A Complete Guide on Google Fiber Connected devices

Google started its broadband Internet Service and Internet Protocol Television Service, Google Fiber since the year 2010. Now it is the fastest internet provider in the United States with a downloading speed up to a lightning 1000mb per second. It provides high-speed internet service to the connected devices, whether for business or for individual use. Google decided not to expand the premise of Google Fiber. Unfortunately, it stayed within the boundaries of the United States.

Launched on 10^th February 2010, Google Fiber is now owned by Alphabet Inc. And is a part of the Access Division. It was sold by Google to the world’s fourth-largest technology company Alphabet Inc. In 2015.

A decade ago Google Fiber was only available in a few locations. With time they are trying to increase their parameters. Now it is available in the cities such as Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Miami, Los Angeles, San Diego, Portland, San Diego, Salt Lake City, Oakland, Chicago, Denver, Kansas City, Huntsville, Jacksonville, Charlotte, Dallas, Provo, and others.

With time not only the network’s speed increased, but it also adapted it to various technological changes. Now we can easily connect our smart devices through the Google Fiber connected network.

How to connect Google Fiber on devices?

For a wireless internet connection throughout the home or workplace, we can connect our devices to Google Fiber, Wi-Fi Network by following the steps given below:

Step 1. – For signing in the Fiber account, we need to use the email and password which is used to access the Fiber account.

Step 2. – After signing in, the navigation menu on the top- left corner would display the Network available.

Step 3. – We need to remember the Wi-Fi name and password. Amongst the various networks available, we need to select the network, which matches our Wi-Fi name, then click the link that matches the type of our device to learn how to connect the device.

Google Fiber Wired Connections

Certain devices like some personal computers cannot be connected using a wireless connection, i.e. Wi-Fi. For those devices, Google Fiber provides a wired internet connection through which we can connect up to four devices. The Google Fiber Network Box has four LAN ports. Connecting the devices to these ports provides the fastest internet for the user’s devices.

How does Google Fiber connect to the house?

Google Fiber network’s components are mostly basic and can vary from region to region. The network cables are either above the ground placed on multi-utility poles or underground within thick Conduit tubes which run throughout a certain locality. From these network cables, individual lines lead to houses with the connection. For installing a Google Fiber in the house, we need to contact the nearest google service. They will send technicians for the installation process and connect the network. Once the fiber cable is placed in a certain location of the house, it will be connected to a fiber jack by Google, also known as Optical Network Terminal, which will be finally attached to the Interior wall.

The fiber jack has the following extra features:

1. Ethernet port – Basically there are three types of Ethernet ports based on the speed of data transfer that is Basic Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, and the fastest of all, Gigabit Ethernet. Gigabit Ethernet is being used for Ethernet pots in Fiber Jacks.
2. Status LED – LED can help the user know about the functioning of the device. For example, when the system is operating well, the LED turns solid blue and when the LED flashes red light, there might be some problem.

The jack changes the optical signals into gigabit Ethernet signals which are sent to the network box.

Google follows a 3-step process to bring Google Fiber in our homes.

1. They install the Google-Fiber outside our homes. They do not contact the customers prior to this step. They visit the customer, ask for their permission, and simply start working. There are basically two types of NIUs.

• For single families’ use – 6.3” H × 7.8” W ×2.0” D
• For large families’ use – 7” H × 7.5” W × 2.0” D

2. They contact the customer for a scheduled installation inside the house. They fix the dates and the time of the work as per the convenience of the customer.
3. Google Fiber gets installed inside the house of the customer on a fixed date. They send trained technicians in the process.

After complete installation, the customer can enjoy the high-speed internet service! If any problem is faced by the user, they can directly contact the Google Customer Service.

GOOGLE FIBER ROUTER

The ideal google fiber router is the Network Box GFRG100, GFRG110, GFRG200, and GFRG2010.

GFRG100 and GFRG110

These devices have an LED that turns solid blue when the device is switched on. They serve as a router which provides internet service to both wired and non-wired devices. A maximum of four wired devices can be plugged in using the Ethernet cables. If the user wants to connect more devices he/she can use a gigabit Ethernet switch.

GFRG200 and GFRG220

They are provided to the customer when he/she subscribes to a greater pack. Besides serving as the router, they serve as the central storage. It provides storage of 2Tb! Many features are the same as the GFRG100 and GFRG110 Network box, like the LED and the Ethernet cables.

Here are five other top-rated routers which can connect to the Google Fiber Network:

1. Google Wi-Fi system

With a dual-band frequency of 2.4GHz – 5GHz, it provides wireless internet and also has two Gigabit Ethernet ports to connect wired devices. It can cover an area up to 4500 square feet.

2. Mikrotik Routerboard RB2011UiAS-2HnD-IN

Starting just from a hundred dollars, this device is very cheap compared to the rest of the routers. It has a lot of features such as advanced routing, firewall, VPL, MPLS, load balancing, etc. Apart from the features, this device is also very easy to set up.

3. Linksys Dual-Band Wi-Fi Router AC1900

With smart access apps, we can control the router from anywhere. It has 4 Ethernet ports for wired devices. It also has three USB ports, thus the user can easily add external storage. With exceptional Wi-Fi speed, this router is exceptional.

4. NETGEAR Nighthawk Smart Wi-Fi Router AC1750

Ranged to both 5GHz and 2GHz devices, this device can cover up to 1500 square feet. With Smart connect and a 1GHz dual-core processor, its service is spectacular.

5. Ubiquiti Edge Router X

This device, which is powered by Poe input, is a great deal. 1 Poe input port, 3 gigabit Ethernet ports, Dual-core 880MHz processor, 256mb NAND code storage are some of the various features of this device.

Connecting the Router to Google Fiber

The following are the steps needed to be followed:

1. The router’s power adapter should be connected to an outlet.
2. One end of the Ethernet cable should be connected to the Fiber Jack and the other end to the WAN port of the router.
3. If connected properly, the router will indicate that its power is on and it is getting data from the Fiber jack.

Google Fiber connected but no internet

Many times people face problems such as slow internet speed or not using the internet at all. Google Fiber does not work properly sometimes. At those times we need to restart it or simply reset it. The router or Network box can be restarted manually or through the Fiber App.

Restarting or Power starting a device resolves the troubles faced most of the time. The followings can help:

1. Unplugging the power cord.
2. Waiting a couple of seconds after unplugging it.
3. Plug-in the power cord again, this time properly.
4. Waiting a few minutes for the LED light to turn solid blue

If the network issues are not resolved even after restarting the Network box or the Router then one can always contact the Google Fiber Customer Support.

Resetting the fiber device can remove connectivity problems. The reset button is found near the underside of the fiber device.

The following are the steps to reset a Fiber box:

1. The reset button should be pressed for 20 seconds or more:
   1. The LED will be blinking red for the first 10 seconds and will turn into purple.
   2. After the LED completely turns off, the button should be released.
2. The device should be allowed to reboot itself completely.

The following are the steps to reset a Google Fiber Storage Box:

1. The reset button should be pressed for 20 seconds or more:
   1. The LED will be blinking red for the first 10 seconds and will turn into purple.
   2. After the LED completely turns off, the button should be released.
2. The Storage box should be spared some minutes to reboot itself completely.
3. If the above steps do not work the user can factory reset the device?

The following are the steps to reset a Google Phone Box :

1. The reset button should be pressed 20 seconds or more till the LED starts blinking red, after a few seconds of red, the LED will change into purple.
2. After the LED goes completely dark, the button should be released.
3. The device should be spared a few minutes so that it could reboot itself completely.

Sometimes no internet connections are available or very weak connections are available. It is not always the fault of the router. Here are some other reasons due to which poor or no internet connections are available:

1. Bad Weather: Due to severe rainfall or severe snowfall internet connection might get weak.
2. Batteries running out: When commercial powers go out, the routers work solely on their battery power. Thus, they should be checked from time to time.
3. Outdated devices: Sometimes there is no fault with the network problem still we cannot use the internet. The devices need to be updated from time to time otherwise the system gets lagged.

Plans offered by Google Fiber

1. Fiber 1000 – For this plan, the user has to pay $70 per month. This plan provides a download speed of 1000Mbs per second.
2. Webpass – This plan provides a download speed of 100mbps – 1000mbps depending upon the location. The customer has to pay $60 per month. He can also pay $550 for a whole year.

Offers and plans are subjects that vary from city to city, and from time to time.

Advantages of using Google Fiber

• High Speed: Google Fiber provides high-speed internet service from 5mbps to a wondrous 1000mbps i.e. 1gb. It is faster than most of the internet services available. Thus the users can enjoy lightning-fast internet without any interruptions.

• Smart Devices Connect: Any smart device can be easily connected to Google Fiber. Users can connect the smart appliances to the network and can be one step ahead of the others.

• Value for money: Google Fiber provides impeccable internet service. Compared to other networks available, it provides far greater speed at a lesser price.

• Stable network: not only does Google Fiber provide lightning-fast internet speed, but also a stable network. Google Fiber users face far fewer network issues than others.

• Secured Network: Google Fiber ensures the security of the user’s information and data. No device can connect to this network without authority.

• Anytime Cancellation: Most of the network providers make long term contracts with the customers, most of them are for 24months. Google does not bind the customers in such a long term contract. None of its contracts last more than a year. Most of the plans are monthly based. This provides flexibility in the service of the customer.

• Best Customer Service: Google Fiber is rated the best for its customer service. They are polite, they understand the problem faced by the customer and try to do their best to resolve the problem.

Disadvantages of using Google Fiber

• Not available in most of the places: Only the cities which are lucky enough have the Google Fiber Service. Good for them. It only provides internet and broadband service in some cities in the United States.

• Limited capacity: If many devices are connected at the same point of time in the network then the internet speed gets slower. Thus, for uninterrupted service, the user should connect fewer devices at the same point of time.

Why did Google Fiber fail to achieve what it deserved?

Google Fiber deserves more applause from the public. It is far better than the other internet providing networks. Here are some reasons why it failed to gain the popularity it deserves:

1. Poor Marketing: Before releasing Google Fiber it was not advertised properly. Thus, due to a lack of information, it did not gain mass popularity.
2. Low price: From the very beginning the service prices was kept low. For this, the company could not earn huge profits, and therefore due to a lack of profit, it could not expand the business anymore.
3. Cutthroat competition: Due to a lack of proper advertisement and marketing other companies took over the market.

Customer Service provided by Google Fiber

Their customer service is rated the Best for a cause. If any problem regarding the network or the functioning of the device is faced by the customer, they can easily contact Google customer care. Customer care will give speedy solutions to problems. If any physical problem appears in the device, they will send trained technicians to have a lot of it. If the customer wants to get in touch with customer service online, they can go to Google’s official customer service website. They are available 24 hours a day, 7days a week.

The following are some phone numbers a customer can call if needed:

• Google Fiber Support and Customer Service for Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville, Provo, and others – (844) 363-4237
• Google Fiber Support and Customer Service in Kansas City, Austin, Huntsville, Salt Lake City, and others – (866) 777-7550

Before Google stepped into the Broadband Business, the competition was not so severe. Some Internet providers exploited their customers and gained huge amounts of profit from them. They did not even provide proper service to the users. Often poor connectivity issues were faced. When Google stepped into the business as Google Fiber, other service providers faced tough competition, thus they started to reduce the price of their internet packages and also they started providing a better service which was not as good as the service by Google Fiber.

Conclusion

Google Fiber Broadband Internet service and Internet Protocol Television Service is trusted and used by thousands. Initially, the number of subscribers has been just a few as the service was available only in certain areas of the United States, but gradually the number of subscribers multiplied when Google decided to increase its availability in more regions. Google Fiber is gradually spreading its service and within a couple of years, it can possibly be available in the whole U.S. Today it is the fastest Internet service provider in the United States. Tomorrow it can be the fastest internet provider in America or even the world!