2.5GbE switches are available *way* below $20 a port. Aliexpress is full of switches with 4x 2.5G + 2x SFP+ for less than $40. In fact, you can get NICs for less than a tenner.
I just upgraded my home network to 2.5GbE with ali express parts and I'm very happy. 8-port 2.4GbE switches can be had for ~$65, 4-port switches can be had for under $30 (each with 1-2 SFP+ slots that allow you to add a 10G port down the road), and the adapters go for under $10, both PCIe and USB.
"$20 per port" is wildly overpriced for 2.5GbE switches. Even on Amazon you can find options for <$10 per port. There are plenty of more expensive options, but you're mostly paying for branding in that case.
Anything below 10GbE is simply not worth the effort. If one is to upgrade on copper, there is not much logic in making less than highest option - 10GbE. And it's not just about the raw speed. 10GbE NICs are smarter and can do more of the work by themselves, thus lessening the CPU load.
There are 8x10GbE/SFP+ + 1x 1G RJ45 for $240ish, which is not that much more per port. Some have SFP+ cages, which offer options of DAC cable ( cheap, low power) or SFP+ optics or SFP+->RJ45 adapter. This one is IIRC $300-ish: https://mikrotik.com/product/crs309_1g_8s_in#fndtn...
2.5 GbE NICs can be integrated on a motherboard with far fewer issues. My understanding is with 10GbE you basically are choosing between integrated audio and 10GbE on a typical motherboard. I don't mind the idea of making that tradeoff sometimes, but that choice is not an option at all on a laptop, for example.
What I would like to see (personally) to advance networking is 10Gb to USB4 adapters for $100 or less. Current going rate on TB3 looks to be $200.
> Anything below 10GbE is simply not worth the effort.
For 10 GbE, that effort likely includes re-cabling. For <= 5 GbE, it doesn't. So, it might still balance out.
Plus, if you held the same standard of "10x or bust" for CPU upgrades, you'd be waiting a LONG time! It just seems laughable to me that people would rather limp along at 1 Gbps than take a 2.5x or 5x improvement, unless even 1 GbE is overkill for your needs. If you don't transfer data between machines on your LAN, then maybe it is.
> this one is insane: 24 x 10G SFP+ + 2x 40G QSP for $50ish!
Not sure where you're seeing that price, because AliExpress is showing it mostly in the range of $700 to $900 for me. Then, you have the cost of the transceivers or copper cables, none of which are cheap. The nice thing about GbE is that the cables are cheap.
Lastly, there's power. 10 GbE uses quite a bit more power than 2.5 GbE or even 5 GbE.
Realtek already makes a couple cheap 2.5gbps switch chips - RTL8371, RTL8372, RTL8373.
I believe the RTL8371 is an older design than the other 2 - no frills 8 port 2.5GbE switch chip. Downside is it requires external PHYs (usually RTL8221B chips) and power consumption is a bit higher than with the other two, and the products using it not really cheaper these days.
RTL8372 and RTL8373 seem very similar. Both have PHYs integrated for 4 2.5GbE ports, plus two 10gb/s serial links. But the 8373 actually muxes 4 2.5GbE connections over one of the 10gb/s links, hence using an additional quad-port PHY (RTL8224) products using this chip usually have 8 2.5GbE ports plus 1 10GbE SFP+ port. If you're willing to go with no-name chinese brand, you can get such switches (for instance like this one, https://www.servethehome.com/real-hd-8-port-2-5gbe... for below 80 USD. Products using the RTL8372 usually have 4 2.5GbE ports and 1 10GbE SFP+ port, plus either another 10GbE SFP+ port or another 2.5GbE port (this port requires an external RTL8221B PHY). No-name brands sell these for around 50 USD or so (https://www.servethehome.com/ienron-hg0402xg-switc...https://www.servethehome.com/yulinca-2g06110gs-5-p...
Unfortunately it seems more reputable brands aren't selling switches with these yet, or do so at very i inflated prices (it's difficult to figure out what chips they are actually using).
I know I'm shouting into the void.... But this is not the answer.
Standardizing full 802.3bz Multi-Gig switches (100Mb/1/2.5/5/10) is the answer. Mass-producing those chips to bring the price down to $20-$30 is the right answer.
Single speed switches are not the answer. And this comes after I recently migrated my home network from 1GbE to 2.5GbE.
Really, what I want is a 16-port Multi-gig switch as my primary network switch, 4-5 ports for breakout in dense locations, and a smaller 5-8 port PoE++ multi-gig for my APs.
True, Most high-end WiFi 7 Access Points now uses 10GbE with PoE++, now just take a look at how much any compatible switch with PoE++ powered 10GbE ports cost. Yes I know most of these APs will come with their own injectors, but that's not the point.
When I planned to upgrade my network to 2.5GbE, I took my time as switches were expensive, especially as I was looking for PoE switch as well, prices were high to the point I would consider 10GbE instead.. so I found 2x SFP+ & 5x2.5GbE (4 of them are PoE+) and pulled the plug, the SFP+ modules I used were 10GbE but supported 2.5GbE speeds as well as I connected them to my PC and Server, later I bought an M.2 to 10GbE adapter and it worked flawlessly.
So very close. I'm looking for something in the 8 port range that supports Etherchannel/port bonding with a pair of 5Gbps ports. It would be great to be able to use regular Cat6e cable to push multiple 10Gbps connections around the lab and across the house. I know that there's some higher end gear out there that will do that, but, the cost is still a bit steep.
10Gig SFP+ based switches aren't nearly as expensive as BaseT models, but do require optics or DACs, which aren't expensive either, depending on your switch brand.
I got a 16 port SFP+ mikrotik switch in my home and haven't looked back. I do have a separate Gbe POE switch for cameras and environmental monitors.
I would like MultiGig options though, as my area has multiple ISPs that deliver >1Gbps service and will allow you to use either SFP+ or BaseT connections to the CPE. I'm currently loosing out on 300mbps as my SFP+ switch only works on 1/10Gbps connections on a 1.3Gbps provision. Using a borrowed 2.5gig switch, I was able to verify that I could get the full 1.3Gbps if I used the switch in-between the CPE and my router.
I think this WiFi bubble has, in part, stymied the progression of wired solutions. WiFi is terrible and of marginal use to me.
Last time I priced it out, buying a SFP+ switch and 10G BaseT modules for it was more expensive than a switch that had builtin 10G BaseT ports. So, if that's what someone really wants, maybe it's still the way to go.
While it's good that they are offering 5Gbit/s after all, I'd have loved to see it earlier, and not just because I just bought another 2.5Gbit switch...
10Gbase-T has been horribly slow to become affordable and it's still hard to get as a PCIe v4 x1 Aquantia NIC, which I'd really prefer for driver compatibility. And there I'm a bit worried that driver support for 5Gbase-T NICs from Realtek might not be instant on Linux.
Before I only ever had one 5Gbit NIC for 5Gbit USB and that turned out to eat far more power than deliver on performance, because the USB encoding overhead ate into Ethernet bandwidth to the point where it wasn't really worth it.
Now with 10, 20 or even 40 Gbit USB, 10Gbase-T via USB should be possible: It's rather good with Thunderbolt but that's still rare on AMD systems.
In terms of switches I'm mostly using Netgear NBase-T with up to 10Gbit speeds. Prices are ok for what you get, but most importantly I don't notice their fans behind my monitors.
I wonder if anyone could offer Watt figures for switches and NICs for the distinct speed levels at 1/2.5/5 and 10 Gbit/s, beause these can't be found in any technical specs I've been able to find.
I wonder if 5gBase-T is still low enough to allow for battery based operations on a laptop. With 10Gbase-T the NIC can evidently use more than the SoC.
> While it's good that they are offering 5Gbit/s after all, I'd have loved to see it earlier, and not just because I just bought another 2.5Gbit switch...
I have 2x 5 GbE ports on my Netgear MS510TX multi-gigabit switch that came out about 5 years ago. I got it on Amazon, in 2020, for just $230. Back in 2018 or 2019, Amazon had a black friday deal on some new Aquantia NICs on sale: 2.5, 5, and 10 GbE. I snagged 2x 10 GbE for about $68 each.
> I wonder if anyone could offer Watt figures for switches and NICs for the distinct speed levels at 1/2.5/5 and 10 Gbit/s
ServeTheHome does some basic power consumption testing of switches, though it's probably not as comprehensive as you'd like. You could try reaching out to them and see if they'd consider doing more comprehensive tests, on a few models.
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dwillmore - Monday, June 17, 2024 - link
This is great and very welcome news. Thank you, Realtek! And thanks for the news, Ananatech!dontlistentome - Monday, June 17, 2024 - link
Seemed to take near 2 years from the initial demo of their 2.5GBe stuff to general availability, hopefully this will come sooner.ballsystemlord - Monday, June 17, 2024 - link
And with fewer bugs than has been reported about Intel 2.5GBe I225/I226 ethernet controllers.https://www.anandtech.com/show/18755/intel-shares-...
bananaforscale - Monday, June 17, 2024 - link
GbE, not GBe.ballsystemlord - Tuesday, June 18, 2024 - link
Capitalization error. Sorry.bananaforscale - Monday, June 17, 2024 - link
I dunno, I've had Realtek 2.5G NICs for a few years now. I would count "available on Amazon" as general availability.bananaforscale - Monday, June 17, 2024 - link
2.5GbE switches are available *way* below $20 a port. Aliexpress is full of switches with 4x 2.5G + 2x SFP+ for less than $40. In fact, you can get NICs for less than a tenner.erinadreno - Monday, June 17, 2024 - link
They also use Realtek switch chips, RTL8372 for example. But isn't 2.5G a newer standard than 5G tho?mczak - Tuesday, June 18, 2024 - link
No, 2.5GbE and 5GbE are specified in the exact same standard - only 10GbE is much older.ballsystemlord - Tuesday, June 18, 2024 - link
I just googled tenner. I can't find whatever website it's supposed to be. Could you give a link?Thanks!
nfriedly - Wednesday, June 26, 2024 - link
"tenner" means $10, not a website.I just upgraded my home network to 2.5GbE with ali express parts and I'm very happy. 8-port 2.4GbE switches can be had for ~$65, 4-port switches can be had for under $30 (each with 1-2 SFP+ slots that allow you to add a 10G port down the road), and the adapters go for under $10, both PCIe and USB.
"$20 per port" is wildly overpriced for 2.5GbE switches. Even on Amazon you can find options for <$10 per port. There are plenty of more expensive options, but you're mostly paying for branding in that case.
ambhaiji - Thursday, June 27, 2024 - link
tenner is slang for 10 whole units of currencyBrane2 - Tuesday, June 18, 2024 - link
Anything below 10GbE is simply not worth the effort. If one is to upgrade on copper, there is not much logic in making less than highest option - 10GbE. And it's not just about the raw speed. 10GbE NICs are smarter and can do more of the work by themselves, thus lessening the CPU load.There are 8x10GbE/SFP+ + 1x 1G RJ45 for $240ish, which is not that much more per port.
Some have SFP+ cages, which offer options of DAC cable ( cheap, low power) or SFP+ optics or SFP+->RJ45 adapter.
This one is IIRC $300-ish:
https://mikrotik.com/product/crs309_1g_8s_in#fndtn...
And this one is insane: 24 x 10G SFP+ + 2x 40G QSP for $50ish!
That's cheaper per port than those new 5G barebone switches that are yet to come!
https://www.servethehome.com/mikrotik-crs326-24s2q...
lmcd - Tuesday, June 18, 2024 - link
2.5 GbE NICs can be integrated on a motherboard with far fewer issues. My understanding is with 10GbE you basically are choosing between integrated audio and 10GbE on a typical motherboard. I don't mind the idea of making that tradeoff sometimes, but that choice is not an option at all on a laptop, for example.What I would like to see (personally) to advance networking is 10Gb to USB4 adapters for $100 or less. Current going rate on TB3 looks to be $200.
mode_13h - Sunday, June 30, 2024 - link
> Anything below 10GbE is simply not worth the effort.For 10 GbE, that effort likely includes re-cabling. For <= 5 GbE, it doesn't. So, it might still balance out.
Plus, if you held the same standard of "10x or bust" for CPU upgrades, you'd be waiting a LONG time! It just seems laughable to me that people would rather limp along at 1 Gbps than take a 2.5x or 5x improvement, unless even 1 GbE is overkill for your needs. If you don't transfer data between machines on your LAN, then maybe it is.
> this one is insane: 24 x 10G SFP+ + 2x 40G QSP for $50ish!
Not sure where you're seeing that price, because AliExpress is showing it mostly in the range of $700 to $900 for me. Then, you have the cost of the transceivers or copper cables, none of which are cheap. The nice thing about GbE is that the cables are cheap.
Lastly, there's power. 10 GbE uses quite a bit more power than 2.5 GbE or even 5 GbE.
spaceship9876 - Tuesday, June 18, 2024 - link
I hope they make a 2.5gbps 4/5 port switch chip. Few people need 5gbps, a 2.5gbps chip would be cheaper and use less power.mczak - Tuesday, June 18, 2024 - link
Realtek already makes a couple cheap 2.5gbps switch chips - RTL8371, RTL8372, RTL8373.I believe the RTL8371 is an older design than the other 2 - no frills 8 port 2.5GbE switch chip. Downside is it requires external PHYs (usually RTL8221B chips) and power consumption is a bit higher than with the other two, and the products using it not really cheaper these days.
RTL8372 and RTL8373 seem very similar. Both have PHYs integrated for 4 2.5GbE ports, plus two 10gb/s serial links. But the 8373 actually muxes 4 2.5GbE connections over one of the 10gb/s links, hence using an additional quad-port PHY (RTL8224) products using this chip usually have 8 2.5GbE ports plus 1 10GbE SFP+ port. If you're willing to go with no-name chinese brand, you can get such switches (for instance like this one, https://www.servethehome.com/real-hd-8-port-2-5gbe... for below 80 USD.
Products using the RTL8372 usually have 4 2.5GbE ports and 1 10GbE SFP+ port, plus either another 10GbE SFP+ port or another 2.5GbE port (this port requires an external RTL8221B PHY). No-name brands sell these for around 50 USD or so (https://www.servethehome.com/ienron-hg0402xg-switc... https://www.servethehome.com/yulinca-2g06110gs-5-p...
Unfortunately it seems more reputable brands aren't selling switches with these yet, or do so at very i inflated prices (it's difficult to figure out what chips they are actually using).
Shmee - Tuesday, June 18, 2024 - link
This is good news, potentially. I hope to see more development and competition for multi-gigabit network gear, and hopefully at lower prices.James5mith - Tuesday, June 18, 2024 - link
I know I'm shouting into the void.... But this is not the answer.Standardizing full 802.3bz Multi-Gig switches (100Mb/1/2.5/5/10) is the answer. Mass-producing those chips to bring the price down to $20-$30 is the right answer.
Single speed switches are not the answer. And this comes after I recently migrated my home network from 1GbE to 2.5GbE.
Really, what I want is a 16-port Multi-gig switch as my primary network switch, 4-5 ports for breakout in dense locations, and a smaller 5-8 port PoE++ multi-gig for my APs.
Xajel - Tuesday, June 18, 2024 - link
True, Most high-end WiFi 7 Access Points now uses 10GbE with PoE++, now just take a look at how much any compatible switch with PoE++ powered 10GbE ports cost. Yes I know most of these APs will come with their own injectors, but that's not the point.When I planned to upgrade my network to 2.5GbE, I took my time as switches were expensive, especially as I was looking for PoE switch as well, prices were high to the point I would consider 10GbE instead.. so I found 2x SFP+ & 5x2.5GbE (4 of them are PoE+) and pulled the plug, the SFP+ modules I used were 10GbE but supported 2.5GbE speeds as well as I connected them to my PC and Server, later I bought an M.2 to 10GbE adapter and it worked flawlessly.
lightningz71 - Tuesday, June 18, 2024 - link
So very close. I'm looking for something in the 8 port range that supports Etherchannel/port bonding with a pair of 5Gbps ports. It would be great to be able to use regular Cat6e cable to push multiple 10Gbps connections around the lab and across the house. I know that there's some higher end gear out there that will do that, but, the cost is still a bit steep.Threska - Tuesday, June 18, 2024 - link
Maybe you all should be running fiber at this point.PeachNCream - Wednesday, June 19, 2024 - link
Is your fiber running? You'd better go catch it!HaninAT - Wednesday, June 19, 2024 - link
10Gig SFP+ based switches aren't nearly as expensive as BaseT models, but do require optics or DACs, which aren't expensive either, depending on your switch brand.I got a 16 port SFP+ mikrotik switch in my home and haven't looked back. I do have a separate Gbe POE switch for cameras and environmental monitors.
I would like MultiGig options though, as my area has multiple ISPs that deliver >1Gbps service and will allow you to use either SFP+ or BaseT connections to the CPE. I'm currently loosing out on 300mbps as my SFP+ switch only works on 1/10Gbps connections on a 1.3Gbps provision. Using a borrowed 2.5gig switch, I was able to verify that I could get the full 1.3Gbps if I used the switch in-between the CPE and my router.
I think this WiFi bubble has, in part, stymied the progression of wired solutions. WiFi is terrible and of marginal use to me.
mode_13h - Sunday, June 30, 2024 - link
Last time I priced it out, buying a SFP+ switch and 10G BaseT modules for it was more expensive than a switch that had builtin 10G BaseT ports. So, if that's what someone really wants, maybe it's still the way to go.abufrejoval - Thursday, June 27, 2024 - link
While it's good that they are offering 5Gbit/s after all, I'd have loved to see it earlier, and not just because I just bought another 2.5Gbit switch...10Gbase-T has been horribly slow to become affordable and it's still hard to get as a PCIe v4 x1 Aquantia NIC, which I'd really prefer for driver compatibility. And there I'm a bit worried that driver support for 5Gbase-T NICs from Realtek might not be instant on Linux.
Before I only ever had one 5Gbit NIC for 5Gbit USB and that turned out to eat far more power than deliver on performance, because the USB encoding overhead ate into Ethernet bandwidth to the point where it wasn't really worth it.
Now with 10, 20 or even 40 Gbit USB, 10Gbase-T via USB should be possible: It's rather good with Thunderbolt but that's still rare on AMD systems.
In terms of switches I'm mostly using Netgear NBase-T with up to 10Gbit speeds. Prices are ok for what you get, but most importantly I don't notice their fans behind my monitors.
I wonder if anyone could offer Watt figures for switches and NICs for the distinct speed levels at 1/2.5/5 and 10 Gbit/s, beause these can't be found in any technical specs I've been able to find.
I wonder if 5gBase-T is still low enough to allow for battery based operations on a laptop. With 10Gbase-T the NIC can evidently use more than the SoC.
mode_13h - Sunday, June 30, 2024 - link
> While it's good that they are offering 5Gbit/s after all, I'd have loved to see it earlier, and not just because I just bought another 2.5Gbit switch...I have 2x 5 GbE ports on my Netgear MS510TX multi-gigabit switch that came out about 5 years ago. I got it on Amazon, in 2020, for just $230. Back in 2018 or 2019, Amazon had a black friday deal on some new Aquantia NICs on sale: 2.5, 5, and 10 GbE. I snagged 2x 10 GbE for about $68 each.
mode_13h - Sunday, June 30, 2024 - link
> I wonder if anyone could offer Watt figures for switches and NICs for the distinct speed levels at 1/2.5/5 and 10 Gbit/sServeTheHome does some basic power consumption testing of switches, though it's probably not as comprehensive as you'd like. You could try reaching out to them and see if they'd consider doing more comprehensive tests, on a few models.