Replacing BT's router with a switch - what is required?

I wanted to replace the BT router with a switch that has an SFP port.

Can network switches work with the Openreach modem?

Or must a network switch require PPPOE functionality to work?

SFP or not you need either a router or a Layer 3 switch with routing functionality.

You cannot just plug a layer 2 switch directly into the ONT even with providers like Sky or TalkTalk (resi) that don’t use PPPoE for authentication.

In reply to a post by Pheasant:

SFP or not you need either a router or a Layer 3 switch with routing functionality.

You cannot just plug a layer 2 switch directly into the ONT even with providers like Sky or TalkTalk (resi) that don’t use PPPoE for authentication.

Are you aware of any reasonably priced network switches with routing functionality with SFP?

What do you want the SFP for? The ONT is a copper connection.

In reply to a post by RAY21:

Are you aware of any reasonably priced network switches with routing functionality with SFP?

What you mean is, a router with built-in switch. Most routers have multiple "LAN" ports and can switch between them.

The Mikrotik hEX S or hEX PoE each have a 1G SFP port, and five RJ45 ethernet ports connected to an internal switch. They're not fast enough to route a 1G connection, especially the single-core hEX PoE, but should be fine for about 300M, and are very cheap.

(Actually, on those devices switching between the RJ45 ports is done in hardware at line speed, but traffic going to and from the SFP port will go via the CPU, whether it's routed or switched)

The Mikrotik RB4011iGS+RM is very powerful (4 ARM cores) and can handle a gigabit with ease. This has a 10G SFP+ port (which should also work as a 1G SFP), and ten ethernet ports, one of which can provide PoE.

Those solutions only give you a single SFP port. There are more expensive routers with multiple SFP ports. As someone else has already said, the question is what do you want to use the SFP port for? Are you running your own fibre link to another building perhaps?

The other way you can handle this is with an external switch back-to-back with your existing router. For example, buy a Netgear GS110TP: this has 8 ethernet ports (all PoE out incidentally) and two SFP ports. You can run a copper CAT5e cable from the switch to your existing router's LAN port, and then the switch will give you an additional 2 SFP and 7 ethernet ports.

The GS724Tv4 is similar price and gives you 24 copper ethernet (non-PoE) and 2 SFP.

Both those Netgear switches are managed and can do VLANs and SNMP.

In reply to a post by RAY21:

In reply to a post by Pheasant:

SFP or not you need either a router or a Layer 3 switch with routing functionality.

You cannot just plug a layer 2 switch directly into the ONT even with providers like Sky or TalkTalk (resi) that don’t use PPPoE for authentication.

Are you aware of any reasonably priced network switches with routing functionality with SFP?

What are you hoping to achieve? What's the desired end goal here?

That is indeed the correct approach.

Just had a quick scan of the OPs other recent posts and though not mentioned in this thread specifically, “joining the dots” think I’m getting the gist of the SFP query; looks like they have an outbuilding that they wish to connect to their network. So perhaps an outdoor optical link?

Generally how hard is it for an average Joe to setup a Mikrotik RB4011iGS+RM

Edit: and is there any additional overheads on maintaining it.

Edited by deleted (Sun 02-Jan-22 10:18:32)

For Average Joe I would *always* say "use the ISP supplied router". No question of that. The ISP router *will* work, and if it doesn't, it's the ISP's problem to fix it - not Joe's. If Joe wants better wifi coverage, and the ISP doesn't offer a wifi extension solution, then plug separate wifi access point(s) into the router.

As for Mikrotik, it offers three different config options: Winbox (a Windows-based client), Web interface, and command line interface.

I think all three are accessible given the concepts underlying them. That is: if you're going to configure routing or switching, you should at least know what a router or a switch does.
Mikrotik's interface is not dumbed down like a typical ISP-supplied router, but neither is it difficult to use if you know what you're trying to do - and in the case of the CLI, you're not expecting it to be like a Cisco.

Incidentally, the specific Mikrotik routers I listed don't have wifi at all. There are some Mikrotik models that do have integrated wifi, but I've never used them. I choose my wifi APs separately.

For me I worry about accidentally leaving a door open somewhere on the router that lets unwanted guests in

Don't need to make a decision yet but do need to fibre link one of my barns to my house sometime this year and was looking at either a router like the Mikrotik that has a SFP port or stay with a ISP router and upgrade my switch to one that has a SFP port.

Edited by deleted (Sun 02-Jan-22 11:03:24)