Multi-Gigabit Switches Overview

As the next generation of network technology, multi-gigabit switches are becoming an important solution to meet high bandwidth requirements and provide stronger network performance in the context of the digital age. Compared with traditional gigabit networks, multi-gigabit switches can offer faster data transmission speeds, which is why they are becoming increasingly popular. This article will take a detailed look at what multi-gigabit switches are and why you need to use them.

What is Multi-Gigabit

Multi-Gigabit refers to a network device or communication link that can support data transmission speeds of multiple gigabits per second, such as 2.5Gbps, 5Gbps, and 10Gbps. By deploying Multi-Gigabit switches, you can achieve multi-gigabit data transmission on existing Cat5e or Cat6 cables without rewiring.

Multi-Gigabit Port Explain

Multi-Gigabit ports are ports that support various Ethernet speeds above 1Gbps. They comply with the 802.3bz standard and are also known as 2.5GBASE-T and 5GBASE-T. These ports are backward compatible and can automatically negotiate to transmit at speeds from 10Mbps to 10Gbps. This flexibility of Multi-Gigabit ports enables them to meet a variety of application needs and ensure excellent network performance, allowing devices to operate optimally.

Key Advantage of Multi-Gigabit Switch

As an increasingly popular choice, multi-gigabit switches have their unique advantages. This section will take you to learn about its advantages in detail.

Comprehensive compatibility: Multi-gigabit ports are compatible with existing Ethernet standards, which means that if all your current devices use gigabit network devices, you can achieve seamless connection when you deploy multi-gigabit devices without adding other infrastructure.

Increase network bandwidth: Compared with gigabit switches, multi-gigabit switches can provide 2.5G, 5G, and 10G transmission rates. Compared with 1G networks, this significantly improves its network bandwidth and can meet the growing bandwidth demand.

WiFi-6 support: WiFi-6 technology is becoming more and more popular, and traditional gigabit networks cannot play their full performance. Multi-gigabit switches can provide sufficient bandwidth support to play the full advantages of Wi-Fi 6.

Simplify network structure: Multi-gigabit switches have PoE++ support, which can realize the power supply of most PoE devices. In this way, data and power can be transmitted through one cable, thereby simplifying network wiring and facilitating later operation and maintenance.

Do I Need a Multi-Gigabit Switch

When you consider whether you need to deploy a multi-gigabit switch, you need to consider your network needs and future upgrade plans. You can consider whether you need to deploy a multi-gigabit switch based on the following factors.

First, you need to evaluate your current and future network bandwidth needs. If your current network often encounters network freezes, slow data transmission, and network congestion, deploying multi-gigabit devices can effectively improve your network performance. If your current network is not under pressure, but your usage needs are increasing rapidly, you can also deploy multi-gigabit devices in advance. The key point is whether your bandwidth needs are growing rapidly.

Second, if you need to use some WiFi-6 or IEEE 802.3bt (PoE++), then deploying a multi-gigabit network is undoubtedly necessary. Because traditional gigabit networks cannot fully utilize the performance of WiFi-6 and do not support the IEEE 802.3bt protocol.

Finally, if you consider the potential of the network, upgrading to a multi-gigabit network is undoubtedly the best choice. First of all, it can use Cat5e cables to upgrade the network from gigabit to multi-gigabit, which undoubtedly reduces your upgrade costs a lot because the wiring cost is very high. In addition, the network bandwidth improvement brought by a multi-gigabit network is relatively large. It can support up to 10Gbps transmission rate, which is equivalent to a 10-fold increase. Investing in a multi-gigabit network can increase network density without frequently replacing infrastructure.

Application

In different application environments, you need to choose different multi-gigabit switches to achieve the highest cost-effectiveness and best application. I will introduce you to some application scenarios to help you choose the right multi-gigabit switch.

Home Network

When you choose the right multi-gigabit switch for your home network, the first thing you need to consider is how many devices there are. Usually, the devices that need interfaces in the home network are the following: desktop computers, routers, and monitoring devices. So it is appropriate for you to choose a switch with 8 multi-gigabit ports. QT's S5300-8TE4X-P has 8 multi-gigabit ports and supports PoE++, which is undoubtedly a good choice.

Small Office Network

If you need to use it in a small office network, you need relatively more ports. Similarly, QT's S5300-24TE6X-P with 24 multi-gigabit ports can help you build a multi-gigabit network. While providing 24 multi-gigabit ports, it also meets PoE++, with a maximum power supply of 90W per port, and a power budget of 870W to meet the connection of most PoE devices.

E-Sports Cybercafes Network

Compared to home and small business networks, e-sports cybercafes pay more attention to the available ports of equipment, the stability and reliability of transmission, and whether it is easy to maintain. Our S7300-48TE4X2Q supports advanced L3 protocols such as BGP, RIP, and OSPF, and supports up to 4 devices for stacking to improve its reliability.

Conclusion

Multi-gigabit switches are a huge improvement for home networks, small businesses, and e-sports networks. Not only can they bring exponentially increased bandwidth, but they can also support functions such as Wi-Fi 6 and PoE++, giving you a better experience on your network. Deploying multi-gigabit devices for your network is undoubtedly a wise choice. If you have any questions about multi-gigabit switches, please feel free to contact QSFPTEK's CCIE/HCIE engineers at [email protected].