10GBASE-T or IEEE 802.3an-2006 is a standard to provide 10Gbit/s connections over unshielded or shielded twisted-pair copper cables for distances up to 330ft. There are two advantages to adopting 10GBASE-T technology for IT technicians to build data centers and corporate networks. First of all, when deploying 10GBASE-T technology in your network, the traditional infrastructure (copper cables, patch panels, and so on) can remain. Second, when the switch with 10gbase RJ45 copper ports needs to connect with the switch with 10g sfp+ ports. Using 10gbase-T sfp+ is the simple solution.
Benefits of 10GBASE-T Technology
The merits of 10GBASE-T technology are described as follows:
Backward compatibility. Standards-based 10GBASE-T is an interoperable technology that can be deployed within a data center’s existing 1Gbe switch infrastructure that is wired with Cat6, Cat6a, or above cabling. In this case, a 10GBASE-T copper network can be used to connect an existing 1G port or an upgraded 10G port.
Extend reach distance. 10GBASE-T supports cable lengths up to 100 meters.
lower latency. 10GBASE-T has very low latency ranging from 2 microseconds to 4 microseconds. 10GBASE-T has more than 3 times lower latency than 1000BASE-T when using larger packet transfers.
10GBASE-T Applications
10GBASE-T / SFP+ RJ45 is used in data centers or horizontal areas (in buildings, including wiring closets). It is very suitable for office and home users. Under the influence of the current epidemic, the demand for video conferencing, VR games, and live broadcast services continues to grow, and the transmission capacity of copper cables needs to reach 5G/10GBASE-T. With 10GBASE-T technology, NIC cards will be able to auto-negotiate between various Ethernet speeds. This is very convenient. Therefore, some people predict that the NIC life cycle of 10GBASE-T will be longer than the fiber life cycle. Hardware changes will become unnecessary when migrating between speeds.
10GBASE-T Deployment
FAQs for 10GBASE-T SFP+
Q: Can 10GBASE-T SFP+ work at 1G/2.5G/5G?
A: Yes, the 10 Gigabit copper module is able to backward compatible with 1GBASE-T, and intermediate rate including 2.5GBASE-T, 5GBASE-T, providing multi-gigabit Ethernet deployment.
Q: Is 10GBASE-T widely available on switches?
A: 10GBASE-T has long been available on switches, and SFP+ interfaces of various brands of switches can use SFP-10-T modules. The 40nm 10GBASE-T PHY released in 2012 drove its adoption. You can use the electrical module just like the optical module, plug and play, the difference is that the transmission medium is changed from optical fiber to copper network cable.
Q: Can 10GBASE-T support IEEE 802.3at PoE?
A: The increasing bandwidth demands of wireless network access points and the growth of surveillance system business are driving the demand for Power over Ethernet (PoE). There are already PoE switches with 10GBASE-T copper uplinks designed to meet or exceed IEEE 802.3an 10GBASE-T requirements at a range of 100 meters and can support IEEE 802.3at Power over Ethernet (PoE).
The Future of 10GBASE-T Technology
On the surface, the cost of optical cable assemblies and optical modules has dropped to a level close to that of copper cables, and optical cable applications are gradually replacing copper cable applications due to the advantages of volume and anti-interference. However, 10GBASE-T technology has the advantage that optical cables cannot be replaced. Copper cables can not only transmit data, but also provide power. Surveillance systems such as IP cameras cannot be used without cables. Therefore, it is foreseeable that 10GBASE-T and twisted pair will still exist in the network cabling system and will be difficult to be replaced in the future.
Source: Plato Data Intelligence: PlatoData.io
