How Do We Connect Two Offices in NYC?

01 / Your workload

First, identify what needs to travel between locations

Write down which systems communicate across the connection, how much data they exchange and when that traffic is busiest.

Useful questions include:

• Are employees accessing servers at the other office?
• Do large files need to arrive before a production deadline?
• Are backups or replication running alongside normal work?
• Does one location contain storage or private AI computing used by another?
• What must remain available if the connection fails?

Size the connection around traffic that actually crosses between locations. Include simultaneous activity and requirements in both directions. See Choosing the right bandwidth for planning guidance. ^[3]

Plan Internet access separately. Private Ethernet connects parts of your network; Dark Fiber supplies the physical medium for a connection you operate. Neither service, by itself, provides routed access to the public Internet. ^{[1] [2] [4]}

02 / Compare services

What is the difference?

The proposal should define the exact equipment, maintenance and support boundaries for either option. ^{[1] [2] [5]}

03 / Private Ethernet

When does Transparent LAN Service make sense?

Consider Transparent LAN Service when your business wants an Ethernet connection with an agreed capacity and provider-operated transport.

Stealth provides dedicated, symmetrical capacity and supports connections between two or multiple locations. Its published service supports VLAN tags, allowing your network team to plan how different traffic groups use the connection. ^[1]

LAN means local area network. An Ethernet transport service can connect networks across buildings, but your IT team still decides how those networks communicate. It can use routers between sites or extend selected Ethernet networks where the application requires it. Confirm the intended design and supported service attributes before ordering. ^[4]

The practical question is:

What Ethernet connectivity do we need between these locations, and which responsibilities remain with our IT team?

04 / Optical transmission

When does Dark Fiber make sense?

Consider Dark Fiber when your organization wants control over the optical transmission system and has the expertise to operate it.

“Dark” means the supplied fiber is not being delivered as an active transmission service. Your equipment sends and receives the light that carries the data. Stealth offers route-specific Dark Fiber arrangements, including lease and long-term use options. ^[2]

The equipment must suit the actual fiber path. Distance, optical loss, connectors, splices and the chosen transmission technology all affect the design. An optical loss budget checks whether the signal reaching the receiver will meet the equipment’s requirements. ^[5]

Suitable wavelength-division multiplexing equipment can carry multiple channels over the same fiber using different wavelengths of light. That creates options for expansion, but capacity still depends on the engineered system. ^[5]

Before choosing Dark Fiber, establish who will monitor the equipment, maintain spares, diagnose faults and coordinate with the fiber provider.

The practical question is:

Do we want to operate the transmission system ourselves, and have we budgeted for the people and equipment that requires?

05 / Capacity

Translate capacity into a business outcome

A useful requirement might be: “Move this production dataset to the second location before the next shift.”

For illustration, transferring one decimal terabyte—1,000 GB—at a sustained 10 Gbps takes a theoretical minimum of 13 minutes 20 seconds. At 100 Gbps, the minimum is 1 minute 20 seconds.

Those calculations assume the full rate is available for the transfer. Protocol overhead, storage, servers, encryption, other traffic and application behavior can make real transfers take longer. Validate the complete path against the required deadline. ^[3]

Also consider latency: an interactive application may care about how quickly requests and replies travel, even when it uses relatively little bandwidth.

06 / Other options

How does this compare with a VPN?

An encrypted site-to-site VPN can connect networks using existing Internet connections. IPsec provides security for IP traffic; the underlying Internet paths and the VPN equipment still determine the connection’s performance. ^{[3] [6]}

That can be appropriate when it meets the workload. Private Ethernet and Dark Fiber are additional options when the business needs a different transport arrangement or greater control over its infrastructure.

07 / Security and resilience

Treat privacy, encryption and resilience separately

A private connection does not automatically encrypt its traffic. Decide where encryption is required and which systems will provide it.

Options can include IPsec or compatible MACsec equipment. MACsec over a provider Ethernet service requires appropriate device support and service behavior; confirm compatibility and frame-size requirements with the provider and equipment vendor. ^{[6] [7]}

Physical resilience needs its own review. Two connections can share a conduit, building entrance, equipment room or power dependency. Ask which parts of a proposed backup path are independent and what remains unverified. Then plan and test how traffic will move if the primary connection fails. See Internet redundancy for more on shared risks and failover. ^[8]

08 / Both ends

Confirm both ends before ordering

Give the provider complete addresses, including floors or suites, and have your IT team prepare the requirements at both locations.

Agree on:

• The exact handoff or fiber termination location.
• Compatible ports, optics, connectors and cabling.
• Who supplies and maintains each component.
• Required equipment space and power.
• VLAN handling, supported frame sizes and any protocol requirements.
• The tests and records needed to accept the connection.

A matching port shape or advertised speed does not establish compatibility. Use the written specifications for the proposed connection. Our guide to understanding the Internet handoff explains interface and responsibility questions; apply the specifications for the particular service you are ordering. ^[9]

For an Ethernet service, review the capacity and performance commitments between the agreed handoffs. For Dark Fiber, ask how optical acceptance, physical maintenance and repair responsibilities are defined. Review the agreement for the service you are buying.

09 / Costs

Compare the complete cost

Stealth’s published point-to-point Transparent LAN Service pricing covers the connection between both locations. Dark Fiber pricing depends on the route, with installation evaluated for the individual project. Consult the current service pages and the proposal for your addresses. ^{[1] [2]}

For your internal comparison, include equipment, support, power, spares and staff time alongside recurring charges. Consider what it would take to increase capacity later.

10 / Next steps

Start with two addresses and a clear requirement

Prepare a short description of:

• The locations and spaces to connect.
• The applications and data moving between them.
• Required capacity and transfer deadlines.
• Encryption and backup requirements.
• Who will operate the equipment.
• Preferred timing and expected growth.

If your team wants the provider to operate the Ethernet transport, start with Transparent LAN Service.

If your team intends to build and operate the optical transmission system, explore Dark Fiber.

If the choice is still open, share the workload and operating requirements so both approaches can be evaluated.