People will do some outrageous things to get the best. It’s why luxury brands exist. For the most part, these products are no different from the everyday things we buy. But some things are priced high for a reason. It’s because those experiences are reserved for those who need it. Or maybe they’ll do absolutely anything to have it. That’s what Google Fiber thinks of their highest tier offering.
20 Gigs?!
If you remember back in October, Google Fiber stated that they will be soon launching a 20 Gig service. Well, now it’s available for $250/month. It will also come with a Wi-Fi 7 router. The service is rolling out in Kansas City, in North Carolina’s Triangle region (still waiting on availability here), Arizona, and Iowa. Those residents can expect installations to begin in Q1 of 2024.
Google Fiber states that at $250, “it’s a lot of speed for that price, and we know that it will enable innovators who want to be able to push what’s possible to truly get to work.” Instead of giving a single device 20 Gigs of speed, what Google Fiber is hoping people will do is split it up into multiple devices taking “advantage of multi-gig speeds” at the same time.
Do you really need that much?
Now I understand. I initially thought there was no way people could use all that bandwidth. But I forget that I’m a person who has multiple gigabit devices at home. Between a PC, a Mac, two Linux servers, and an Xbox Series X, there are some struggles. As a gamer with multiple devices, I have noticed how Steam and my Xbox don’t play well together when both are updating.
Also, with Wi-Fi 7 routers, compatible devices can see theoretical speeds of 40Gbps or better. PCMag tested some of these routers and have seen around 2Gbps. That’s still faster than my wired connections can get. But again, that’s only with those routers and devices that use Wi-Fi 7 and those devices aren’t out yet.
It is unfortunate that my home isn’t really ready for something like 20Gbps speeds. But with Google Fiber’s other affordable options, I may not be totally out of options.
Source: 9to5Google
