Cheap Interesting Chinese 4x2.5g, 2x10G switch, (but also problems with DACs)

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blunden

Active Member
Nov 29, 2019
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Is the issue resolved using DACs with the new firmware?

$50 quickly becomes $100 when you need to buy 4 SFP+ transceivers with each switch.
Which specific switch are you talking about? There are several different ones discussed here. My HiSource 4 RJ45 + 2 SFP+ works perfectly fine with DACs for instance. For the models that do have a problem, it's a hardware issue as far as I'm aware.
 
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oneplane

Well-Known Member
Jul 23, 2021
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Is the issue resolved using DACs with the new firmware?

$50 quickly becomes $100 when you need to buy 4 SFP+ transceivers with each switch.
You can often get around these issues by connecting the grounds together so there is no more difference in ground potential between the two. (if it's not the DC-DC brownout or Realtek firmware issue)
 

blunden

Active Member
Nov 29, 2019
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You can often get around these issues by connecting the grounds together so there is no more difference in ground potential between the two. (if it's not the DC-DC brownout or Realtek firmware issue)
I suppose that might work.

Are there switches where issues with DACs have been confirmed to solely be a firmware issue? I haven't seen that, but I'd be interested to read more about it. :)
 

Tjempeng

New Member
Mar 2, 2024
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Here's link for 1.9 firmware and manual from HORACO:
Web manual-(https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PHLmQ58ZV3oD-gS2nSWsIe-R0jKKMvVN/view?usp=sharing)
Firmware- (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yzEZnRH4A5bM-fUlQ54IB1fmcbxu82xP/view?usp=drive_link)

I don't know why it's named as SWTGW124AS, but it seems to work just fine.
This firmware is for the 4+2 switch version correct ?
Is there also a v1.9 version for the 8+1 switch (ZX-SWTGW218AS ) ?

EDIT: I asked the reseller if there is a website to check for new Firmware. And then he send me a link to the google drive for the 8+2 switch Firmware. RF_V1.9_HR-SWTGW218AS_0104.zip

But I don't know what is new or fixed with this version, as there is no release notes or what so ever.
 
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famzilla

New Member
Mar 1, 2024
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Does anyone have any recommendations for SFP+ modules to put in these? Was thinking about getting a nice 10G SFP+ card to put in desktop and NAS and would like a way to connect these up. Seeing DAC isn't recommended... willing to give one a shot if the price is right. I already have CAT6 running through the wall so considering RJ-45 modules for the longhaul too.
 

ms264556

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Sep 13, 2021
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ms264556.net
Does anyone have any recommendations for SFP+ modules to put in these? Was thinking about getting a nice 10G SFP+ card to put in desktop and NAS and would like a way to connect these up. Seeing DAC isn't recommended... willing to give one a shot if the price is right. I already have CAT6 running through the wall so considering RJ-45 modules for the longhaul too.
The DAC incompatibility thing is not as common as you think - it seems to be the specific (older?) models mentioned here - I have a growing collection of cheap AliExpress 2.5+10 switches and none of them have had DAC problems, using a collection of the cheapest AliExpress DACs I could buy. They also seem to take any cheap SFP+ RJ45 modules you put in them too, but I've only tried 10Gtek and whatever unbranded junk the HiSource shop included in one of my orders.

If you're going to use use RJ45 for most stuff and haven't bought the switch yet then it might be easier to buy the switches which have 1 or 2 RJ45 10Gb ports.
 

blunden

Active Member
Nov 29, 2019
711
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The DAC incompatibility thing is not as common as you think - it seems to be the specific (older?) models mentioned here

If you're going to use use RJ45 for most stuff and haven't bought the switch yet then it might be easier to buy the switches which have 1 or 2 RJ45 10Gb ports.
Yes, it seems to be the Vimin non-PoE unit here, as well as the older 5+2 Hasivo S600WP-5GT-2S+_SE (and rebranded versions of it from Mokerlink, OMAY, POEPLUS, etc.). For these 4+2 units based on the RTL8372, I've only seen it mentioned for the Vimin unit. My unmanaged HiSource one works perfectly with DACs.

I agree on the RJ45 part, especially now that we have units with one 10G RJ45 and 1 SFP+.
 

famzilla

New Member
Mar 1, 2024
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Ok thanks. I will shop around for my modules and perhaps look at 10Gtek. I also need to get an SFP+ pcie card. DACs look attractive because they generally "just work" in the Intel x710 and it's only one thing to buy. For a 3m run I think it'd be the cheaper option but haven't looked around much. I do like the idea of keeping latency lower with DAC but never even knew there was a difference.

I thought about picking up a switch with a 10G RJ-45 already on it as well but unfortunately I had just received my SWTG124AS just after I saw the STH video about the one with the included NIC. Plus this one was a decent price ($40 for managed). Maybe I'll pick that one up as a secondary 10G switch and just use an SFP+ module on this one but having the SFP+ ports as options is nice.

Do these units all ship with the same MAC address still? Mine was shipped with 1.9 FW (Jan 3 2024) on HW revision 1.0. The MAC address ends with "D".
 

blunden

Active Member
Nov 29, 2019
711
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Ok thanks. I will shop around for my modules and perhaps look at 10Gtek. I also need to get an SFP+ pcie card. DACs look attractive because they generally "just work" in the Intel x710 and it's only one thing to buy. For a 3m run I think it'd be the cheaper option but haven't looked around much. I do like the idea of keeping latency lower with DAC but never even knew there was a difference.

I thought about picking up a switch with a 10G RJ-45 already on it as well but unfortunately I had just received my SWTG124AS just after I saw the STH video about the one with the included NIC. Plus this one was a decent price ($40 for managed). Maybe I'll pick that one up as a secondary 10G switch and just use an SFP+ module on this one but having the SFP+ ports as options is nice.

Do these units all ship with the same MAC address still? Mine was shipped with 1.9 FW (Jan 3 2024) on HW revision 1.0. The MAC address ends with "D".
For 10GBase-T modules, the difference is really between the ones rated for 30 meters and the newer ones rated for 80 or 100 meters. The newer ones draw less power but are at least twice as expensive. Ubiquiti seems to have the cheapest one of the long range ones, but FS.com also sell one.

DACs have slightly lower latency because they removes a signal conversion step on each end. It's a minor difference though, but you also save in terms of power draw and cost so it's a win in those ways too. :)

You can disable the vendor lock on your Intel X710 using the process described here btw.

People in the YouTube comments said the MAC issue has been fixed on the Hasivo switches and also that Hasivo support confirmed it. Not sure about the model you have though. :) If not, you might be able to change it yourself with the factory menu as described here, as I think your switch has the same management interface.
 

Serverguy85

New Member
Mar 6, 2024
5
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Hi All,

I believe this is the most appropriate thread - I have recently obtained the Hasivo variant of these (S600W-4GT-2XGT-SE)

It's running the Firmware from Feb 24, V.1.9 - so I assume this is the latest, however it seems a bit bugged to me. Not sure if anyone has experienced this. Hardware version HS72_V1.01

I wish to change the IP of the switch to the same network as all of my other management stuff. So I login to the gui with the default admin/admin, change the IP and apply. I then change the IP Address on my laptop so it matches the subnet I've moved the switch to, all works ok to this point and I can get back to the login page again with it's new IP. But for some reason it no longer accepts admin/admin, no matter what I do. Obviously I can't save the change to the IP as I can't log back in, so I power cycle the switch, it reverts back to it's 192.168.0.1 address and then I can login with the admin/admin combo.

What am I missing here? It seems a bit odd!

I also cannot see a way to set a management VLAN on this - is this a hidden setting somewhere, or does this model not offer that functionality?
 

famzilla

New Member
Mar 1, 2024
7
2
3
For 10GBase-T modules, the difference is really between the ones rated for 30 meters and the newer ones rated for 80 or 100 meters. The newer ones draw less power but are at least twice as expensive. Ubiquiti seems to have the cheapest one of the long range ones, but FS.com also sell one.

DACs have slightly lower latency because they removes a signal conversion step on each end. It's a minor difference though, but you also save in terms of power draw and cost so it's a win in those ways too. :)

You can disable the vendor lock on your Intel X710 using the process described here btw.

People in the YouTube comments said the MAC issue has been fixed on the Hasivo switches and also that Hasivo support confirmed it. Not sure about the model you have though. :) If not, you might be able to change it yourself with the factory menu as described here, as I think your switch has the same management interface.
Thanks a bunch for all the information. I'm gonna do some research on DACs and hope to post back here with some success in a bit.
 

blunden

Active Member
Nov 29, 2019
711
228
43
Hi All,

I believe this is the most appropriate thread - I have recently obtained the Hasivo variant of these (S600W-4GT-2XGT-SE)

It's running the Firmware from Feb 24, V.1.9 - so I assume this is the latest, however it seems a bit bugged to me. Not sure if anyone has experienced this. Hardware version HS72_V1.01

I wish to change the IP of the switch to the same network as all of my other management stuff. So I login to the gui with the default admin/admin, change the IP and apply. I then change the IP Address on my laptop so it matches the subnet I've moved the switch to, all works ok to this point and I can get back to the login page again with it's new IP. But for some reason it no longer accepts admin/admin, no matter what I do. Obviously I can't save the change to the IP as I can't log back in, so I power cycle the switch, it reverts back to it's 192.168.0.1 address and then I can login with the admin/admin combo.

What am I missing here? It seems a bit odd!

I also cannot see a way to set a management VLAN on this - is this a hidden setting somewhere, or does this model not offer that functionality?
Does it make any difference if you create a different user, save it and try to use that instead when changing the IP? :)

This link has some information about hidden menus that your switch is likely to have since I think the code base is the same:


Thanks a bunch for all the information. I'm gonna do some research on DACs and hope to post back here with some success in a bit.
You're welcome! :D

DACs are very simple in terms of construction (twinax cable, a small EEPROM and wires directly soldered to the contact points on each end), which is why they are relatively cheap but also why the length is fairly limited. :)
 
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scrman

New Member
Mar 2, 2024
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Has anyone tried using RTSP with these? So far I've failed miserably. I'm running 1.7 but going to upgrade to 1.9 and try again.
 

scrman

New Member
Mar 2, 2024
2
0
1
Interesting. I upgraded to 1.9 but no change. If I just connect both sides feeding the Sodala with a bulk head, I have no problems. But with the switch and RSTP turned on, the entire network goes down and even a direct connection from my laptop to the Sodala quits working. EVen more confusing, I just tried switching loop control to "Loop Prevention" and the network stays up, with one of the adjacent switches discarding packets.
 

ms264556

Well-Known Member
Sep 13, 2021
420
331
63
New Zealand
ms264556.net
Hi All,
I wish to change the IP of the switch to the same network as all of my other management stuff. So I login to the gui with the default admin/admin, change the IP and apply. I then change the IP Address on my laptop so it matches the subnet I've moved the switch to, all works ok to this point and I can get back to the login page again with it's new IP. But for some reason it no longer accepts admin/admin, no matter what I do. Obviously I can't save the change to the IP as I can't log back in, so I power cycle the switch, it reverts back to it's 192.168.0.1 address and then I can login with the admin/admin combo.
On the V1.9 firmware I need to visit the Save Configuration screen (Tools > Save) and hit the Save button to persist configuration changes I've applied.
 

peca89

New Member
Jul 31, 2023
2
4
3
A small bug on v1.7 firmware. Maybe it's a feature, but looks more like a bug. Did not try 1.9 yet.

If you enable DHCP for management interface IP address under System/IP setting it does assign itself DHCP-provided IP. But if for some reason DHCP server does not reply, switch defaults to 192.168.2.1 anyway instead of trying again.

This created chaos in my network as 192.168.2.1 is the gateway router IP. After a power cut, when power came back, the switch has of course booted first, tried DHCP, did not succeed since the router did not yet boot, set itself to 192.168.2.1 followed by router who also set itself to the same IP and started handing over the same address as default gateway via DHCP to clients...Of course the whole network, except the router, had lost the internet connectivity.
 

blunden

Active Member
Nov 29, 2019
711
228
43
A small bug on v1.7 firmware. Maybe it's a feature, but looks more like a bug. Did not try 1.9 yet.

If you enable DHCP for management interface IP address under System/IP setting it does assign itself DHCP-provided IP. But if for some reason DHCP server does not reply, switch defaults to 192.168.2.1 anyway instead of trying again.

This created chaos in my network as 192.168.2.1 is the gateway router IP. After a power cut, when power came back, the switch has of course booted first, tried DHCP, did not succeed since the router did not yet boot, set itself to 192.168.2.1 followed by router who also set itself to the same IP and started handing over the same address as default gateway via DHCP to clients...Of course the whole network, except the router, had lost the internet connectivity.
While I think it's generally best practice to set static IPs on switches so that you can still access them when you don't have working DHCP, a workaround in your case might be to simply change the factory default IP address using the hidden menu (accessible at /ftdft.cgi) to something that doesn't collide with your gateway. :)
 

Serverguy85

New Member
Mar 6, 2024
5
2
3
Does it make any difference if you create a different user, save it and try to use that instead when changing the IP? :)

This link has some information about hidden menus that your switch is likely to have since I think the code base is the same:


You're welcome! :D

DACs are very simple in terms of construction (twinax cable, a small EEPROM and wires directly soldered to the contact points on each end), which is why they are relatively cheap but also why the length is fairly limited. :)
Thank you for that - Firefox fixed it in the end, I still can't login via Chrome or Edge - but Firefox works, last thing I tried. All very odd.

Does what I need though, so that's an issue I'm happy to leave to the side given the cost of this!
 
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