Updating your home while adding CAT8 cabling is a smart move.
Updating your home while adding CAT8 cabling is a smart move.
Hey there! I found some extra CAT8 cables and RJ45 connectors online. It looks like the setup supports speeds from 25 to 40 Gbps. For the switches, I checked Mikrotik models but noticed they use QSFP+ ports for 40 Gbps. Since your connectors are likely RJ45, do you need an adapter to convert them to QSFP+? Also, the available options seem limited to RJ45 to SFP connections maxing around 10 Gbps. Any suggestions or alternatives would be super helpful!
I believe the real point is that future hardware will become accessible for use. Currently, you can heat your home via 10G-BASE-T switches, let alone 40G. Also remember that 40G-BASE-T is limited to about 30 meters with CAT8 cabling—assuming everything remains flawless by then. I think we should prioritize fiber over pushing copper further, but since we already have it, why not explore it?
It seems you're considering using hardware for 40G or 25G instead, opting for 10G devices since they have RJ45 switches. Your comment about house heating is interesting—great point about staying cozy in Vancouver winters!
Heating was shut down on Friday, so I've been using F@H to make up for the single electric heater we have. Most of the year in the UK, leaving devices off isn't a waste because it helps lower heating costs, even if only slightly. Vancouver is fine—10G switches should be okay.
There is no mention of gear using 25G or 40G copper with RJ45 or TEGRA connectors. The temperature for 10G copper SFP+ is already significant, and I’m concerned about how much hotter 25G or 40G would become. It’s important to avoid placing multiple 10G copper SFPs together in tight data center equipment because of heat buildup over fiber connections. For better performance, I’d recommend using fiber instead, or opting for Cat6a with 10G copper if needed.
I chose a Mikrotik switch with four 10G SFP+ ports and twenty-four 1GbE PoE ports for my CCTV project. Using CAT8 together would be tricky since the cables are close. Perhaps using three fiber connections and one CAT8 SFP+ transceiver could help manage heat better. I only need four ports overall. The setup will send data to the Unraid server, power two PCs inside the room, and one for the house connection.
Switch model: MikroTik CRS328-24P-4S+RM
For the fanless Mikrotik model, we advise against employing 10G-BASE-T transceivers; however, placing them a short distance apart may suffice. Recently there was a conversation about attempting to modify a fan for external use.