How do I know if my router has a fiber optic connection?

It should be noted that there are several fiber optic connection variants.

Acceptance:

The “outdoor glass fiber” coming from the street typically ends in the basement, and the router typically stands on the ground floor (e.g. in the living room or in the hallway).

Then it goes beyond these variants:

1. FTTB variant 1 with indoor forwarding from the basement to the ground floor via DSL via the old telephone lines.
2. FTTB Variant 2 with indoor redirection from the basement to the ground floor via a newly installed Twisted Pair copper cable (are often referred to as “Cat cable”, “network cable”, “LAN cable”.
3. FTTH variant 1, there is an indoor redirecting from the basement to the ground floor via a new “indoor glass fiber”, which is then directly connected to the router.
4. FTTH variant 2, there is an indoor redirection from the basement to the ground floor via a new “indoor fiber”. Then, in the vicinity of the router, a converter (which is often referred to as “glass fiber modem” or “ONT”) is placed, which converts from the “indoor fiber” to a short Twisted pair of copper cables (are often referred to as “Cat cable”, “network cable”, “LAN cable”, “patch cable”.

Conclusion:

• Only with “FTTH variant 1” you need a router with fiber optic connection.
• For “FTTB Variant 2” and “FTTH Variant 2” you need a router with WAN port (can sometimes also be a LAN port you can reconfigure).
• In the case of “FTTB variant 1” the already existing DSL routers are basically retained.

ANNEX So first you need to clarify which fiber optic connection variant is provided by your provider.