La 5G est disponible en France depuis bientôt un an, chez Orange, Free Mobile, Bouygues Telecom et SFR. Mais qu'est-ce qu'est la 5G ? Cette FAQ apporte des réponses aux principales questions que vous vous poseriez. [Lire la suite]

Voitures, vélos, scooters... : la mobilité de demain se lit sur Vroom ! https://www.numerama.com/vroom/vroom//

L'article 5G : tout comprendre au réseau mobile du futur en 10 questions est apparu en premier sur Numerama.

Asustor Reveal the Switch’stor ASW205T 2.5Gbe Unmanaged Network Switch

Already a well-established brand in the world of network-attached storage (NAS), Asustor has just launched their first network switch, the ASW205T 2.5Gbe Unmanaged 5 port switch. Named the Switch’stor (in line with their recent NAS releases in the Lockerstor, Drivestor and Nimbustor), the ASW205T arrives in an incredibly compact, fanless silent design and unsurprisingly features 2.5-gigabit ethernet on all ports. I say it is unsurprisingly as they were one of the very first brands to full integrate 2.5Gbe across their entire hardware range and currently the majority of their solutions offer 2.5GbE at the same price point as others offering 1Gbe. Therefore if/when they were going to enter the switch market, they were always going to have 2.5G as the minimum baseline. So, what do we know about the Asustor ASW205T, how does it compare with QNAP’s own 2.5Gbe offering in the QSW-1105-5T switch and is this the start of a new range of solutions from one of the best value brands in NAS? Let’s have a look.

Highlights of the Asustor 2.5Gbe Network Switch:

• Contains Realtek 2.5GbE controllers for efficient performance
• Red 2.5-Gigabit Ethernet ports for an Enthusiast vibe
• Double network performance by combining with a 2.5GbE NAS and USB adapter
• Five 2.5-Gigabit Ethernet ports – Providing 25 gbps in total performance
• Compatible with Cat 5e cables
• Silent and fanless – seamless in any environment
• Can be mounted on walls
• Durable and aesthetically pleasing metal housing

What are the Asustor Switchstor ASW205T Switch Specifications?

As you might expect from an unmanaged 5 port switch, the specifications for the Asustor ASW205T Switchstor are quite modest, but they still manage to make an impression on this scale. One of the most important factors of upgrading to 2.5Gbe is that it is a smooth transition from an existing 1Gbe network. Unlike the larger scale up to 10Gbe for most home/business users, 2.5Gbe is considered a smaller upgrade and therefore there is a balance of hardware cost vs necessity to keep in mind. Below are the specifications of the Asustor ASW205T network switch:

• Management Type: Unmanaged

• Chipset : RTL8731+RTL8221B

• Number of Ports:５

• Speed: 2.5Gbps /1Gbps / 100M

• Jumbo Frames: 12K

• Supported Standards =  IEEE 802.3bz (2.5GBase-T), IEEE 802.3x (Full-Duplex Flow Control)

• Switching Capacity: 25Gbps

• MAC Address Table: 16K

• Total Non-Blocking Throughput: 12.5Gbps

• Packet Buffer Memory: 4.1Mbit

• Packet Forwarding Rate:18.6Mpps

• Advanced Features: IEEE 802.3X Flow Control

• Dimension: 90 x 140 x 28 (mm)

• Power Supply Description: External Adapter

• Max. Power Consumption: 10W

• Fanless: Yes

• LED Indicators =  Power, Speed / Activity

Now, the ASW205T is incredibly similar to the QNAP QSW-1105-5T switch and genuinely, in terms of hardware you are going to have very little to choose between here. However, QNAP has a few more years of experience in network switches under the belt, but all pricing indications seem to point that the Asustor Swithstor will come in at $10 less.

When Will the Switch’stor ASW205T Asustor 2.5Gbe Switch Be Released?

All indications point that the Asustor Switchstor ASW205T 2.5Gbe network switch is available to order right now, though the only outlet listing it is their own accessories site at this stage. You can find out more information on this here – https://shop.asustor.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=18_116&product_id=110/

 

How Much will the Asustor 2.5G ASW205T Switch’stor Switch be?

Although 2.5Gbe is not new, it is still worth highlighting that the cost of 2.5 in most cases is still a tiny fraction more than 1Gbe alternatives. This is understandable, given the 2.5x potential bandwidth, but still, buyers expect that 2.5Gbe should be the default standard in hardware right now in 2021/2022. The current pricing shows the Asustor ASW205T Switch is available for $129, which although cheaper than most a 1G+10G unmanaged combo switch or PoE alternative, is still perhaps a pinch higher in price than some might like.

However, it is important to remember that there are only about 3-4 5 Port 2.5Gbe unmanaged switches on the market right now and that rarity is clearly reflected in the price, as it will allow most 1Gbe users right now to gradually scale their network hardware clients up in a much more modular fashion. Add to that the fact that the majority of modern Asustor NAS solutions and ASUS hardware solutions released recently all have 2.5Gbe (as well as Asustors own 2.5Gbe to USB 3.2 Gen 1 adapter for $25-30 that is supported by NAS, PC, Linux and Mac) and that price tag becomes a little more palatable as a who network environment upgrade. We hope to provide a full review and testing of the Asustor Switch’stor ASW205T soon for our final verdict.

You can check if the Asudtor ASW205T Switchstor 2.5Gbe is available on Amazon in your region by clicking the link below:

 

 

 

A Guide to the Best Low Price Switches You Can Buy

If you are looking to buy a new network switch for your home or business needs, then chances are that you have noticed that the prices of these devices fluctuate all over the place. You can pick up a switch for his little as $30 or as much as $1000 and yet they look remarkably similar. Most people don’t even really want to have a particularly fully featured network switch and are just looking for an easy, reliable and cheap switch for the network setup. I have tested and reviewed hundreds of different switches over the last few years and today I want to recommend the best cheap switches you can buy that are still very good. Below I will cover everything from Gigabit to 10Gbe, from managed to unmanaged and from home to business. So if you are looking for a cheap switch that is going to do the jobs you need without fail, there’s a very good chance you will find it below. Let’s get started.

Important – Many of these switches I have personally used, tested for YouTube, reviewed or have found numerous good reviews online. However, I have not selected just the cheapest switch based on just price alone, but rather the lowest price switch that is STILL GOOD – so ultimately the best value network switch you can buy for each environment/setup. There is an important difference between value and low-price, with the former meaning ‘good for the cost’ and the latter being ‘low cost for other reasons’. So, take that into consideration when looking at the solutions below. Additionally, each recommended network switch type will feature an unmanaged option (i.e has no software or graphical user interface via app/computer, everything is fixed in terms of control) and an unmanaged option (i.e features software control, link aggregation, layered security, priority settings, etc). Typically the unmanaged version will be noticeably cheaper and run much more quietly, but the managed switch will have a great degree of control and customizable security and performance.

Best Cheap But Good 1Gbe Network Switch

If you are ONLY looking for an insanely cheap switch that is reliable, setup+forget and one you can get for just a few bucks, then you really are spoilt for choice. For simple gigabit connectivity of up to 5 devices, there are plenty of switches available in the market. However, the key thing to look for is lifetime warranty coverage and to make sure that the switch can handle at least 100MBs for each port – as many particularly budget switch options hide total switching-capacity in the specifications and often will bottleneck when multiple connections are active at once. So don’t ruin things for yourself in an effort to save just $5-10 along the way.

Best Unmanaged	Best Managed
NETGEAR 5-Port Gigabit Ethernet Unmanaged Switch (GS305)	NETGEAR 5-Port Gigabit Ethernet Plus Switch (GS305E)
Check Below for the Current Price on Amazon:	Check Below for the Current Price on Amazon:

 

Best Cheap But Good 2.5Gbe Network Switch

Although 2.5Gbe has existed for quite a while, its appearance on the affordable home market is relatively new. Now that we are seeing more motherboards, routers and NAS server drives arrived with 2.5Gbe onboard at the same price as 1Gb, the demand for 2.5G network switches has grown to meet it. There are several different 2.5G switches on the market right now, however many capitalise on the current rarity of this kind of switch and are either overpriced or are cheaper builds that might struggle later. It has to be said that QNAP has really cornered the market in this area and have several 2.5Gbe solutions in their portfolio ranging from highly economical home devices to affordable Business solutions. There are lots of cheap 2.5G switches in the market right now but in terms of the best value for money, I would still recommend the QNAP QSW switches.

 

Best Unmanaged	Best Managed
QNAP QSW-1105-5T 5-Port 2.5Gbps Auto-Negotiation	QNAP QSW-M2108-2S Managed Switch 8 port 2.5Gbps, 2 port 10Gbps SFP+
Check Below for the Current Price on Amazon:	Check Below for the Current Price on Amazon:

 

Best Cheap But Good Home 1G+10Gbe Network Switch

The demand for combo switches has grown noticeably in recent years, as many users wish to integrate 10Gbe setups into the home office and SMB setups, but do not feel the necessity or budget to fully integrate their entire architecture towards 10-gigabit in its entirety. These combo switches are generally comprised of a bank of 1Gbe ports and then one or two 10Gbe ports for dedicated high-performance network hardware that can be shared by all of the gigabit Ethernet-connected devices. Combo switch devices will either arrive with a combination of fibre and copper connections or will arrive purely in copper 10GBASE-T and 1GBASE-T RJ45 connectivity. Although QNAP and NETGEAR have released several very good combo switches in the last couple of years, some exceptionally well priced 10G/1G solutions have appeared from D-Link and TrendNet that, in terms of price, are near unbeatable.

 

Best Unmanaged	Best Managed
NETGEAR 10-Port Ethernet Switch GS110MX 8 x1G, 2 x10G	QNAP QSW-M408-4C Switch 4-Port 10GbE SFP+/RJ45 Combo
Check Below for the Current Price on Amazon:	Check Below for the Current Price on Amazon:

 

Best Cheap But Good 8 Port 10Gbe Network Switch

For those that are looking to fully integrate 10Gbe into the network environment, several very affordable pure 10Gbe switches have arrived on the market thanks to affordable component manufacturers like Aquantia (a microchip and SoC manufacturer that was a driving force behind 10Gbe components at 1/10 the price of those before). As desirable and well-placed as Netgear is in the network switch market in 2021/2022, their fully equipped 10Gbe solutions are considerably less affordable than many in the market today and this is perhaps an overreliance on the enterprise market that is starting to wane. Here are a couple of very good switches for those that are looking to completely jump their network to 10G effectively, but as cheaply as possible:

 

Best Unmanaged	Best Managed
QNAP QSW-1208-8C Switch 8/12 Port with 8x 10GBASE-T	NETGEAR 8-Port XS708E 8x 10GBASE-T + 1x 10G SFP+
Check Below for the Current Price on Amazon:	Check Below for the Current Price on Amazon:

 

Best Cheap But Good 16 Port 10Gbe Network Switch

If you are a serious business user, someone looking to integrate a surveillance set up with multiple cameras or are managing multiple offices of network bandwidth and connectivity, this is when 16-port switches arrive on the market. The majority of 16 port network switches arrive managed, as at this point a degree of network management is heavily implied. Additionally, many of the switches will be rated as layer 2 or layer 3 security, and depending on your budget or layers of pre-existing security, this may be something you’ll need to look into. Then there is the impact of larger networks and distribution of available bandwidth, with large switches like this allowing unique functionality such as quality of service (QoS), the priority of service (PoS) and vLANs, that allows you to create numerous subnetworks within the larger network. It is network switches like these that just a few years ago would have set you back thousands of pounds and now can be picked up up4 somewhere between $500-1000 if you shop around just right. Here is what I recommend for a higher business class 10Gbe network environment.

 

Affordable Managed	Best Managed
NETGEAR 16-Port 10G XS716E 10GBASE-T + 1x 10Gt SFP+	Cisco SG550XG-8F8T Switch Managed 8x 10GBASET 8x SFP+
Check Below for the Current Price on Amazon:	Check Below for the Current Price on Amazon:

 

Best Cheap But Good SFP+ and Copper Combo 10Gbe Network Switch

Combo switches are designed to allow users to integrate both convenient and localised copper-based Ethernet connectivity along with much more far-reaching and low latency fibre optic connections. Generally arriving with combinations of 1G and 10G connections at the affordable tier, these systems arrived with dedicated RJ45 ports alongside SFP+ transceiver port to allow diverse fibre connectivity. Combo switch devices have also grown more popular with businesses having a central 10-gigabit ethernet NAS in a discreet distant location shared with a large 1Gbe base of hardware – these have now become increasingly more affordable too. QNAP has released some great combo switches in their QSW series and I highly recommend them for those looking at mixed ethernet network environments on a budget.

 

Best Unmanaged	Best Managed
QNAP QSW-308S Switch 3x 10G SFP+ & 8-Port 1G Ports	QNAP QSW-M408-4C Switch 4-Port 10GbE SFP+/RJ45 Combo
Check Below for the Current Price on Amazon:	Check Below for the Current Price on Amazon:

 

 

Need More Help Choosing The Right Network Switch For Your Needs?

Once you are looking at purchasing a new network switch, it can get remarkably confusing. The jump from your Internet Service Provider (ISP) router towards a switch assisted environment can be intimidating. If you need help choosing the right switch, or need some free advice on your network setup (i.e Settings, the right hardware, software or problem-solving), use the free NASCompares advice section below. It is completely free, requires no login etc and is manned by just myself and Eddie the Web Guy. It is a free service run by humans, for humans! Our replies might take an extra day or two (we have lives!) but before you go off and spend hundreds/thousands on a solution, why not ask us first – we can probably help you! Thanks for reading.

 

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A Guide to Synology PCIe Upgrade Cards

There comes a point in the lifespan of most Synology NAS drives, big or small, that the performance, bandwidth and general throughput that the device is capable of hit a bit of a glass ceiling. Perhaps it is those rather restrictive 1Gbe ports in 2021, hardware features like M.2 slots of more modern systems that are sadly missing from your own older release or simply that your own external network hardware environment has scaled up noticeable and your Synology NAS is now a bottleneck? Sometimes replacing the NAS with a newer model is the only answer, but sometimes the operational lifespan of your NAS can be noticeably extended by installing a PCIe Upgrade card. Synology NAS for Prosumer/SMB users and above (typically 5-Bay upwards) have included PCIe upgrade slots for many generations previously and the range of Synology Add on cards available have grown to meet demand. So today I want to go through the current range of cards, which what each type can do, what it cannot do and help you choose the right PCIe Upgrade Card for your Synology NAS Server.

Important – An upgrade card in your Synology NAS does not AUTOMATICALLY mean you will achieve the maximum reported speed/performance (i.e installing a 10Gbe PCIe Upgrade Card does not immediately make your data externally accessible at 1,000MB/s. Upgrades, ranging from network interface improvements to internal SSD performance cards, will only provide you with the BANDWIDTH the achieve that speed, you will still need high-performance media and/or multiple media drives in a RAID to fulfil this bandwidth. So, in water simple terms, the majority of cards will increase the WIDTH or the pipe, but you still need to make sure you provide enough water and pressure to go through it!

Additionally, sometimes you are best served to increase the memory on your Synology NAS in order to get better performance on key applications and services. Use my Synology NAS Memory Upgrade Guide to help choose the right Synology or Unofficial Memory for your needs.

Synology Copper 10Gbe Upgrade Cards

Likely the first Synology Upgrade card that you looked at and certainly one that is favoured by users who are scaling up from a small home/business/shop solution and into something with noticeably higher bandwidth, 10Gbe network cards are becoming increasingly affordable. There are two main versions of 10G on the market, fiber optic-based (know as SFP+ and we will touch on that later) and copper-based (typically known in tech as 10GBASE-T). Most users who are scaling up from 1Gbe for the first time will opt for copper-based 10Gbe on their Synology NAS, as it uses near-identical cables to the typical RJ45 found in all their other kit (the only small difference being that in order to use 10Gbe at longer distances, you should use a Cat 6 cable, whereas most 1Gbe devices arrive with Cat 5/5e – looks IDENTICAL and will still work regardless, it’s just a latency thing). Synology has released several versions of 10Gbe copper cards over the years, refreshing the range every few years to ensure the best controllers are used and supported by the newer NAS systems. Synology has two different dedicated 10GBASE-T PCIe upgrade cards in the E10G18-T1 and E10G18-T2, which are 1 port and 2 port respectively. Both are PCIe Gen 3 x4 and x8 respectively (but will still work on PCIe Gen 2 x2 slots and above without a bottleneck (pre-2017 series devices). Additionally, like all the cards in the Synology PCIe Upgrade Guide today, drivers for these cards are already included in the Synology DSM software.

Currently Available 10GBASE-T 10Gbe Cards

E10G18-T1 1-PORT CARD – $163	E10G18-T2 2-PORT CARD – $309

Pros & Cons of Synology 10Gbe Upgrade Cards

• Supported on pretty much ALL Synology NAS with a PCIe Slot since 2010/2011 series
• Auto-Negotiation Enabled (so will scale to 1G-2.5G-5G in line with clients
• Dedicated onboard Aquantia Controller
• 5 Year Warranty is first class at this level
• Quite Expensive for 1/2 Port 10G Card in 2021/2022

• FS series:FS6400, FS3600, FS3400, FS3017, FS2017, FS1018
• SA series:SA3600, SA3400, SA3200D
• UC series:UC3200
• 21 series:RS4021xs+, RS3621xs+, RS3621RPxs, RS2821RP+, RS2421RP+, RS2421+, RS1221RP+, RS1221+, DS1821+, DS1621xs+, DS1621+
• 20 series:RS820RP+, RS820+
• 19 series:RS1619xs+, RS1219+, DS2419+, DS1819+
• 18 series:RS3618xs, RS2818RP+, RS2418RP+, RS2418+, RS818RP+, RS818+, DS3018xs, DS1618+
• 17 series:RS18017xs+, RS4017xs+, RS3617xs+, RS3617RPxs, RS3617xs, DS3617xs, DS1817+, DS1517+
• 16 series:RS18016xs+
• 15 series:RC18015xs+, DS3615xs
• 14 series:RS3614xs+, RS3614RPxs, RS3614xs
• 13 series:RS3413xs+
• 12 series:RS3412RPxs, RS3412xs, DS3612xs
• 11 series:RS3411RPxs, RS3411xs, DS3611xs

Synology 25Gbe E25G21-F2 Upgrade Card

A relatively new add on for the Synology PCIe Upgrade range (thanks to their embracing of SAN protocols in a bigger way in DSM 7.0, even renaming iSCSI manager to SAN Manager), the new E25G21-F2 card is a fibre optic-based 25 Gigabit Ethernet, 2-Port (so potential 50Gbe) card that is designed specifically for Synology NAS systems. Clearly (and as mentioned in my introduction) this card opens the pipeline for 2500/5000MB/s speeds, but you will need some SERIOUS storage media configurations in your NAS in order to saturate it! Supporting a range of ethernet connectivity and transceiver types (including Optical SR, LR and DAC hardware), this card is clearly designed with massive 12-Bay+ Xeon equipped and large distance setups in mind. The Synology E25G21-F2 card also supports auto-negotiation (i.e backwards compatible and will automatically switch to) 10Gbe SFP+, so for those who are considering upgrading their rackmount to 10Gbe over fibre and have a decent budget to play with, might benefit to spend a little more on this 25Gbe alternative, as there is only around $120-150 between them). Unlike other PCIe cards in this list, the compatibility of the E25G21-F2 25G card is a little thinner, largely down to the forced need to have a PCIe Gen 3 x8 slot (potentially 8000MB/s card-to-board bandwidth), which only really appeared on Synology systems since 2016/2017 onwards. Additionally, you are going to need at least 12-14 Enterprise-grade (Pro/Data Center) Hard Drives or 8+ Pro class SSDs in order to make the most of this card on your fiber network. A very impressive card, but as upgrades go, arrives with a number of high price system/media caveats too.

Currently Available SFP28 E25G21-F2 Card

E25G21-F2 2-PORT 25Gbe CARD $369

Pros & Cons of Synology 10Gbe Upgrade Cards

• 25Gbe and potential LAG/Trunk 50Gbe is just awesome
• 5-year Warranty and Still Supported by older systems as far back as 2017 Series
• Can be used as a 10Gbe x2 Port card and then scaled up as your network hardware environment grows
• Although Supported by some SMB systems (e.g. DS1821+), they will NEVER reach the full performance this can offers
• 25GBASE-T Copper – Never say never!

• FS series:FS6400, FS3600, FS3400, FS3017, FS2017, FS1018
• SA series:SA3600, SA3400, SA3200D
• UC series:UC3200
• 21 series:RS4021xs+, RS3621xs+, RS3621RPxs, RS2821RP+, RS2421RP+, RS2421+, RS1221RP+, RS1221+, DS1821+, DS1621xs+, DS1621+
• 19 series:RS1619xs+
• 18 series:RS3618xs, DS3018xs
• 17 series:RS18017xs+, RS4017xs+, RS3617xs+, RS3617RPxs, DS3617xs

Synology Fiber 10Gbe Upgrade Cards

Much like the previous card, the range of fibre 10Gbe cards that Synology offer are ONLY available in 2-Port builds in 2021/2022. You can use some 3rd party 1-Port SFP+ cards, but in recent years Synology has become very strict on upgrades on their systems being 1st party (highlighting that it’s difficult to support NAS users who run ‘unsupported’ configurations – make of that what you will). The two available 10Gbe cards are the 2017 series E10G17-F2 and 2021 series E10G21-F2. Both cards are PCIe Gen 3 x8, support low and full height profile installation, and both have 5 years warranty – however, the 2017 series card is around £50-60 cheaper. This is because the newer card uses a better heatsink, and seemingly supports more offload protocol/setups. In most cases, however, either card (as long as it is on the compatibility lists below) will be sufficient for a potential 2,000MB/s external throughput.

Currently Available SFP+ 10Gbe Cards

E10G17-F2 2-PORT CARD – OLD GEN – $230	E10G21-F2 2-PORT CARD – NEW GEN – $269

Pros & Cons of Synology 10Gbe Upgrade Cards

• 10G SFP+ Still has a lot of flexibility in its deployment
• Glad to see the old card still available for a small £ saving
• PCIe Gen 3×8 is excellent and more than this card needs
• No inclusive DAC type cables, even as an optional purchase
• Not Supported outside of NAS, so you will likely buy 3rd Party Cards for your client hardware – so might be easier to just buy +1 of those

Synology E10G17-F2 and E10G21-F2 Compatibility Below (Blue = Both, Red = E10G17-F2 ONLY:

• FS series:FS6400, FS3600, FS3400, FS3017, FS2017, FS1018
• SA series:SA3600, SA3400, SA3200D
• UC series:UC3200
• 21 series:RS4021xs+, RS3621xs+, RS3621RPxs, RS1221RP+, RS1221+, DS1821+, DS1621xs+, DS1621+
• 20 series:RS820RP+, RS820+
• 19 series:RS1619xs+, RS1219+, DS2419+, DS1819+
• 18 series:RS3618xs, RS2818RP+, RS2418RP+, RS2418+, RS818RP+, RS818+, DS3018xs, DS1618+
• 17 series:RS18017xs+, RS4017xs+, RS3617xs+, RS3617RPxs, RS3617xs, DS3617xs, DS1817+, DS1517+
• 16 series:RS18016xs+
• 15 series:RC18015xs+, DS3615xs
• 14 series:RS3614xs+, RS3614RPxs, RS3614xs
• 13 series:RS3413xs+
• 12 series:RS3412RPxs, RS3412xs, DS3612xs
• 11 series:RS3411RPxs, RS3411xs, DS3611xs

Synology SSD Caching and Combo Upgrade Cards

In the latest desktop NAS releases from Synology, we have seen the appearance of dedicated M.2 NVMe slots that allow you to install super-fast PCIe based SSDs inside, which you can then combine with your slower (but larger capacity HDD RAID) in a system known as caching. In brief, this utilizes the much, much faster SSD access speed towards storing copies of more frequently accessed data (typically hundreds/thousands of smaller files) and thereby improve performance – both in general feedback/utility and general Read and Write. Older generation devices before around 2017/2018 (which the exception of around 2-3 devices) did NOT arrive with this feature and in efforts to allow users to have this feature, Synology has released a couple of versions of this hardware in PCIe add-on form. The latest of these is the M2D20 2xNVMe card (also supports the larger 22110 M.2 SSD too). Support and compatibility on your NAS are more centred around the CPU inside than the PCIe, but this has allowed a number of users to take advantages of the improvements in caching that are being rolled into DSM 6.2 and DSM 7.0. It is also worth highlighting that the previous generation of this card, the M2D18, is still available and is a PCIe Gen 2×8 version that is better suited to the 2016/2017 series Synology SMB systems, though only supports to 2280 length m.2 SSD. Synology NAS users could always choose to occupy their available SATA SSD bays and use SATA 2.5″ SSDs, but these do not quite provide the same level of boost and still require you to lose an available storage bay. See a little more on this in the video below:

However, in mid-2020 the next generation in this hardware arrived from Synology in the form of the new E10M20-T1 PCIe Card. This PCIe Gen 3 x8 card provided 2x 22110 M.2 NVMe SSD bays for caching AND it included a 10Gbe Copper ethernet port TOO! This card allows users to enjoy super-fast caching AND 1,000MB/s external connectivity AND only use a single PCIe slot. This is especially useful, given the bulk of SMB solutions that had neither of these features would typically have only a single PCIe upgrade slot available. If you can spare the budget, I STRONGLY recommend choosing the E10M20-T1 over the M2D20 (even after the price increase). As usual, it is worth highlighting that 1) the card only officially supports Synology’s own SNV3400 & SNV3500 SSDs and 2) you cannot use this card in a NAS system that already has m.2 slots (i.e you cannot add this and have 4x NVMe SSD slots. Still, it’s a very well made card and highlight recommended for significantly boosting an older generation SMB NAS that can get a PCIe upgrade.

Currently Available SSD Cache and Cache+10G Combo Cards

M2D18 2x NVMe 2280 Card – $169	M2D20 2x NVMe 22110 Card – $219	E10M20-T1 2x NVMe 22110 +10G – $289

Pros & Cons of Synology SSD and SSD+10Gbe Upgrade Cards

• M2D20 & E10M20-T1 both are PCIe Gen 3×8 and support 22110 M.2 NVMe
• 5year Warranty on both cards
• Easy Install and No Drivers Needed for Instant Ue
• M.2 ONLY Card is too close to the M.2 SSD+10G Card in Price to Justify
• Lack of ability to use the NVMe M.2 Slots for Storage Pools

Synology M2D20 and E10M20-T1 Compatibility List:

• SA series:SA3600, SA3400
• 21 series:RS4021xs+, RS3621xs+, RS3621RPxs, RS2821RP+, RS2421RP+, RS2421+, RS1221RP+, RS1221+
• 20 series:RS820RP+, RS820+
• 19 series:DS2419+, DS1819+
• 18 series:RS2818RP+, DS3018xs, DS1618+

Synology M2D18 NVMe SSD Support:

• FS series:FS1018
• 20 series:RS820RP+, RS820+
• 19 series:DS2419+, DS1819+
• 18 series:RS2818RP+, RS2418RP+, RS2418+, DS3018xs, DS1618+

Synology M2D18 SATA SSD Support:

• FS series:FS2017
• 19 series:RS1219+
• 18 series:RS3618xs, RS818RP+, RS818+
• 17 series:RS18017xs+, RS4017xs+, RS3617xs+, RS3617RPxs, DS3617xs, DS1817+, DS1517+

So, there you have it. Those are the best available PCIe Upgrade Cards currently available and supported on Synology right now. I hope you found this guide useful. If you need more help in choosing the right card, or just want some free advice on your data storage setup, use the free advice section below. It is GENUINELY free, ran by humans (me and Eddie) and although it might take an extra day or so to respond when it gets busy, we will respond to all enquiries. Thank you and have a great week!

 

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We want to keep the free advice on NASCompares FREE for as long as we can. Since this service started back in Jan '18, We have helped hundreds of users every month solve their storage woes, but we can only continue to do this with your support. So please do choose to buy at Amazon US and Amazon UK on the articles when buying to provide advert revenue support or to donate/support the site below. Finally, for free advice about your setup, just leave a message in the comments below here at NASCompares.com and we will get back to you. Need Help? Where possible (and where appropriate) please provide as much information about your requirements, as then I can arrange the best answer and solution to your needs. Do not worry about your e-mail address being required, it will NOT be used in a mailing list and will NOT be used in any way other than to respond to your enquiry. [contact-form-7] Terms and Conditions Alternatively, why not ask me on the ASK NASCompares forum, by clicking the button below. This is a community hub that serves as a place that I can answer your question, chew the fat, share new release information and even get corrections posted. I will always get around to answering ALL queries, but as a one-man operation, I cannot promise speed! So by sharing your query in the ASK NASCompares section below, you can get a better range of solutions and suggestions, alongside my own.   This description contains links to Amazon. These links will take you to some of the products mentioned in today’s video. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases

 

How and Why Should You Upgrade to 10Gbe – An Idiots Guide

Let’s face facts, our data is getting bigger and we want it even faster. As selfish as it sounds, both home and business users alike demand faster and faster data transmission in 2021, despite the obvious fact that the average size of our photos, music and videos are getting unquestionably larger. Luckily, at the same time as all of this, 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10Gbe) networks become increasingly more affordable and despite their lofty business only focus a decade ago, have become accessible to even modest home users and their budgets. Deciding to switch your home or office network from one-gigabit ethernet (1Gbe) to 10Gbe can often be intimidating, however, with numerous more cost-effective solutions and much more user-friendly hardware on offer, you can switch up your network to 10-gigabit for just a few £100’s. Today I’m going to detail each of the necessary components that you will need to consider when upgrading towards 10G, discuss their advantages and disadvantages, and recommend the best piece of 10Gb hardware for each tier of your setup in 2021.

Disclaimer – it is important to understand that increasing your network from the default 1Gbe to 10Gbe will increase the bandwidth available to you and your connected devices. However, bandwidth does not automatically translate to speed and you will still need to ensure that both targets and source hardware in the 10Gbe network can deliver the potential 1,000MB per second possible. It is best to think of your network as a series of pipes filled with water. Upgrading to 10-gigabit ethernet merely provides a larger pipe to send the water down, but you still need storage media and active data connections that can push data fast enough. First lets discuss the individual components that make up a modern 10Gbe network.

Upgrading to a 10Gbe Network – What You Need to Buy

In order to understand how much work is required when upgrading your network, it is worth knowing just how many different pieces of equipment you may need to buy when upgrading your internal bandwidth potential. The first most obvious upgrade is your switch (otherwise known as a network switch) – and you will need to look at 10Gbe equipped switches that allow each connected user the full potential to 1,000MB/s bandwidth each (or at the very least a single 10Gbe port that allows 10 users a full 100MB/s each). Managed switches, although more expensive, will allow you to combine these connections via link aggregation and trunking 2 or more to multiply this performance significantly, however, there are numerous affordable unmanaged 10Gbe switches out there too that are priced quite closely to 1Gbe counterparts.

Next, you will need to upgrade the network connectivity of your client devices, such as PCs, laptops and servers. Some 2020/2021 Prosumer hardware releases have started arriving with 10Gbe connectivity by default (e.g. the newest generation of Mac Pro Tower Machine) and to meet this there is thunderbolt to 10Gbe adapters available from numerous brands (I personally use the QNAP QNA-T310G1T or Sonnet Solo 10G – both of which use system power, so no mains power needed). Otherwise, there are numerous 1-port and 2-port PCIe upgrades readily available to buy that are even cheaper than external alternatives.

Next up, you need to think about whether you will want to use copper or fibre cable-based ethernet. Copper-based 10Gbe, known as 10GBASE-T, uses near-identical cables to those used in your standard 1Gbe connections (known as RJ45) and is much better suited to distances of up to 20 metres when deployed. After that distance, you will be much better off choosing fibre-based 10Gbe (known as SFP+ in architecture). This can cover many, MANY more times to distance, but see more expensive fibre cables. SFP+ 10Gbe also requires dedicated port transceivers (these connect between the client device and the cable), which adds to the cost even more. That said, there are MANY cost effect SFP+ only 10Gbe switches and NAS systems out there, as well as there being transceiver-ready shorter cables (called DAC cables) that are up to 5-7M long. There are other Pros and Cons to RJ45 and 10GBASE-T, so I recommend you check out my guide below quickly to learn the difference before going any further:

Click Below for the SFP+ vs 10GBASE-T Guide

Finally, we can talk about routers (which are arguably optional for most in this setup and still not quite mainstream in 10G). Although some modern routers do feature a dedicated 10Gbe LAN connection, it is worth remembering that most internet connections worldwide will not really be able to saturate 1,000MB/s of data. When you look at the internet plan that you have with your ISP, the speed is generally provided in bits ( ie Mb = megabit, Gb = gigabit), not BYTES. Unless you are living somewhere with a decent fibre optic connection, or dedicated high-speed business line that promises speeds higher than 1 gigabit, a 10Gbe router will only be able to push as much internet/external packet data to a connected user as the internet service provider allows in your initial plan. so there is no need to spend money on a 10Gbe equipped router unless your ISP subscription is comfortably approaching 5-6 gigabits (5Gb+). Aside from those three areas, nothing else in your typical hardware environment should require an upgrade when making the switch to a 10Gbe network. Remember, 10Gbe over copper and typical 1Gbe use exactly the same cables for connectivity (RJ45 or Cat cables) so you can reuse your existing setup easily. So, now we know the hardware, however, 10Gbe is recommended to use at least Cat 6 or Cat 7 cables, whereas regular 1Gbe and 2.5Gbe can get away with Cat 5 or Cat 5e. Let’s discuss the Pros and Cons of 10Gbe.

Upgrading to a 10Gbe Network – Price

The affordability of 10Gbe as an alternative to traditional gigabit ethernet LAN is getting better than it was when first commercial in 2008 or so (when it cost thousands!). When hardware started embracing 10Gbe connections, it was priced at an arguably fairer 3-4x times that of a normal 1Gb connection. However, it soon became apparent that due to demand in network use alongside data growing more rapidly in both home and business, that 1Gbe was fast becoming unsuitable for most businesses. Therefore in more recent times, the cost of 10Gbe has begun to arrive at just a pinch above that of accepted 1Gbe hardware (with numerous 2.5Gbe options arriving on the market meaning that the price is getting even better). In fact, many hardware manufacturers consider 1Gbe a tad dead in the water and have embraced 2.5Gbe, 5Gbe and affordable SFP/Copper10Gbe connections as standard at no additional increase thanks to more cost-effective ARM processors on the market from Realtek, Annapurna and Marvell (in the NAS community, the heavy hitters on this are QNAP and Asustor).

The real cost of a 10Gbe setup as an upgrade to, or an alternative to a 1Gbe setup, is in the network upgrades for traditional client hardware and interfaces. I am of course talking about PCs, tower servers, Apple Macs and just general day to day devices. Upgrading a desktop device with 10Gbe is around £80-100 per connection, about 75% more than the same thing at 1Gbe. For portable and less easy to upgrade devices, such as Macbooks and laptops, a 10Gbe to Thunderbolt 2/3 external adapter upgrade will cost you around £175-200, which is about 80% more than a 1Gbe USB or Docking Station alternatives.

Upgrading to a 10Gbe Network – Internet Speeds

As mentioned, 10Gbe networks are largely concerned with internal network traffic within your home or business building. The effects of introducing 10Gbe into your router/modem system with the aims of improved internet speeds on your devices are hugely dependent on your ISP subscription service and in most cases will not fully saturate a 10Gbe connection. If you have an internet connection that surpasses 1 Gigabit bandwidth, then you can start to enjoy the benefits of 10Gbe connected devices exceeding 100MBs, just ensure that you are using a primary modem and router that features a 10Gbe port, otherwise connecting a 10Gbe switch or additional router via 1Gbe will create an instantaneous bottleneck. If you are using wireless devices and looking to exceed 1Gbe, then you should look into WiFi 6/6E/AX (which we will touch on later). In 2021 there are a few 10Gbe Routers on the market from brands like Netgear and their NightHawk series, Asus in their Gamer ranges and QNAP in their QHora-301W System.

Upgrading to a 10Gbe Network – Availability

10Gbe hardware is a great deal more accessible and available in 2021 than ever. Alongside numerous affordable network upgrades via USB and PCIe, lots of motherboard makers, NAS server manufacturers and network switch brands have released 10Gbe options. Additionally, home or business users that have a 10Gbe setup that is shared by multiple 1Gbe uses can often allow connection of 10Gbe devices on these copper ports, as the majority of 10GBASE-T ports are backwards compatible with 5G, 10G and 1G (otherwise known as auto-negotiation). As mentioned earlier, a lot of hardware that would have once featured gigabit ethernet now arrives with 10Gbe connectivity at no additional cost, allowing a more gradual and organic upgrade into this larger bandwidth connection as you upgrade standard hardware in your environment. Lastly, the majority of plug-n-play 10Gbe upgrades for clients are reusable/shareable with numerous devices.

Upgrading to a 10Gbe Network – WiFi 6 and WiFi 6E Support?

One of the most attractive reasons that many users consider upgrading their setup to 10Gbe is due to the evolution in Wi-Fi connectivity, most recently in Wi-Fi 6. Otherwise known as 802.11AX, Wi-Fi 6 allows wireless connectivity that exceeds that of traditional 1Gbe LAN. Although the bandwidth and Wi-Fi coverage in Wi-Fi 6 is spread across multiple bands and frequencies (5Ghz and 5Ghz air communication, not to be confused with Gb data networks of measurement), it still allows bandwidths of 2.4Gigabits and greater (i,e 240MB/s). Many users who have upgraded their Wi-Fi network to Wi-Fi 6 (or holding out for Wi-Fi 6E) also want to upgrade their wired network to keep up, which is where 10Gbe hardware has grown in popularity noticeably. Indeed, a number of new Wi-Fi 6 solutions have arrived on the market in the last 12-months that also factor in dedicated 10Gbe ports and even 10Gbe in some cases (such as the QNAP QHora-301W). If you intend to set up your home or business environment wire-free, with a NAS in the centre for backups/sharing and wish to connect wirelessly to this device over Wi-Fi 6, then upgrading your NAS to at least a single 10Gbe connection will be hugely desirable and convenient. Equally, if you use a more modern WiFi 6 solutions with larger AX ratings (AX3000, AX6000 or AX11000 for example), then this will translate very well into multiple connected users and a 10Gbe (1,000MB/s) connected NAS or Network for sharing.

Upgrading to a 10Gbe Network – Recommended Products in 2021

So now we have discussed at length a number of the advantages and disadvantages to upgrading to a 10Gbe network environment. As mentioned, there are many new 10Gbe pieces of hardware available as 2021 continues, making the ease of choosing the right network components evermore confusing. Below I have detailed my recommended 10Gbe switch, NAS, Router, Plug-n-play laptop upgrade and Desktop PCIe upgrades to ensure that you are ready to make the jump to 10Gbe networking.

Recommended 10Gbe Switches

Likely the most important part of the 10Gbe network upgrade, the switch is what manages traffic between your client devices.

Budget Unmanaged 10Gbe Switch	Budget Managed 10Gbe Switch	Best Budget Dedicated 10G
QNAP QSW-308S $139	QNAP QSW-M408-4C $329	TRENDnet 8x 10G TEG-7080ES $529

Recommended 10Gbe Laptop Upgrades

If your network is populated with more compact and portable devices, then you can still use a range of Thunderbolt connected devices to interact with a 10Gbe network. Here are the ones I recommend:

 

Sonnet Solo 10G Adapter	QNAP QNA-T310G1S Adapter	ATTO TLN3-3102 Thunderlink 2x10G Adapter
Thunderbolt3-to-10G Copper $209	Thunderbolt3-to-SFP+ Fibre $179	2x Thunderbolt3-to-2x SFP+ Fibre $999

Recommended 10Gbe Desktop PC Upgrades

If you are using a desktop PC/Mac/Linux system, then you are able to consider PCIe 10Gbe upgrades. Although these are more expensive than the plug n play alternatives, they do allow more connections per card. Here are the 10Gbe PCIe cards I recommend:

 

1 Port 10Gbe PCIe Card	2 Port 10Gbe PCIe Card	Fully Featured 10Gbe PCIe Card
TRENDnet 10Gbe TEG-10GECTX $99	QNAP QXG-10G2T-107 2x 10G $199	QNAP 10Gbe and 2x NVMe QM2-2P10G1T $279

Recommended 10Gbe Routers

Once again, very much an ‘optional extra’, upgrading the router/modem in your network towards 10Gbe will only really be beneficial if your internet service is greater than 1Gbps. Never the less, there are some great 10Gbe, 5Gbe and 10Gbe routers out there, some of which even include WiFi 6 too. Here are the best 10Gbe routers right now in 2021:

 

Best Gamer 10Gbe Router	Best Prosumer 10Gbe Router	Best Business 10Gbe Router
ASUS AX11000 $389	ASUS AX6000 10G $410	QNAP QHora-301W 10G & WiFi 6 $329

Recommended 10Gbe NAS Servers

When it comes to seeing the true value of an upgraded network environment, then a NAS that features greater than gigabit connectivity is a great way to show this. Whether you are feeding this NAS into a 10Gbe/10Gbe network switch shared environment, or directly interfacing (i.e network connection PC-to-NAS), greater than 1Gbe speeds will be abundantly clear. There are quite a large number of 10Gbe NAS systems available in the server market right now, but I have narrowed it down to three below based on how you want to interact with your data:

 

Best Budget 10Gbe NAS	Best Prosumer 10Gbe NAS	Best Business 10Gbe NAS
TS-431KX $369	TS-h973AX $999	TVS-872X $1699

Thanks for reading. Do you still need help? Use the NASCompares Free Advice section here – https://nascompares.com/contact-us. It is my free, unbias community support system that allows you to ask me questions about your ideal setup. It is NOT a sales platform, NOT a way to push hardware you don’t need and, although it is just manned by me and might take a day or two for me to reply, I will help you any way I can.

 

Visit the NASCompares Deal Finder to find the best place to buy this device in your region, based on Service, Support and Reputation - Just Search for your NAS Drive in the Box Below

 

SEARCH IN THE BOX BELOW FOR NAS DEALS

Need Advice on Data Storage from an Expert?

We want to keep the free advice on NASCompares FREE for as long as we can. Since this service started back in Jan '18, We have helped hundreds of users every month solve their storage woes, but we can only continue to do this with your support. So please do choose to buy at Amazon US and Amazon UK on the articles when buying to provide advert revenue support or to donate/support the site below. Finally, for free advice about your setup, just leave a message in the comments below here at NASCompares.com and we will get back to you. Need Help? Where possible (and where appropriate) please provide as much information about your requirements, as then I can arrange the best answer and solution to your needs. Do not worry about your e-mail address being required, it will NOT be used in a mailing list and will NOT be used in any way other than to respond to your enquiry. [contact-form-7] Terms and Conditions Alternatively, why not ask me on the ASK NASCompares forum, by clicking the button below. This is a community hub that serves as a place that I can answer your question, chew the fat, share new release information and even get corrections posted. I will always get around to answering ALL queries, but as a one-man operation, I cannot promise speed! So by sharing your query in the ASK NASCompares section below, you can get a better range of solutions and suggestions, alongside my own.