you lose.
Faster uploads matter too
Download speed gets most of the attention, but your upload speed matters just as much for some everyday activities.
Uploading photos and videos, backing up files to the cloud, sending large documents, livestreaming and making video calls all involve sending information from your home to the internet.
That’s why symmetrical broadband speeds can be useful.
Symmetrical means your upload and download speeds are the same.
At Grain, our Full Fibre packages offer symmetrical upload and download speeds, so you’re not stuck with a lightning-fast download connection and a much slower upload speed.
Great for working from home
Working from home means your broadband needs to handle more than emails and the occasional Google search.
Video calls, cloud-based applications, file sharing and large uploads all rely on a stable connection.
And if you’re working while someone else is streaming, gaming or attending an online lesson, your broadband needs enough capacity to keep everything moving.
Full Fibre can provide the speed and capacity needed for busy home-working households.
Ready for a connected home
The modern home is full of connected devices.
Smart TVs. Games consoles. Phones. Laptops. Speakers. Doorbells. Cameras. Thermostats.
And that’s before you count the devices you’ve forgotten are connected to your Wi-Fi.
Full Fibre is designed to cope with high levels of demand, making it well suited to homes where lots of devices are connected and being used at the same time.
As more of the things around us become connected, having enough broadband capacity becomes increasingly important.
What broadband speed do I need?
There isn’t one broadband speed that’s right for everyone.
The speed you need depends on how many people are using your connection, how many devices you have and what you’re doing online.
A couple who mainly browse, stream and use social media won’t have the same requirements as a busy household full of gamers, 4K streamers, home workers and smart devices.
As a general rule, the more people and devices using your connection at the same time, the more speed and capacity you’ll benefit from.
Why choose Grain for Full Fibre?
Full Fibre is the technology. How your provider delivers it matters too.
At Grain, we’ve been building and operating our own independent Full Fibre network for almost 10 years.
Every Grain property gets its own dedicated fibre connection, and our Full Fibre packages offer:
- Speeds up to 2Gig, subject to availability
- Best price, guaranteed (we price match)
- Symmetrical upload and download speeds
- Unlimited data
- Free standard installation
- No in-contract price rises (ever)
So, whether your home has a couple of connected devices or enough gadgets to qualify as a small data centre, we’ve got Full Fibre packages designed for different levels of use.
Is Full Fibre worth it?
For most modern households, yes.
If you regularly stream, game, work from home, upload large files or have lots of connected devices, Full Fibre can give you the speed and capacity to handle more of what you do online.
It’s not just about having a faster number on your broadband package.
It’s about having a connection that can keep up when everyone in your home wants to be online at once.
Ready to see what’s available?
Check your postcode to see which Grain Full Fibre packages are available at your address and choose the speed that’s right for your home.