In reply to a post by ft247:

SFP+ in my experience is the way to go for 10Gbps networking in the home too.

When I next upgrade my network, I'm tempted to make sure I am 10Gbps ready with SFP+, maybe with 2.5Gbps over copper to start with.

In reply to a post by ft247:

In reply to a post by jabuzzard:

Even in 2021 if you presented a device in the data centre at 10Gbps with a twisted pair interface it would be a right pain in the backside as you would have to go out and by a very expensive SFP+ to plug it into a switch. Which is why server grade NIC's all have SFP+ cages so one can make the choice between a DAC or some SFP+'s and fibre as suits.

SFP+ in my experience is the way to go for 10Gbps networking in the home too.

-preterminated fibre is cheap, and given the choice between installing Cat6A+ without expensive test kit, or just taking a bit of care pulling the fibre, the fibre is the easier and cheaper option. In my day job I see a lot of abused fibre patch cables and it's amazing what they'll stand up to, especially when you are not pushing the limits of the power budget.

-10GBASE-T SFP+ modules are more expensive than fibre.

-Fibre SFP+ / DACs often consume less power, which means they generate less heat. Most home data closets/lofts don't have air handling...

-There is a healthy market in last-generation ex-server SFP+ PCIe cards at reasonable prices.

I am not sure SFP+ is a great idea in a home. I did my home with Cat6a over a decade ago now However that was mostly because I got free cable from work. The contractors kept leaving the ends of boxes in the patch rooms at work and the network guy got fedup. After threatening them he would chuck it out he gave it all to me when they didn't shift it. I guess 20m barely gets out the patch room but with a central location can cover much of a home. I did have some 30m lengths as well, and some shorter. I also got free Cat6a patch panels when a floor was refurbished and everything was stripped out including the patch room. Wish I had taken the 50+ Cat5e panels as well and flogged them on eBay. They ended up in a skip

If you do fibre then it gets messy trying to plug your TV or playstation/xbox. I can mix and match over my structured wiring. Sure I have not done a full test on all the terminations, but I have tested some and they sync at 10Gbps and there is plenty spare to re-terminate them if needed. The Cat6a euromodules are however a lot more expensive than Cat5e ones, and I did buy those as my OCD wanted them to match the power sockets.

However you are right, for the price of a single 10Gbase-T SFP+ I can buy a couple of SX SFP's and 100m of fibre. The only use of 10Gbps over twisted pair is to deliver a fast speed to the desktop IMHO. It seems to be taking an inordinately long time for speeds faster than 1Gbps to trickle down to the desktop. I mean 1Gbps to the desktop was the norm at work less than a decade after 1Gbps came out. I was installing my first 10Gbps server connection back in 2006.

In reply to a post by jabuzzard:

I am not sure SFP+ is a great idea in a home. I did my home with Cat6a over a decade ago now

...

If you do fibre then it gets messy trying to plug your TV or playstation/xbox. I can mix and match over my structured wiring.

Agree completely, I have a mix of fibre, Cat5e and Cat6 - like you, from ends of boxes. The only core of fibre that is lit is to the desktop, and 10GBase-T is perfectly happy on 20m of Cat6 to the NAS.

The main point of the fibre is to allow for future expansion - when the NAS gets replaced I'll get something with SFP+, and should there ever be a need for a second switch anywhere it can have a 10G fibre link back to the core.

Overkill - certainly. But so is a Cat6A Euromodule for the Xbox!

The main drawback with SFP+ is that there is no way to deliver PoE if you use copper plugables in your cages, which is a major shortcoming for an intended 'general purpose' connection. This doesn't really matter where SFP+ is used for its intended purpose i.e. datacenter, backbone and edge connectivity.

SFP+ is nice, but I'd stop short of recommending for 'future proof' general purpose horizontal distribution.

In the horizontal, the better bet I reckon if you want to run up to 10 Gb/s over copper is to use a modular switch with native 100/1000/2.5/5/10G copper ports and the ability to swap out modules with SPF+ cages

In reply to a post by johnankrett:

Where do I go next?

1. Can you get your hands on another laptop or PC to test directly from the ethernet port the ONT? I know bit more difficulty in pandemic times

2. Bin those "Cat8" cables. All you need is a decent Cat5e or Cat6/6a patch lead. Please don't get them from eBay. Something decent with a recognisable structured cabling brand name like Commscope, Molex, Siemon or TE/Krone you can't go wrong. Shout if you need to know where to get some online (not Fleabay OK!)

Testing with another laptop will tell you whether its your service at fault or your laptop.