May 31, 2023
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.
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April 30, 2023
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.
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March 31, 2023
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.
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January 25, 2023
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.
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November 16, 2022
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.
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June 22, 2022
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.
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June 09, 2022
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.
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March 02, 2022
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.
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February 28, 2022
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.
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December 16, 2021
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.
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