Are there 2.5GBase-T SFP+ modules?

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mb300sd

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Aug 1, 2016
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Just picked up some 802.11ax access points that have 2.5G ethernet. Are there any SFP+ modules that will plug in to a 10G port and negotiate down to 2.5G? Or does the switch have to provide support for that? I'm running ICX6610s at both houses and make full use of the 10G and 40G ports, would prefer not to have another switch just for the APs.
 

Evan

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Jan 6, 2016
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See how the AP’s do at 1G, it I am guessing will be enough unless your AP is really loaded and it’s very clean RF environment.

I have an ax AP on the way to me also and I plan to test at 1G and use it like that I would guess, for home only anyway.
 

marv

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Apr 2, 2015
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Try Mikrotik S+RJ10 It appears that those should work as you require (plug into 10G SFP+ and offer copper RJ45 port capable of negotiating all sorts of speeds including 2.5G)
 

Evan

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Jan 6, 2016
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Try Mikrotik S+RJ10 It appears that those should work as you require (plug into 10G SFP+ and offer copper RJ45 port capable of negotiating all sorts of speeds including 2.5G)
The problem is not the SFP, it’s the fact the switch asic does not support that speed.
 

Evan

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Jan 6, 2016
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I know I'm going to saturate 1G, since I already come within 90% with the AC wireless and want faster.
No worries in that case guess only option is a cheap switch in between, switch could end up costing as much of more as the AP (‘s), POE I guess is also a consideration ?
 

mb300sd

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Aug 1, 2016
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Messaged him! That's a great deal, hopefully it's still available but I still need a second one for the other house.

Looking at options, I'm tempted to ghetto rig it with a 2.5Gb/USB3.0 adapter and a PoE injector. One router is a VM on a 16 core Xeon machine, so plenty of horsepower. Other one is a N3050 Atom, so I don't know about that one.
 

zack$

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Aug 16, 2018
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Would have suggested a cheap Aquantia add-on card and pfsense on a low cost platform but I've read that there are no FreeBSD drivers for those cards....nor any luck of them coming soon.
 

AlphaG

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Jun 8, 2017
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Just picked up some 802.11ax access points that have 2.5G ethernet. Are there any SFP+ modules that will plug in to a 10G port and negotiate down to 2.5G? Or does the switch have to provide support for that? I'm running ICX6610s at both houses and make full use of the 10G and 40G ports, would prefer not to have another switch just for the APs.
Do these happen to be the Engenius EWS357AP or EWS377AP? I picked up a couple “demo” units after my Ruckus ZoneDirector 1100 died during a power outage. They’re coming in tomorrow. I needed an excuse to try something beyond 802.11n (Wi-Fi 4?). Other Enterprise gear seemed much more pricey.
 

mb300sd

Active Member
Aug 1, 2016
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Do these happen to be the Engenius EWS357AP or EWS377AP? I picked up a couple “demo” units after my Ruckus ZoneDirector 1100 died during a power outage. They’re coming in tomorrow. I needed an excuse to try something beyond 802.11n (Wi-Fi 4?). Other Enterprise gear seemed much more pricey.
Yep! They're EWS377APs. I also picked up a pile of Intel WiFi 6 cards, can't believe they're under $20.

Now that I really think about it, I probably could have built a couple mini-ITX APs with 10GbE and the Intels and come out way cheaper overall, but what's done is done. It'll look nicer and have PoE.
 

AlphaG

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Jun 8, 2017
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I guess you plan on plugging these in for power rather than POE then. The Engenius switch/controllers might make configuration simpler, though for a couple switches probably not an issue. I’ve got to manage 5!
 

mb300sd

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Aug 1, 2016
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I guess you plan on plugging these in for power rather than POE then. The Engenius switch/controllers might make configuration simpler, though for a couple switches probably not an issue. I’ve got to manage 5!
No, they need PoE unless I want to rip out the ceiling to run power. I figure some cheap PoE injectors from amazon should do the job. It's just 1 AP per house for now so management is pretty basic.
 

AlphaG

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Jun 8, 2017
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No, they need PoE unless I want to rip out the ceiling to run power. I figure some cheap PoE injectors from amazon should do the job. It's just 1 AP per house for now so management is pretty basic.
Gotcha. I didn’t realize power could be injected over a greater than 1Gbps copper line...
 

AlphaG

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Jun 8, 2017
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Mine are up and running. After upgrading the switch/controller firmware, it was a piece of cake. Very fast 600Mbps speeds up close but drop off significantly with distance. Pretty good range though, subjectively.
 

FRPII

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Dec 2, 2015
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Finding PoE injectors with sufficient power isn't too hard. Finding one that'll do .11at and 2.5 or 5gbps is something I failed at