Internet connection in Europe may be on the verge of a revolution. The announcement of the arrival of FTTR technology in Europe last December was very well received by many users, especially those having problems with their WiFi connection.
Finally, Movistar announced today the launch of its Movistar FTTR Fiber service throughout Europe; Initially it was only available in Madrid and Barcelona, but now it can be rented in the rest of the country.
It’s worth noting that this isn’t the best option for everyone, and many people will likely remain happy with their traditional fiber connection; But in many other cases, it may be exactly what they expected.
What is Movistar FTTR fiber?
FTTR (Fiber To The Room), as the name suggests, is a fiber installation be able to access the rooms of the house
While WiFi has advantages, such as the absence of cables, it also has many disadvantages. It is not capable of covering a lot of space, especially if there are walls, and it needs WiFi repeaters to cover large apartments or houses if we do not want to notice “jumps” in the connection. WiFi connection also adds latency to the connectionwhich is especially noticeable when playing online.
FTTR solves this problem by bringing fiber optic connection to the rooms we want; In other words, the cable does not end at the router, but extends to the most important points in the house. The innovation lies in the use of a thinner and more discreet fiber cable
These cables will reach a device which will be responsible for offering an Ethernet cable connection and a WiFi amplifier to offer a wireless connection. We can connect our devices to this amplifier instead of directly to the router main, for an improved and more direct connection.
How much does FTTR cost?
Obviously, such advances do not come cheap and Movistar’s FTTR involves achieving a additional payment of 9.90 dollars per month
Concretely, the service includes the update of the new Movistar Smart WiFi 6 router, compatible with FTTR, as well as a Smart WiFi 6 amplifier that will be installed where we want to take the cable, as well as the FTTR module. and an extender. The service includes the installation of the cable between two points, a process that will last between 3 and 4 hours; If we want to add an extra point we will have to pay an additional 90 dollars. Finally, it must be taken into account that FTTR is only offered for a period of 2 years, with a penalty of 100 dollars (plus the cost of the devices if they are not returned).