Continuing our trend reviewing SFP+ to 10Gbase-T modules, we have another Cisco SFP-10G-T-S alternative (even though there is no Cisco SFP-10G-T-S on the current Cisco compatibility matrix), the ADOP 10GMS-30M-T. As many of our readers will have seen, at STH, we have been doing a series on SFP+ to 10Gbase-T converter modules. These SFP+ to 10Gbase-T adapters previously were hundreds or thousands of dollars each which made them cost-prohibitive to deploy. We purchased this module for under $40 on Amazon making it relatively affordable to deploy when needed. In this review, we are going to see if one should deploy the module compared to other options we have tested.
ADOP 10GMS-30M-T Overview
This module came in the most unique packaging of the 10 different brands that we now have in the lab. The box was longer than any of the other units we have seen thus far, and it was one of the only boxes we have seen that was actually branded with the ADOP logo. Of course, it says “Optical Module” even though there are no optics involved in the SFP+ to 10Gbase-T adapter but we think that is because the brand normally focuses on optics.
That is confirmed when we see the back of the box and various optical modules shown for different form factors.
You can see the back of the box has information including the factory in Shenzhen, China where the module was manufactured.
The unit itself is a module much like we have seen previously.
These modules are designed with the end that faces out of the SFP+ cage having a RJ45 port for 1GbE and 10GbE networking. If you have a SFP+ switch but need one or a few ports of 10Gbase-T of up to 30 meters, this is the target application for these modules.
The rear of the unit is the part that plugs into the SFP+ cage. The silk-screening on this part is unlike anything we have seen on other units. At least it is not a simple label rebrand versus the others we have tested.
Overall, these are simple modules. As part of our series, we are testing for the same advertised Nbase-T support for 2.5GbE and 5GbE that we saw on the MikroTik S+RJ10 unit. Many other modules that claim to be Cisco SFP-10G-T-S alternatives include this as an undocumented feature so we wanted to test the functionality.
ADOP 10GMS-30M-T Nbase-T Support
According to the official spec, this is a SFP+ to 10Gbase-T converter. There is no mention of Nbase-T, 2.5Gbase-T, 5Gbase-T, 2.5GbE, or 5GbE in the specs, nor on the device or its contents. We, naturally, had to test this out since the MikroTik S+RJ10 included Nbase-T support as did a few other Cisco SFP-10G-T-S modules we have tested in this series.
First, we tried the ADOP 10GMS-30M-T in a MikroTik CRS326-24S+2Q+RM Switch connected to an Aquantia AQtion 10Gbase-T adapter on a 20m CAT6 cable we had:
As you can see, we linked at 10Gbase-T speeds without issue. Autonegotiation worked out of the box.
We then selected a 2.5Gbps rate on two different Realtek RTL8125 cards along with an Aquantia AQtion NIC. We also tried 5Gbps on the AQtion. None of those configurations yielded a stable link.
Our key takeaway is that this unit does not support Nbase-T 2.5GbE and 5GbE speeds like many of the other offerings we are testing. Given the similar pricing, this is actually a huge finding.
We compared the SFP+ connector PCB to that of the Ipolex ASF-10G-T and MikroTik S+RJ10 and it is different as you can see above. The metal casing is more like the Ipolex so we at first thought it was the same module. After testing, and looking at this shot, it is clear they are different modules.
ADOP 10GMS-30M-T Performance
We ran a few NAS tests to a SFP+ SSD NAS from a workstation with a 2.5/5/10Gbase-T adapter as well as a SFP+ adapter to see the impact of the ADOP 10GMS-30M-T running in a MikroTik CRS309-1G-8S+IN switch.
This is an acceptable performance. It is on the lower side of the SFP+ to 10Gbase-T adapters that we have tested, but they are all fairly close. Of course, there are no 2.5GbE nor 5GbE results here as we could not properly pass traffic at those speeds.
We also tested the SFP+ module with Jumbo Frames in Windows using -d -l 8972 in our command line.
As you can see, this is working as well. This was an ask in some of our previous reviews, so we are adding going forward in the series.
Final Words
First and foremost, this ADOP 10GMS-30M-T module did absolutely everything that it said it would. It converted SFP+ to a usable 10Gbase-T connection. However, in a market where direct competitors are offering Nbase-T functionality, even if undocumented, the showing here was a bit disappointing. This unit joins the 6COM 6C-SFP-10G-T as the second unit we have reviewed that did not have Nbase-T functionality, and they were both slighly lower performance in our testing, albeit by a small amount.
We do want to note that we purchased this unit in late December 2019. It is entirely possible that ADOP can update the module to a newer rev with 2.5GbE/ 5GbE support in the future and not change the model number at the same time. MikroTik did this with the S+RJ10.
If you just need 10Gbase-T support, the ADOP 10GMS-30M-T is a fine module. It may not be the fanciest, but it worked. Our sense is that you should not pay more for this unit versus the Ipolex ASF-10G-T or HiFiber SFP+10GBASE-T units given the results we have found in our testing.
Perhaps one for the list, maybe already is on it, is de “Optcor” model.
I bought a Mellanox MV3309130-001-TX compatible one for my home desktop.
Not using it with 2.5 or 5Gbit, but works fine with 10Gbit and Windows 10.
I remember just a couple of years ago people on the forums here were adamant that there was no way in hell there would ever be an SFP+ to 10GBase-T module…
Have you checked out fs.com and their offerings?
I’ve used their 25 and 100gbit transcievers with good success and they have nbase versions too
Is there a chance for a single “review/post” that would compare all SPF+ 10G connectors – current and any future one so it would be easier to compare all them?
There are a few models so far, and having them in one table that compares the features/speeds/prices would be very beneficial.
I like the idea of a single review comparing them all.
One of the biggest things I want to compare is the temperature. I have the 10Gtek 10G Base-T module and I think it’s overheating my Ubiquiti Unifi 10G switch as I loose switch to switch connectivity and latency goes through the roof unless I unplug and replug in the module. It also has gotten hot enough to actually burn me.