Fiber Optic Internet

Hey,

So on that end, protection from surges is a big deal, so pay attention to what actually bridges the outside of your home to the inside. If it’s any form of copper, get an Ethernet isolator (about $40 or less) at the very least. The Ether-Fiber-Ether bridge is also a good idea and one that I use but not for improving audio. :-) I’m just paranoid about surges taking out a significant chunk of my home network.

I have a coax based Internet and so I use a gas discharge tube on the outside, that goes to the modem, and then a custom made E-F-E bridge. It’s basically an air-gapped lightning protection.

PS - Avoid Ethernet surge protectors that have ground wires.  They dont' work as well as the isolators.

@erik_squires - surges over optical, I didn’t consider that.

A quick search on Amazon brought me to this. Is this what you are suggesting Eric? And where in the system do you put it?

https://www.amazon.com/Ethernet-Protector-Cabinet-Gigabit-1000Mbs/dp/B078NKGPJC/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=3K4YD17PZ4MZZ&keywords=ethernet+isolator&qid=1668093642&sprefix=ehternet+isolater%2Caps%2C168&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1

Raw bitrate for stereo 384 kHz / 24 bit is ~20 Mbps so even the cheapest plan would be fine for streaming audio. $60 for gig speed is a good deal - especially if you'll have multiple people streaming content / downloading games.

Most likely the technician will install a optical network terminal (ONT) which will convert the optical signal to wired Ethernet. You don't need to worry about isolation since Ethernet is transformer coupled. Power surges could be a problem, but I've never had a network interface die on me through various blackouts / brownouts. If you're truly paranoid, it might be better to use wi-fi.