Are there other ONT options with SFP out?

[Zosh]

I purchased a Netgate 8200 pfSense+ firewall/router appliance. I would like to connect my Verizon ONT directly to it. However, this device only offers 2 x 10G SFP+ ports as  the fastest ports available.

I'd like to keep this speed throughput from the Verizon WAN to my firewall/router. This is because I have a few 2.5Gbps-capable devices within my LAN and I'm also hosting some homelab applications. So I don't want to degrade or step-down my available speed after the ONT.

I know the Verizon ONT outputs 10G over RJ45. However, due to limitations of the Intel SoC on the Netgate 8200, it appears that running CAT6a from the ONT to an RJ45-to-SFP copper transceiver on my firewall might not work at all.

Does Verizon happen to offer an ONT that outputs SFP+ for anyone that would wanna run DAC or Fiber optic downstream to their own firewall?? This would solve my current connectivity headache.

Thanks!

[Cang_Household]

Verizon does not offer SFP+ ONTs. 

The best bet is an external media converter connected with DAC, then CAT 6a from converter to ONT.

Intel cards could be re-programmed in EEPROM to accept non-standard SFP+s, including RJ45 copper modules, if you are familiar how to do that. If not, then you will more likely to leave with a broken card than a working one.

[smith6612 · Accepted solution]

As Cang_Household mentioned, Verizon doesn't do SFP+ handoff on FiOS. They will do something like that with pricy Enterprise service, though.

For the SFP+ issue, I assume you're seeing a problem with Intel locking out non-Intel Transceivers from linking up? If this were a self spun instance of pfSense, OPNSense or Mikrotik CHR, I could personally vouch for pairing a 10GTek X520-T2 NIC (https://www.amazon.com/10Gtek-E10G42BTDA-Ethernet-Converged-X520-DA2/dp/B01DCZCA3O) with a Mikrotik S+RJ10v2 (https://www.amazon.com/Mikrotik-S-RJ10-MikroTik/dp/B078SNK1MY) to get the 10Gbps link out of the ONT. This combination solves for the EEPROM issue Cang_Household is talking about, since 10GTek runs modified controller firmware, and solves for the intermediate speed issue you might run across with consumer connections (2.5Gbps being exceptionally common).

I currently use a Mikrotik S+RJ10v2 with a Cable modem that can link at 2.5Gbps, and it is one of the few transceivers on the market which doesn't wreck my upstream or downstream throughput, since it performs flow control and has adequate buffer space in the transceiver. It just gets really hot if you don't have a well cooled device 🙂

The Netgate 6100 does seem to work with this transceiver according to Netgate: https://www.10gtek.com/products/SFP+-Copper-Transceiver-10GBase-T-Cat-6a-7-30M-297.html . Once again, I can vouch for the Mikrotik S+RJ10 if you want to give it a try with your firewall. Just hard set your SFP+ ports to 10Gbps Full Duplex before installing the module!