4GBe link between two rooms without 4x 1GBe copper cables on a budget ?

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RimBlock

Active Member
Sep 18, 2011
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I have two points I want to connect at home with minimal cabling at minimal cost.

I need connectivity for 2 machines to my network hub. Would prefer 4GBe bandwidth (i.e. some spare for any builds I am doing at that location) but could probably manage with 2GBe if needed (one connection going to a small switch and the other going to my main PC).

Currently connectivity is through a single 35Mtr patch cable and is suffering. Running 4x 1GBe solid core cables would be the least popular option if other solutions were available that were not too expensive.

Max budget is around $500.

I currently have a HP 1810-24G with two SFP ports.

My first though was to get a couple of GBics (J4858C 1GBe SX LC) and run two fiber cables but I am unsure how to connect the other end (i.e. what will connect to the fibre connection from the GBic in the switch) especially for the one cable that would need to go to a small switch.

My second thought was to run two fibre cables with something like the TP-LINK MC200CM Gigabit Media Converter, 1000Mbps on each end. That would come in at around $150 per link but I have not found any reviews so have no idea of the performance.

Any thoughts or other suggestions ?.
 

TuxDude

Well-Known Member
Sep 17, 2011
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Running multiple 1G fibers is going to be more expensive than multiple 1G copper lines. If you want to get by with fewer cables then you need to increase the bandwidth per cable - look into putting something like a CRS210-8G-2S+IN on each side (or on one side with a 10GbE NIC on the other side if there is only one system) and then you only need a single LC/LC OM3 cable between them (you could get away with OM2 if its a short run)
 
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Scott Laird

Active Member
Aug 30, 2014
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The LB4Ms are kinda loud, though, if that matters to you. And also not stupendously well documented. Also, Monoprice has the fiber for $2 more, but will be delivered a couple weeks faster.
 

RimBlock

Active Member
Sep 18, 2011
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As the PC end will be sitting close to me I need it quiet unfortunately or those LB4M would have been well worth a look.

The CRS Router board units are very tempting although are quite a bit over budget. What may make more sense at the rack end would be to replace my 1810-24G with a CRS226-24G-2S+RM. That would give me 24 ports at the rack, two 10GbE uplinks and it is a L3 router / switch. With one GBic each end for 10GbE it comes in just over $700 but I may be able to claw some back on selling the 1810. They also have local resellers here in Singapore as well.

So if I up the budget to $700, any other options worth considering ?.
 

Scott Laird

Active Member
Aug 30, 2014
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Hmm. I picked up a couple 10gbe cards for $50 each a few months back. If you care about large-packet performance, then doing it via PC may work well enough. Have a couple that you could throw around?
 

RimBlock

Active Member
Sep 18, 2011
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I have two pcs at one end and would like a couple of free network ports for any builds I do. At the other end I have the rack with the 24port switch. One of the PCs is also an ITX based machine with a video card in the only PCIe slot.
 

Lost-Benji

Member
Jan 21, 2013
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The arse end of the planet
RB - You have called your existing cable "1GBe solid core" which says "not a cabling guy" and makes it hard to work out what you have. 35M of CAT-6 or better will hold 10GbE over it. Aim for a pair of NIC's or get copper upgrades to switching.

Otherwise, run 4 or more runs of CAT-6 and agg them at each end.

Don't waste time with fibre as you seem to already want to avoid running copper which is a lot more friendly to abuse than fibre.
 

RimBlock

Active Member
Sep 18, 2011
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Nope, I said I am using a 35mtr patch cable, mainly as I do not recall if it is cat 5e or cat6.

Running solid core (3m volition cat6) from a reel 4 times in surface mounted trunking would be ugly and a pita especially as there are walls I cannot drill though (gov regulations) and I have to go behind a glass wall with a small gap between it and the wall.

Fibre would be much easier to run and look a lot better which would help to avoid irritation of the wife :).

As I am hoping to.run from switch to switch I will need to.upgrade at both ends if I want to do 10GbE. If that is the case the fibre would be my prefered choice based on the reasons listed above. I have no intention.of keeping the hanging patch cable in place.

If the cable was solid core infra cable and mounted in trunking then I would fully agree that using a 10GbE copper based switch would be a real possibility.
 

apnar

Member
Mar 5, 2011
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How about upgrading your switch to 10gig. Put a card in your PC for 10gig, use the cable you already have with old switch for the misc stuff.
 

Lost-Benji

Member
Jan 21, 2013
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The arse end of the planet
If you can't drill or do a proper cabling job, fibre or copper, it doesn't matter. You will have a cable that is going to be laying or hanging around, plain and simple.

Copper is a lot cheaper and forgiving when someone/something damages it and both a capable of 10GbE.
 

mackle

Active Member
Nov 13, 2013
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He did mention surface trunking, so it's not laying around, it's in a conduit.