I have recently purchased a Ubiquiti Cloud Fiber Gateway and connected it to my M1 Studio Max via one of the UCFG’s 2.5Gbs Ethernet ports. I also have the option of connecting the Studio via one of the UCFG’s SFP+ LAN ports to get the full 10Gbs speed to the Studio. If I wished to do this, I would need to purchase an SFP+ to RJ45 transceiver. I already have an SFP+ 10Gbs DAC copper cable.
A: Would I even notice the difference?
B: Other than the appropriate Ubiquiti transceiver (UACC-CM-RJ45-MG, $70), are there any recommendations for a quality, lesser priced transceiver?
From what I have read, heat generation is an issue with any transceiver. Any advice as to what I should know about this in relation to the Studio would be much appreciated.
Between 2.5G and 10G Ethernet? Most of the time, I would assume not. If you’re doing things like video editing over a file server or NAS, then it might make the experience more responsive (e.g. when scrubbing through 4K video), if the server can keep up.
In general, SFP transceivers are universal. A 10G SFP+ from one vendor should usually work in anybody’s router, as long as the manufacturer doesn’t artificially lock-out competitor’s transceivers.
Fortunately, Ubiquiti does not lock-out third party transceivers. But they don’t recommend them either:
My recommendation:
I’d just stick with the existing 2.5G link, unless you think you’re actually hitting a bandwidth limit.
If you want to go 10G, you will need an SFP+ transceiver and a good quality (Cat 6 or 6A) patch cord. Your DAC won’t be useful unless you have something with an SFP+ socket on the other end (another switch?)
Personally, I would buy the genuine Ubiquiti SFP+.
I did some searching and you can get transceivers for $25-50, but most are from no-name brands that I wouldn’t trust and one from a brand I do recognize (CableMatters) is a “frequently returned” item, with many people talking about upload speed problems and overheating.
I did find that the genuine Ubiquiti transceiver is $65 from the Ubiquiti web store. Given that it’s only $20 more than a third-party name-brand transceiver with problems, I would just get that and call it a day.
That won’t matter as far as the Mac is concerned, because it has an RJ45 jack. So the transceiver on that end is Apple’s and is built-in to the Studio. I would assume, unless someone tells me otherwise, that Apple has designed the Studio’s cooling solution to keep it within normal operating temperatures.
The potential for overheating in your router might be an issue with a third-party transceiver, because we don’t know how much heat Ubiquiti’s devices are designed to dissipate.
Your DAC won’t be useful unless you have something
with an SFP+ socket on the other end (another switch?)
Perhaps I’m missing something?
The DAC cable I have has an SFP+ connector on both ends. One end would plug into the Ubiquity Cloud Gateway 10Gbps SFP+ port; the other end’s SFP+ plug would go to a transceiver SFP+ to RJ45 adapter connector plugged into the Mac’s 10Gbs RJ45 port.
I appreciate your recommendation for the Ubiquiti transceiver module. B&H’s price on the module is less than Ubiquiti’s when shipping is included (and faster shipping, too).
I was interested in finding out if paying the “Ubiquiti Tax” for what is probably a quality module was worthwhile or if there were other brands available that “are not recommended by Ubiquiti” but in reality, work just as well. Kind of like Apple’s RAM policy of old, when they actually had removable sticks …
Correct. These are designed to connect SFP+ ports on two devices (typically routers or switches).
I suppose you could do that, but the necessary adapter (e.g. this one) would cost more than Ubiquiti’s SFP+ transceiver and will require an additional power cord.
Those adapters are typically used for the purpose of providing a fiber optic connection between routers/switches that don’t have their own fiber transceivers or SFP ports.
In your case, however, I’d put an RJ45 SFP+ on the router and use a regular Cat 6A cable to go from it to your Mac. I think it will be cheaper and easier.
I’m sure there is, and I didn’t do a lot of web searching. My Amazon search found a lot of Chinese brands that I’d never heard of and two companies (CableMatters and TP-Link) that I had heard of. You could certainly go this route if you’re on a tight budget, but I’d be concerned about reliability and overheating, especially after reading some of the reviews for the CableMatters product.
I also found that if you’re willing to look for used/refreshed/refurbished devices, that some people are selling old IBM, Cisco and Juniper transceivers for pretty low prices. Assuming they’re not dead on arrival, I wouldn’t have any problem using one of those.
In your case, however, I’d put an RJ45 SFP+ on the router
and use a regular Cat 6A cable to go from it to your Mac.
I think it will be cheaper and easier.
Ahh, I hadn’t considered doing the reverse. RJ-45 cables I have. Thanks for the suggestion.
Just make sure they’re Cat 6 (up to 55m) or 6A (up to 100m). Cat 5/5e cables will not work reliably at 10G speeds.
And if you make your own cables (vs. buying manufactured patch cords), be sure they are terminated properly. You always have to untwist a bit of cable to attach the connectors, but it is very important to not untwist more than is absolutely necessary, because those twists prevent electrical interference from messing with the signal. At gigabit speeds, you can be a bit relaxed about it and the cable will still work, but at 10G speeds, maybe not.