Cable vs. Fiber optical wiring is becoming a discussion that drives industries and businesses. It is a very important to understand the differences between the two types of cables and their abilities. The capabilities of these types of wires, prices, availability, and future uses are important factors to take into consideration when designing a layout for a building. Some other important variables to consider are how many people are trained to install the cabling and how durable that cabling is and how it can withstand long term use. Copper cabling is the widely used standard of today. It has been used as a communications line since the first telegraphs. Over the years it has developed into thin multi lined cables that can send an abundant amount of data. Since it has been around so long it is widely understood and taught to professionals as well as your average Joe. Category 5e and 6 are both capable of sending signal speeds much faster than we are able to produce at bandwidths that we haven’t reached yet. So at least for the near future copper cabling can still sustain Moore’s law. This law states that technology will double in capacity and for half of the price every two years. While copper is inexpensive now it becomes more expensive with its wide use. Also its abundance will degrade over time as it is used commercially worldwide. Some more of the flaws that are involved with copper are EMI, unnoticeable tampering, and potential. Electromagnetic interference can cause signal delay and corruption as it effects copper wiring. Tampering is easy to do since these wires are easily penetrated and will continue the signal down the trunk line after being tapped into which can allow prying eyes to capture a copy of all sent data. Finally even with our generations of innovation creating more pure and conductive copper its potential will soon be reached and will have limits. Fiber optic lines have been used since the early 1990’s. Fiber optic cabling is a technology far beyond the technology it supports. Its uses today allow seamless flow of data at blistering speeds and can strengthen a company’s communication lines to the point of perfection as we know it. Fiber lines can use a single pulse of laser light, single mode, or multiple light signals, multi-mode. These light signals send data down a glass or plastic line at the speed of light with a very low resistance. Some of these lines have been demonstrated to transfer data at over 500Gbps! Now a day the cost to bandwidth of fiber has made is affordable. Not to mention the data rate speeds that it can sustain over a distance that we now find as a necessity is important. One of the positives that fiber has over copper is its resistance to EMI. In fact it is completely invulnerable to outside electromagnetic interference. It is also nearly impossible to tap into a fiber line without being detected. Some of the disadvantages are cost to the average consumer, connectors are still in their infancy, adapters to other communications are expensive and hard to find, and finally these types are lines are very fragile. In conclusion it is truly up to the consumer to decide which type of line is best for them. It is important for buyers to understand their infrastructures and their needs before choosing. Both types of lines still have a very long future in our lives and will continue to be developed and adapted to our needs. It is my personal belief that these two types of communication lines will find a merger for both business and consumers creating firm and sturdy networks providing top speeds and bandwidth for everyone. This will be possible with future developments and devices such as routers that can use them to their best potential.