Multi SFP Switch

[nriedman]

Any plans on a multiport SFP switch? We have a number of locations that could utilize 4, 8 or even 12 SFP ports on a single unit.

[sirhc]

Yes, in the works.

Are you asking for an all SFP and SFP+ or do you also want some 1G POE copper ports?

Please outline what you would want.

[mike99]

Those kind of switch in a WISP are to connect other PoE switch so only SFP+ make sense to be futur proof. We will soon see over 1 Gb/s over 24/60/80 Ghz and with the cost of the fiber going down, a lot of WISP will probably feed tower with fiber.

With MU-MIMO, we will soon have a lot more bandwidth by AP. It must be just the begenning with Cambium and Mimosa. Cambium plan 1 Gb / s by AP for 2018.

The're also the 2 Gb/s option with 2.5 Gb/s SFP that could be possible probably at lower cost than SFP+.

With all those enhencement for WISP, gigabit for backhaul will soon not be enough.

[rebelwireless]

I'm not sure you'd need more than say 4 SFP+ ports. Realistically, it's going to be a very very long time before you can push more than 10Gbps FD out of a tower site except in exotic situations. Maybe if you have a lot of backhauls covering almost the entire spectrum (18, 24, 60, 5 etc etc) then you might hover around 10Gbps, but I don't know of anyone even close to this. I suspect that even big wISPs are seeing ~2-3Gbps off any given tower w/ backhauls. And they are already up against spectrum at that.

We are really pushing the limits here on bits/hz so don't expect any miraculous gains on that anytime soon. You have limited isolation between APs so GPS sync can only give you so much on a tower because you have to either sync the rx, or have dedicated rx channels, or some combination of that.

No one, and I mean no one, has a full duplex PtMP solution in the pipe for release with split rx/tx and gps sync. You want that kind of throughput then you need to have radios never sitting idle waiting on another one, so you need dedicated tx bands so you can transmit 100% of the time and you still have to spend 2 channels so you have spectrum isolation on adjacent APs. Then you have to rx on different channels and have some sort of coordination for the site. very complex work. Probably need another generation of silicon before that will be possible.

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Kinda brings up another thought. If you want to run fiber up the tower, they you have to have some mid-span switch. If that's the case, how many ports do you actually need at the bottom? a couple SFP+ to run up the tower, and a couple SFP+ to connect to router(s)?

For me, and circumstantially a lot of wisps, I wouldn't even need a switch at the bottom. A CCR1036 w/ 2 SFP+ run up to a WS w/ 2 SFP+ and 12+ ports of PoE is about it. Alternatively a pair of CCR1009 w/ an SFP+ up for redundant routers,

There aren't many radios out there that have PHY rates >1Gbps and the actual throughput is typically right at 1Gbps. AF24HD for example, only has a 1Gbps port and that's really the top of it's capabilities.

I don't mean to crap on having a lot of SPF+ ports that much, but I think there is a limit to what the vast majority of potential customers can actually use today and so development efforts to product 12+ ports of SFP+ are maybe 'wasted' when there are other products with a lot higher volume waiting in line..

[mike99]

Personnaly, I think a SFP only switch is a wasted product anyway for Netonix since the're aleady several cheap choice available like Ubnt , Mikrotik and TP-LInk.. I would instead focus on a oudoor PoE switch that can support priority flow-control (layer 2 and layer 3). The're not any afordable solution for this right now except custom router with 10Gb/s Intel NIC or other few that support PFC.

[sirhc]

Personnaly, I think a SFP only switch is a wasted product anyway for Netonix since the're aleady several cheap choice available like Ubnt , Mikrotik and TP-LInk.. I would instead focus on a oudoor PoE switch that can support priority flow-control (layer 2 and layer 3). The're not any afordable solution for this right now except custom router with 10Gb/s Intel NIC or other few that support PFC.

Well.....one downside to UBNT SFP switch is that it has no SFP+ ports???

[mike99]

Sure. I didn't saw any affordable full SFP switch with SFP+ ports, that a point.

[jjonsson]

SFP+ ports.... Anything else is ridiculous...

A 4, 8 or 12 port version can be used for a lot of purposes. Not just for a wISP.

[lligetfa]

Sure. I didn't saw any affordable full SFP switch with SFP+ ports, that a point.

Describe affordable? I hear MSRP is $599.
http://community.ubnt.com/t5/EdgeSwitch ... -p/1611520

[adairw]

I'd like to see a switch with at least 4 SFP+ ports and other amounts of SFP. With the SFP movement that seems to be going on it seems like all of our AP's will have the ability to connect via fiber and they need some place to plug in! :)

I'm not up on my switch chips and port types but is it not possible to have dual rate SFP/SFP+ ports where a port can do either or?

In our data center I'm trying to move to switches with SFP+ ports and the only affordable way to do it with reliable hardware is used/referb gear, so we are buying HP Procurve 6600 switches with dual power and 4 SFP+ ports

My point here is that demand for data is increasing every day. just made a bandwidth upgrade less than 4 months ago and am already 60-70% consumed... faster plans more customers.. rinse and repeat. Don't look to short sighted on these products. Blaze a path for others to follow. People might not need them today but they WILL need them tomorrow.