For a fiber optic connection, you need an optical network terminal (ONT), a router, and appropriate Ethernet connections for wired devices. A pair of fiber to Ethernet media converters can create a beneficial electrical barrier when running Ethernet between buildings or to outdoor Power over Ethernet (PoE) devices such as. Fiber optic cables and Ethernet cables are two of the most important data transfer cable standards there are, but with their use cases often crossing paths, and colloquialisms even meaning each name is used interchangeably at times, it's important to know the differences with Fiber Optic Cables vs. The short answer is no, you don't necessarily need a special router for fiber optic internet.