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Now that gigabit WiFi is here, it is high time for consumer 10GBase-T
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One can dream but given the complaints about the high price of Thunderbolt peripherals it's unlikely that consumers will accept nor need the large pipe of 10g Ethernet.
As much as I'd like it to be true, I'm not convinced. My sense is that most consumers just opt for the ease of wireless, since most of what they do is internet-based and hence bottle-necked by their ISP. On top of that, how many homes are wired up with the requisite Cat 6 (or better Cat 6A) cables needed to run 10G? I would imagine the potential market, if it exists at all, would be very small and not at all compelling to the consumer gear manufacturers.
Given that many computers can't keep up with regular Gigabit Ethernet speeds (100MB/second approx.), I don't see 10-Gig (1GB/second approx.) anytime soon. Even fast SSDs can't keep up with that.
With single SSDs approaching 6Gbps, there's certainly scope for 10GbE.
GbE was faster than hard disks when it became available for consumers.
I already buy Cat7 cable.
I believe very few people benefit from even gigabit in their homes. The average user isn't streaming or moving vast quantities of data on the local network; they are surfing the internet and 802.11n is generally faster than the Internet connection.
Regarding the 6g SSDs, it takes two devices to be able to get the throughput on any given link. I doubt many people have the capability for that.
Regarding the 6g SSDs, it takes two devices to be able to get the throughput on any given link. I doubt many people have the capability for that.
I guess if your business needs that kind of speed, sure. However, Gigabit Ethernet (roughly 100MB/second) is plenty fast for most *consumers*. Transfer a 9GB MKV in around 90 seconds.
Unless you run a business, that should be an acceptable speed. Do you REALLY need to transfer that file in around 10 seconds? And you're not a business? You have too much money or not enough patience.
Historically that might have been true, but more and more 100Mbps Ethernet isn't sufficient. I think you're right that the majority right now might not necessarily need/use 10Gbps, but lots of people do need "faster than 100Mbps" - and 1Gbps is the next step up.
Here, 120Mbps FTTH is being rapidly rolled out in most cities, and on the broadband forums I've found lots of people complaining of their broadband speed being limited by their home (Ethernet) network. Of course it might not be life/mission critical that people get the full bandwidth in their homes, but if they're paying for it, they want it. And considering how quickly we went from 10-120Mbps; I wonder how much longer before broadband gets faster again?
And if you're waiting for an OSX or iOS update, or downloading a new Xcode version etc... every few minutes you spend waiting for a download could mean time you're not getting your work done. File copies across a local network can be very slow too even on 100Mbps Ethernet, and local backups.
I've no doubt that with faster home connections, we'll end up finding some use for it; and it may involve changing how we work - always working off network files instead of local copies etc.?
I wish that were the case all over. The maximum I can get is 10Mb here. The larger metropolitan area that I moved from offers a 100Mb for $220 per month.
In my opinion, gigabit is still more than sufficient for most people. It's cheap and reliable. 10GE switches are not cheap either so it's not a small decision.
There's still a ton of people who don't backup or work with files on the local network and many people I know are still using 802.11g. They just surf the web and email.
There will always be those who need/want a bit more.
It is taking a long time to reach comsumers because it is totally unncessary for 99.99% percent of us. For most home users, wired networks are going the way of the wired telephone - extinct. If you really need speed, gigabit ethernet/wireless is more than fast enough to transfer multiple GB files quickly. I will be thrilled when my next home laptop has no ethernet port (and VGA port too for that matter).
If you need more speed than a gigabit, you are not in the "consumer" market segment anymore.
If you need more speed than a gigabit, you are not in the "consumer" market segment anymore.
Wifi is good for iDevices. For laptop backups, central storage of movies for multiple PC's etc ... Wifi is still slow (real world), has low penetration, is quite vulnerable for intrusion,...
I'm currently looking out for a synology box to do link aggregation and centralize all my backups, images, movies in one redundant device.
So 10GbE would be even nicer