In the battle for internet dominance, many contenders have risen to the challenge of bringing high-speed internet to our homes.

Some methods of internet access, like dial-up, are long gone. Similarly, DSL and satellite are internets of last resort, lacking the speed and latency needed for streaming, gaming and high usage from multiple devices. Cable internet is still around, despite numerous deficiencies in reliability and capacity.

Home buyers and sellers are seeing firsthand how having a fiber internet connection can make their homes more desirable. On average, fiber adds 3.1 percent to a home’s value. That’s just for having a fiber-optic line wired to the house.

The reason? Because with a fiber connection, you have virtually limitless access to the internet, with lightning speed and freeway-wide bandwidth for streaming entertainment, real-time gaming, video conferencing and more.

Bandwidth is one of the most misunderstood aspects of home internet. So, we’re going to step through what it really means and how it affects your internet experience.

If you’re planning to move soon, make sure high-speed fiber internet is on your checklist when home shopping.

Access to fiber internet is the single most important feature to look for in a home today, and not only because of what it means for your family tomorrow. Fiber internet is key to having a modern lifestyle today.

Wireless internet routers enabled us to free ourselves from ethernet and coax cables long ago. But as our need for more internet bandwidth has grown with each new convenience, our home networks have gotten more congested.

When you add up all the mobile phones, tablets and laptops floating around your home, then consider the cord-cutting streaming TV services and smart home IoT devices, it’s not hard to see why. Currently in the U.S., there are an average of 22 networked, or smart, devices in every household.

Long, thin strands of pure glass about the size of a human hair are the foundation of the world’s fastest internet, capable of connection speeds many times faster than coaxial cable. When bundled together, these strands create a cable that allows information to travel through them in a beam of light over long distances.