VI. Feature Setup
ExpiredUsing SFP to link DrayTek routers & switches
DrayTek Vigor routers and the DrayTek VigorSwitch series utilise two forms of physical port connection to link to switches and devices:
- RJ-45 - Most commonly used for connecting up computers & other devices
- SFP - Most commonly used for switching to other media types (e.g. fibre) at 1Gb/s
- SFP+ - Most commonly used for switching to other media types (e.g. fibre) at 10Gb/s
Standard network cabling with RJ-45 connectors uses electrical signalling and is often referred to as "Copper" or "Twisted Pair" (TP / UTP / STP). The common standards are 10BaseT, 100BaseT and 1000BaseT (Gigabit). These are formally rated for cables up to around 100 metres (speed and distance can also depend on whether you are using CAT5 or Cat6 cable).
For longer distances, you can use fibre optic connections. These use specific single frequences of light to transmit data optically down a fibre. Fibre connections can run for many kilometres.
To cater for different types of Fibre links and speeds beyond 1Gb/s, the Small form-factor pluggable, SFP (1Gb/s) and SFP+ (10Gb/s) transceiver standards allow for connection of different types of cabling into a network switch using the same connector.
The elongated SFP module connector clicks into the SFP ports of a DrayTek VigorSwitch. Most modules have a clip or a latch preventing accidental disconnection - do not force or pull a module out too hard, and insert it the right way up.
Tested and Compatible SFP Modules
The list below includes some of the SFP modules that have been tested and are working with the DrayTek VigorSwitch models with SFP ports.
This list is not comprehensive and there are actually hundreds of compatible modules and dozens of compatible vendors - these are just some of the ones we happened to have used. If your SFP module is not on this list, it is very likely it will be compatible with the DrayTek VigorSwitch, any SFP module that meets the SFP specification / standards should be compatible with the SFP ports of current DrayTek VigorSwitch switches such as the DrayTek VigorSwitch P1092 and G1280, P2280 etc.
| Manufacturer | Part Number | Module Type |
|---|---|---|
| DrayTek | DAC-CX10-3m | SFP/SFP+ Direct Attach Cable |
| DrayTek | DAC-CX10-1m | SFP/SFP+ Direct Attach Cable |
| 10GTek | 10GBase-T: 30m | 10Gb/s SFP+ to 10GBase-T RJ-45 Transceiver |
| MNC | PTED3-D0C-8VT1 | 10Gb/s 850nm 300m Multimode LC SFP+ Fibre Transceiver |
| MNC | PTE10-D0C-T1 | 10Gb/s 1310nm 10km Single Mode LC SFP+ Fibre Transceiver |
| AXCEN | AXXE-3386-0533 | 10Gb/s 1310nm 10km Single Mode LC SFP+ Fibre Transceiver |
| AXCEN | AXXE-3386-0531 | 10Gb/s 1310nm 10km Single Mode LC SFP+ Fibre Transceiver |
| ZyXEL | SFP10G-LR | 10Gb/s 1310nm 10km Single Mode LC SFP+ Fibre Transceiver |
| ZyXEL | SFP10G-SR | 10Gb/s 850nm 300m Multimode LC SFP+ Fibre Transceiver |
| HP / StarTech | J4858C | 1Gb/s 850nm 300m Multimode LC SFP Fibre Transceiver |
| Ipolex | CAB-10GSFP-P0.5M | SFP/SFP+ Direct Attach Cable |
Direct Attach Cable (DAC)
The SFP module pictured above right is a passive direct attach cable (DAC), which is a simple way to utilise dedicated SFP ports as additional uplink ports between two switches. So whilst SFP ports are normally for media conversion, if you need more ports, you can just use them as normal interconnects and the direct cable connects two switches without converting to fibre - it just means you make the most use of your ports. DrayTek produce DAC cables (model DAC CX10) in 1M and 3M lengths.
Trunking
Just like RJ-45 ports, SFP ports can be used in trunking mode - where two or more ports connect to ports on another switch or device to increase connectivity (bandwidth). e.g. two switches @1Gb/s per port could be connected to each other with two cables so that data can pass between them at 2Gb/s - that's useful if all of the client devices are passing data at high speed so that the interconnect doesn't become a bottleneck.
Dual Personality Ports
On many switches, there are "dual personality" ports. This means that a switch might have 30 physical ports, but actually only 26 active because 4 of the ports can be used as RJ-45 or their SFP counterpart, but not both at the same time. i.e. you can't plug something into Port 24's SFP port at the same time as Port 24's RJ-45 alternative.
Ports 21,22,23,24 can be seen labelled with a square surround, on both the RJ-45 and SFP ports. You can connect either RJ-45 or SFP, but not both at the same time. Ports 25 and 26 (SFP) are not dual personality / shared ports and are instead dedicated to SFP module use.
Connecting SFP Links on a DrayTek Vigor router or VigorSwitch
The SFP ports on DrayTek routers and VigorSwitch switches are standard SFP form factor and are not vendor-locked. This allows the ports to operate with any physically / electrically compatible SFP module.
Installing an SFP or SFP+ module is similar to connecting switches up with RJ45 network cables:
- While the switch is powered on or off, plug in the SFP module, it should be auto detected by the switch
- If it's a Fibre SFP module, connect up the Fibre link cable into the SFP module
- Ensure that the SFP link cable/module is connected into the device at the remote end
- The corresponding port will light up on the VigorSwitch and the Web UI Dashboard will indicate the link status
- Configure VLAN tags and port operation just as you would for a normal RJ45 port
How do you rate this article?
- First Published: 07/12/2018
- Last Updated: 22/04/2021