Convert a SFP+ Port To Copper Multi-Gig 2.5/5/10Gbps with a 10Gbase-T Adapter
The EnGenius ECS2512FP Multi-Gigabit 2.5GbE PoE++ switch has 4 10Gbps SFP+ ports available. If you are not using them for fiber you can still utilize these ports.
For one you can connect a desktop or uplink to another switch at 10Gbps using a inexpensive twinax cable like this one.
Another way you can use your enhanced small form-factor pluggable tranceiver generally called SFP+ ports is with a copper 10Gbase-T Adapter I tested several and found that the Wiitek SFP+ to RJ45 Copper module works well with the ECS2512FP. The switch detects it as a 10Gbps adapter but it will internally reduce rate until it gets a link.
I tested with my laptop and a cable creations 2.5Gbps USB adapter and got link at 2.5Gbps I did throughput testing with iPerf.
Depending on your cabling this adapter will link at different speeds for a 2.5Gbps 2.5GBASE-T connection you can use Cat5e at 100 meters . If you have Cat6 you can do 5Gbps 5GBASE-T or Cat6A will do 10Gbps 10GBASE-T.
In conclusion there are ways to utilize your switches SFP+ ports even if you do not have fiber. Especially with PoE switches you want to reserve the copper ports for powered devices and use SFP+ for uplinks whenever possible.
More information on the EnGenius ECS2512FP Multi-Gigabit 2.5GbE PoE++ switch here
EnGenius Cloud Wi-Fi Offers Exposure Analysis
EnGenius has added a new feature to it’s cloud Wi-Fi controller to help fight Covid-19 in the workplace. You are first required to opt in from the privacy menu to enable this feature. It looks at client devices with a close proximity to the same Wi-Fi Access Points at the same time.
Once enabled you select the client device in question. Exposure Analysis will show which other devices this person has come in close contact with during a given time period.
The above screen shows that Jeff’s iPhone came in close contact with Brandi’s iPhone at 10:07AM.
In conclusion EnGenius Cloud Wi-Fi with Exposure Analysis is great tool to aid in the reopening of businesses and schools while also exceeding the need for better Wi-Fi.
Click here for more information on the EnGenius Cloud managed Wi-Fi devices with Exposure Analysis
Ruckus R550 2×2 Wi-Fi 6 Access Point Review
The R550 is the new Wi-Fi 6 mid range Access Point from Ruckus eventually replacing the R510. The R550 is a great general purpose Access Point for hotels, condos, high end homes and managed care facilities. The R550 features the Ruckus only beamflex + adaptive antenna array this is the secret to great signal quality and interference mitigation. The R550 can be powered from a standard 1Gb 802.3at PoE switch or injector so no infrastructure upgrades are required when coming from Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) Access Points.
I tested the R550 managed by the Ruckus cloud on a clean 80Mhz channel using iperf and here are the result:
First I tested at 5 feet. I saw average speeds of 500Mbps with spikes to 650Mbps this is consistent with what I have seen on other 2×2 Wi-Fi 6 AP’s.
Next I tested at 50 feet with 3 walls between the client and the R550. I saw speeds of around 80Mbps plenty to stream 4k video.
In conclusion the Ruckus R550 is a great way to migrate your current network to faster better Wi-Fi 6. The R550 is available immediately click here for more information
EnGenius ECS2512FP Multi-Gigabit 2.5GbE PoE++ Switch Review
Many Wi-Fi 6 Access Points were released with 2.5GbE ethernet ports this standard lets you more than double the speed of gigabit ethernet over cat5e. This lets you use your current cabling which can be the most expensive part of the network while boosting speeds. It is also a great way to increase uplink speeds between switches and traffic to PC’s and NAS devices.
Up until now multi-Gigabit PoE switches were out of reach for most SMB’s they were either too expensive or only featured PoE on some ports. With the release of the ECS2512FP there is now a solution with 2.5GbE and 802.3af/at/bt PoE++ on all ports and a price below $750! The ECS2512FP can also be cloud managed via the no cost EnGenius Cloud anyone can set up a account here even https://cloud.engenius.ai/ and view the features. This makes remotely deploying, monitoring and configuring your switches easy either from a web browser or the EnGenius Cloud app..
Wired Testing:
There are not many PC’s with built in 2.5Gb adapters yet but this is a easy upgrade via the cable creations USB 3 to 2.5G adapter https://amzn.to/3dUmMTR This adapter even worked on my Synology NAS. Using this adapter you can add a 2.5Gb port to any desktop or laptop with a USB 3.0 port . I connected my laptop to a switch port with the cable creations adapter. On my desktop I have a 10Gb SFP+ adapter like this one https://amzn.to/2NQdMop lastly I connected a twinax cable like this one https://amzn.to/3eXHRhF from by desktop to the ECS2512FP via one of its four SFP+ ports.
I used jperf to test the throughput and here are the results very close to 2.5Gb sustained
Wireless Testing:
Next I tested two of the fastest Wi-Fi 6 Access Points available right now The EnGenius ECW230 and the Ruckus R750 these are both have 4×4 spatial streams with 2.5Gb capable ports. For the client device I used a laptop with a 2×2 Intel AX201 Wi-Fi 6 adapter. There are not many 4×4 Wi-Fi 6 client devices available yet but I saw speeds over 1Gb even during single client testing.
First I tested the ECW230 and got these results
Next I tested the Ruckus R750 this AP requires PoE++ for maximum performance and features. Here are the results.
In conclusion the ECS2512FP is a great way to increase your network speeds both wired and wireless while keeping your existing cabling.
Click here for more information on the ECS2512FP The ECW230 and the R750