Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable ( QSFP) transceivers are available with a variety of transmitter and receiver types, allowing users to select the appropriate transceiver for each link to provide the required optical reach over multi-mode or single-mode fiber. Before concluding the differences of SFP vs SFP+ vs SFP28 vs QSFP+ vs QSFP28, it's wise to figure out what those form factors stand for. QSFP+ and QSFP28 are the most recent versions, which support numerous 40Gbps and 100Gbps applications. Both QSFP+ and QSFP28 modules integrate 4 transmit and 4 receiver channels. While QSFP+ supports 4x10Gbps or 1x40Gbps, QSFP28 can do 4x25Gbps, 2x50Gbps or 1x100Gbps, depending on the transceiver used. The specifications for QSFP are based on SFF-8436. How to Choose SFP Transceivers? SFP transceivers exist supporting synchronous optical networking (SONET), Gigabit Ethernet, Fibre Channel, PON, and other communications standards. At introduction, typical speeds were 1Gbit/s for Ethernet SFPs and up to 4Gbit/s for Fibre Channel SFP modules. [4] In 2006, SFP+ specification brought speeds up to 10Gbit/s and the SFP28 iteration is designed for speeds of 25Gbit/s. [5] Today there are different optical transceivers available on the market. They come in various form factors offering speeds from 100Mbps to 100Gbps and are fully compliant to the MSA and IEEE 802.3 standards. Some of the more popular form factors include SFP, SFP+, XFP, GBIC, XENPAK, QSFP and QSFP28. As we know, a SFP module just looks the same as the SFP+ module. And most switches can both support SFP module and SFP+ module. So, do these two modules really refer to the same one? What’s the difference between SFP vs SFP+?

The SFP+ transceivers are compatible with managed media converters and Ethernet switch productsto meet specific networking protocols and media requirements. The SFP+ transceivers support multi-mode dual fiber, single-mode dual fiber, single-mode single-fiber, and Coarse Wave Division Multiplexing. CWDM SFP vs. CWDM SFP+ Due to its smaller size, SFP replaces the formerly common gigabit interface converter (GBIC). Unlike GBIC which has a SC fiber optic interface, SFP has a LC interface and the main body size of SFP is only about half of the GBIC. They offer a cost effective way to connect a single network device to a wide variety of fiber cable distances and types. Therefore SFP is also called Mini-GBIC. SFP stands for small form-factor pluggable, also known as mini-gbic (gigabit interface converter). An Ethernet SFP module is simply a small modular transceiver that plugs into an SFP port on a network switch or server. SFP transceiver has replaced the GBIC module in most applications because of its small size, allowing it to be used in tight networking spaces to provide fast communication between switches and important networking components. The Gigabit SFP module is hot-pluggable, which makes it easy to adjust existing networks without having to redesign the entire cable infrastructure. See more details about Ethernet SFP module types in the following video. Upon a customer's request, our motherboards can also make use of SFP ports via PCIe plugin cards, which interface with the board to establish an external point of connection.The compact small form-factor pluggable ( cSFP) is a version of SFP with the same mechanical form factor allowing two independent bidirectional channels per port. It is used primarily to increase port density and decrease fiber usage per port. [44] [45] SFP-DD [ edit ]

And last but not least, we'll also show how Trenton Systems can make use of SFP ports in its products, before wrapping up with a conclusion. What is an SFP port? XFP transceivers were created to handle 10 Gigabit optical lines, because SFP supported only 4.25 Gbps. The same module size as SFP, SFP+ was later introduced to handle 10 Gbps but required more circuitry in the host device. As a result, SFP+ ports are mostly found in plug-in cards for servers and enterprise switches. See transceiver and GBIC. Ryan Latchman and Bharat Tailor (January 22, 2008). "The road to SFP+: Examining module and system architectures". Lightwave. Archived from the original on January 28, 2013 . Retrieved July 26, 2011.SFF Committee. "QSFP+ 14Gb/s 4X Pluggable Transceiver Solution (QSFP14)" (PDF). p.5 . Retrieved June 22, 2016. Prior to SFP and SFP+, the most common transceivers were gigabit interface converters or GBICs. SFP, sometimes called mini-GBIC, replaces GBIC because of its smaller size. What is a QSFP Port? SFP+: 2006 saw the introduction of SFP+, an enhanced version of SFP with a higher data rate of up to 10 Gbps. SFP+ module is now still a dominant industry format transceiver module. Data transmission is available at 8Gbps, 10Gbps, and 16Gbps. Transmission distances cover from 30m to 120km and SFP+ transceivers are available with several different connector types such as LC Duplex, LC Simplex, and RJ45.