Is now the time to go to 5 Gbps or 10 Gbps home networking?

[tiddlywink]

Why bother with 5G and 10G when you can get 100G? If you question the need for 100G, you should also be questioning the need for 5G/10G.

 

[sfx2000]

Well - one can consider a migration approach...

Find the gear that supports things on the end-points first - and then fill in the middle with a switch...

Place to look would be on the unmanaged switches as compared to similar number of ports for 1Gbe - we're almost there with Realtek on the switching layer...

@TheLostSwede - comments here?

 

[coxhaus]

Why bother with 5G and 10G when you can get 100G? If you question the need for 100G, you should also be questioning the need for 5G/10G.

I think 10gig is a much better target for a copper solution.

2.5gig to me is ho-hum, not much of an upgrade. Not worth it to me.

 

[TheLostSwede]

Well - one can consider a migration approach...

Find the gear that supports things on the end-points first - and then fill in the middle with a switch...

Place to look would be on the unmanaged switches as compared to similar number of ports for 1Gbe - we're almost there with Realtek on the switching layer...

@TheLostSwede - comments here?

Realtek has had a "cheap" 10 Gbps switching IC for a few years now and it's what is already used in a lot of the low cost SFP+ switches. The issue is the PHY side of things, as there isn't a low cost 10 Gbps PHY as yet, but based on my chats with Realtek at Computex, it's something they're working on, but it's not likely to happen for another year or two.

 

[sfx2000]

Realtek has had a "cheap" 10 Gbps switching IC for a few years now and it's what is already used in a lot of the low cost SFP+ switches.

True - but at the moment, their 2.5Gbe solutions enable some very attractive switches - both managed and unmanaged - unmanaged we're at the point where the cost delta with 1Gbe is basically zero...

 

[TheLostSwede]

True - but at the moment, their 2.5Gbe solutions enable some very attractive switches - both managed and unmanaged - unmanaged we're at the point where the cost delta with 1Gbe is basically zero...

5 Gbps switches will likely use their 10 Gbps switch IC combined with their 5 Gbps PHY's, which means 5 Gbps switches will still cost less than 10 Gbps switches, but won't be anywhere near as cheap as 2.5 Gbps switches.
No-one else appears to be working on 5 Gbps switching though, making 5 Gbps the least attractive option overall, despite offering a good compromise on speed vs. cost vs. thermals.