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Before modern technology, families kept their most precious photos in a shoebox on a closet shelf. Everyone knew it was the one place to protect. Those pictures told the story of birthdays, graduations, and everyday life. Now that shoebox fits in your pocket.
Here is the thing no one tells you about cloud storage. Even the safest cloud service is not magic. It is still run by people, hardware, and companies that change their terms, merge, or shut down. That is why you should always have more than one backup.
Think of it like insurance for your insurance.
Fiber gives you incredible speed — here’s how to make sure your home setup isn’t holding it back.
No more lag, dropped streams, or tech headaches. Here’s how to create a streaming setup that just works — on every screen, in every room.
Wi-Fi is convenient, but Ethernet delivers serious speed and stability. Here’s how (and where) to use it in your home.
Highlands Fiber Network is undertaking a multi-year upgrade to modernize its fiber infrastructure, replacing core equipment and restructuring service delivery. The overhaul will bring faster speeds, improved reliability, and stronger security—without additional cost to customers. Internet speeds are set to increase by 2.5 times as part of the transition, marking a significant shift in how residents experience connectivity.
As 2024 comes to an end, we at GigabitNow are reflecting on how far Highlands Fiber Network (HFN) has come and gearing up for an incredible 2025. Running HFN has been more than just managing an Internet network—it’s been about building something that serves Issaquah Highlands today while preparing for what’s next.
Once upon a time, back in the 19th century, a duo of brilliant minds, Jacques Babinet and John Tyndall, embarked on a whimsical journey. They weren’t wielding paintbrushes on a canvas but rather guiding light through streams of water, as if sculpting with beams of luminescence. It was like nature’s own light show! Their experiments taught us a lot about how light works and set the stage for even more discoveries.
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and we’re here to help you craft the perfect celebration with your special someone. This year, immerse yourselves in romance with three unique date ideas that combine the timeless charm of tradition with the connectivity of Ultrafast Fiber Home Internet. Get ready for a Valentine’s Day to remember!
New year, new vibes, and of course, new resolutions! Ever started the year strong but found your goals waving goodbye by February? You’re not alone! But don’t worry — Highlands Fiber Network and some fantastic health tech companions are here to ensure your goals stick around.
‘Tis the season to be techy and Highlands Fiber Network is here to sprinkle your holidays with the magic of smart living. Let’s unwrap three festive ways to amplify your holiday joy using Fiber Internet.
In today’s digital age, having a reliable and fast Internet connection is paramount. Just like highways enable us to travel from place to place quickly and efficiently, our online experience is greatly influenced by the type of Internet we use. Let’s explore the differences between Fiber Internet and Cable Internet using a freeway metaphor, shedding light on why Fiber emerges as the champion in providing a smoother and more seamless online journey.
The prospect of cutting the cord on your traditional cable subscription can be daunting, especially if you’re someone who enjoys the convenience of flipping through live television channels and following your favorite sports teams. But here’s the good news: making the switch to Fiber Internet doesn’t mean sacrificing these beloved aspects of your TV-watching experience. In fact, it opens the door to a world of possibilities, offering you even more flexibility, content, and convenience than you might have thought possible.
For years, most Internet connections were dependent on copper coax cables — typically, the same lines you used to connect your home phone to the public switched telephone network. Today, fiber optics reign supreme, harnessing the power of light pulses to whisk data across networks at breathtaking speeds and with a low error rate. But what exactly sets fiber apart from the traditional copper cables we’ve grown accustomed to? Let’s delve into the key differences and discover why fiber is the future of Internet technology.
The journey of video games from cartridges and discs to the cloud space has been a remarkable one. Gone are the days when you had to walk through the aisles of game stores looking for physical copies of your favorite video games.
Traditional gaming consoles are being replaced by online gaming consoles that gamers can access through cloud technology. You can now stream them directly from remote servers, mobile phones, PCs, and tablets just by being connected to the Internet.
Are Wi-Fi and the Internet the same thing? What is the difference between the Internet and Wi-Fi? Even though we may use both every day, it can be confusing to know what each does, especially if you are unfamiliar with technology.
Fiber Internet is still new or unknown to a lot of people. It is important for people to understand what it’s capable of and why it is generally considered to be a superior option to cable Internet.
Comparisons between the two options can actually go on at length when one considers how they operate, who provides them, how costs differ, and so on. In terms of pure performance, though, the following are the chief reasons that fiber is better than cable.
At Highlands Fiber Network, we’re all about the game-changing power of fiber optics. But what exactly is it? Fiber optics is made up of super thin glass or plastic threads called optical fibers that carry data using light. Yes, light! It’s like sending messages at the speed of light, which is faster than anything we’ve ever seen before.
You may have noticed colorful markings labeled “811” scattered throughout our community from time to time, and we want to take a moment to explain their significance. These markings are not done by Highlands Fiber Network but are part of a standard practice followed for any construction project involving underground utility infrastructure.
The “811” markings indicate the presence of underground utility infrastructure, such as power lines, gas pipes, water mains, and communication cables. They play a vital role in safeguarding the integrity of our infrastructure and ensuring the safety of our community.
A new year brings with it plans for a better future. Highlands Fiber Network is in heavy planning for the future. Efforts continue a pace on moving the entire network to a more modern infrastructure as technicians are actively replacing the older multi-mode fiber network areas with single-mode fiber. In addition, HFN has been actively looking at additional upgrades to network electronics and infrastructure planned to start later this summer. And the Home Support team of technicians has been busy servicing residents across the highlands while also installing and assisting with home tech upgrades.
Without adequate security implementation, your home network security can become vulnerable to hacking. In this article, we explore a few ways in which you can increase your home internet security.
Following our update two weeks ago, network engineers have continued maintenance activities on core HFN electronics and core network equipment. During some of the more recent maintenance periods, engineers found, isolated, and made corrections to a small number of malfunctioning devices that have been causing some network issues over the last few months. These changes resulted in a better experience for users and allowed for the next step in network upgrades to begin.
You may have noticed a brief impact while using the Highlands Fiber Network Wednesday, June 8th. At approximately 4 PM there was a 4-5 minute disruption for HFN users resulting in increased latency or connection loss. All services were restored at 4:05 PM. Network administrators were immediately made aware and acted to recover core network services caused by a failure of a core network switch. Due to an active investigation and isolation of other core network hardware, redundant systems did not engage as expected. Following this event, earlier this morning, an additional maintenance event was added to the schedule to investigate and reset core switch equipment. This work occurred this morning from 12 AM to 3 AM during HFN’s weekly maintenance window. We apologize for any effect this had on your service.
Over 20 years ago, master developer Port Blakely designed Highlands Fiber Network’s (HFN) network architecture to create an open network where users could see their neighbor’s devices and participate in online gatherings like LAN parties. Over time, this architecture has proven increasingly problematic as it exposes many residents to problems created by misconfigured or malfunctioning equipment on the network. HFN monitors the network to identify common signatures of these problems and attempts to isolate (turn off) the offending resident or device until the issue is resolved. HFN has also continued to investigate rearchitecting the network to eliminate these issues; however, the solutions are costly and inconvenient to customers as these solutions would require in-home equipment upgrades.
The HFN network architecture was designed over 20 years ago when the earliest Issaquah Highlands homes were being built. At that time, the founders wanted an open network where neighbors could see each other’s devices and participate in things like “LAN parties.” This architecture has proved to be increasingly problematic over time as it exposes many residents to problems created by misconfigured or malfunctioning equipment on the network. To mitigate this, we have monitoring to identify common signatures of these problems and attempt to isolate (turn off) the offending resident, or device, until the issue is resolved. We have also continued to investigate rearchitecting the network to eliminate these issues, but all of the solutions previously investigated have required replacing the portal in each resident’s home, which would be very expensive, not to mention inconvenient.
The holidays bring all sorts of new, helpful technology and home devices to personal networks. New innovative devices become available every day, including new Wi-Fi mesh systems, security systems, and other cloud devices. Understanding how best to integrate these new devices into your home network is essential. It is also important to understand how best to connect these devices to your Highlands Fiber Network (HFN) connection so they don’t cause an issue with your Internet connection.
As you may have noticed on Thursday, the Highlands Fiber Network experienced some disruptions in Internet service. In addition, an interruption occurred early that morning while network engineers were conducting planned maintenance. HFN wanted to share with you further details on what occurred and information on why services were impacted.