Switch with separate installation for SFP / SFP+

Well, I didn't expect to spark such a discussion with this question....

To outline the basic data a bit:

- CAT 7 cable is used
- Switch probably from Zyxel, gigabit switch, with SFP ports
- a NAS (backup, streaming, data storage)
- several TVs with Apple TV etc.
- 2-3 cameras for outside (possibly POE)
- 2-3 PCs with LAN
- rest WLAN

Do I understand correctly that if the switch only supports gigabit anyway, then regardless of normal CAT or SFP, that's the limiting factor, right?

Or does it give me (currently or in the future) an advantage to connect the two devices with SFP? Most end devices don't really benefit from that at the moment, do they?

Sfp also only provides 1gbit. With sfp+ and the right cable more. But don't get hung up on that and change the topology. Everything centralized and then pull enough cables to the next floor. With Cat7 you can (with the right switch and clients) also transmit 10gbits.

but the Flex hd can't do that as full duplex. It is significantly slower. Multiple clients make it even slower. Only the new standard will enter the speed range. With one client. And it has to exist first.

but the Flex hd can’t do that as full duplex. It’s significantly slower. Multiple clients make it even slower. Only the new standard will penetrate into the speed range. With one client. And that has to exist first.

You are right, I wasn’t very precise there or don’t know that well either, because I connect clients that rely on bandwidth via cable. I just wanted to make clear that Wi-Fi is already slowly creeping into the realms of 1 GBit and therefore 10 GBit is not an exaggerated future technology.

Of course, I connect all end devices with 10Gbit! Nowadays, that's hardly a significant investment for NAS, desktop PCs, and laptops at all.

Which notebooks actually have a 10Gbit adapter built in? And why 10Gbit for a small NAS (2 or 4 drives)? These are slow, large hard drives. The CPU of the NAS and the drives can hardly handle that throughput. The argumentation is getting really more and more adventurous.

Yes, if you really want to, you can also utilize 10Gbit at home. But there are only very few use cases where that is really the case.

And for that, by the way, the switch would have to be completely equipped with 10Gbit, which would probably also exceed the budget.

Regarding the question from : If the switch only supports 1Gbit, it doesn't matter. Just use CAT-7 cables and that's it.

Which notebooks have a 10Gbit adapter installed? And why 10Gbit for a small NAS (2 or 4 drives)? Those are slow, large hard drives. The NAS CPU and the hard drives hardly manage the throughput. The argumentation is really getting more and more adventurous.

Permanently installed? I don't think any. As an adapter via USB-C, Thunderbolt 3 or similar, quite affordable. And if I operate the laptop stationary, it is connected anyway. (I plug 1 or 2 Thunderbolt 3 connectors into my MacBook Pro and one of them is then also the 10GBit RJ45 adapter)

I think NAS with 2 drives usually don’t have 10GBit or space for expansion cards anyway. But NAS with 4, 5, 6 or 8 drives often have this possibility and achieve the corresponding transfer rates.

And for that, by the way, the switch would have to be fully equipped with 10Gbit, which probably would exceed the budget

As I said, it is enough to provide a 10GBit switch for the devices that support and utilize it. The rest can be on an inexpensive 1GBit switch. A Unifi XG 16 costs about €600, from other manufacturers it is significantly cheaper (the CRS305 from Mikrotik costs about €150 and has 4x 10GBit SFP+)

I don’t understand where this argumentation is adventurous. 10Gbit is not excessively expensive and offers great advantages over 1GBit in certain areas.