What SFP+ modules are supported by the BPI-R4 MT7988A (Filogic 880)?

Hi,

What SFP+ modules are supported by the BPI-R4 MT7988A (Filogic 880)?

I will run OpenWrt on this, and put in two SFP+ modules.

I ordered this one from AliExpress:

Banana Pi BPI-R4 Suit with Cases MediaTek MT7988A (Filogic 880) quad-core Arm Corex-A73 4GB DDR4 8GB eMMC Openwrt Router Board

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006860341878.html?spm=a2g0n.order_detail.order_detail_item.3.548bf19c5hBOlh

TIA!

Which kind of sfp(+) do you need? Copper,fiber,ont?

I have started a wiki some time ago which can be edited by every github userā€¦there are some sfps listed there

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Good morning!

Fibre.

I have got:

  • an Ubiquiti er-x-sfp that will run into the BPI-R4 SFP WAN

  • from BRI-R4 SFP LAN to a media converter to RJ45 Cat6e.

Note that I have yet to buy any SFP modules, and nor I have bought the media converter, yet.

I will buy all items once I know these are all compatible.

  • BPI-R4 SFP WAN fibre module.
  • BPI-R4 SFP LAN fibre module.
  • Ubiquiti er-x-sfp SFP fibre module
  • Media Converter SFPfibre-to-RJ45

Does this make sense?

Afaik fibre (except ont/gpon/xpon) does not have any issues so far. Issues were only reported for some copper sfp and ont sfp.

Thanks.

Which modules should I buy?

I have never used SFP before. So far everything I read about it makes zero sense to me. Hence I am being exceltionally cautious before I buy any. But I need the fibre because I cannot get my usual thick Cat6e though a tight spot in a wall surrounded by too much noise from other cables and fibre makes it work, and I do not want a massive black Cat6e cable running 20 metres along my lounge wall. A fibre cable is perfect.

I read the SFP fibre modules can be one of these - Ethernet SFP, FC SFP, SDH SFP/SONET SFP, SDI SFP, or PON SFP - and I worry that I will end up buy different ones. The sellers seem unwilling to be clear what each SFP actually does!

I can confirm that the FS 10gbit single mode fiber 10km SFP works. As for which one you need would depend on your setup really. If itā€™s really just to link Ubiquiti to R4, I would probably look at a DAC instead. What you need for your ISP only your ISP can tell you. I donā€™t get what you would need a media converter for - if you want 10gbit copper, get a 10gbit copper SFP

I have not yet come across an SFP that truly did not work with the R4 - some of the 10gbit copper ones will only do 10gbit, though (but do not seem to support slower links in other hardware, either). Have not tried any GPON or similar, though.

It depends on shops in your country which sfps are available there :slight_smile:

I use these:

https://www.amazon.de/gp/aw/d/B0753BHLQY

Sfps for bananapi should be ethernet for indoor use. SDH/Sonet is completely different transmission format (fixed bandwith iirc max 2.5g=STM64,no packets like ethernet). Pon is for ftth (carrier connection shared for different customers via passive wdm). These had some problems with bootup and reusing pins for uart.

@buz can you add your sfp to wiki above?

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Thanks. Those are listed as unavailable.

However, could these work?

https://www.amazon.de/Ubiquiti-Optical-Module-Multi-Mode-1Gbps/dp/B0BLHMC7PM/

Done. [more blabla to get to 20 chars]

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It is exactly this.

  • Ubi to Banana R4
  • Banana R4 to a media converter.

Then I would look into a DAC. Still not sure why you would need a media converterā€¦ The R4 has two SFP+ slots, so just put the transceiver you need.

because youā€™re missing out some important information that isnā€™t exactly relevent;

  • Ubi to Banana R4 (WAN)

  • Banana R4(LAN) ā† 20 meters of fibre ā†’ (Fibre-media converter-RJ45)ā€” into a Computer that only has got RJ45.

Although it could be better to put a SFP card into the computer like an Intel one Intel E10G42BTDA Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X520-DA2: Amazon.de: Computer & Accessories

But a media converter is cheaper:

For some reason they differenciatr between 550m and 2km for SFP modules, and MMC and SMC.I donā€™t know the difference.

Do you already have that 20m of fiber in place because unless you have a really good reason to go fiber, 20m sounds very much like copper territory to me (especially if itā€™s supposed to be gbit anyhow)ā€¦

Either way, you need modules that match the fiber (single or multi mode) you have and matching modules on both sides. And you need the proper wavelengths on both sidesā€¦

What modules and wavelength do I need? This is the bit I donā€™t get.

as for gbit speeds: At some point we will want more gbits. I will not re-cable every five years. I am old enough to remember friends saying how amazing it would be to have 1 Mb of ram in a computer and I disagreed. They wrote me off when I said I thought a few Gigabytes would ideal, but still not enough. Yet here we are in the 21st century. Anyway, we digress.

Do you need colored sfps? Only needed for fibre-to-the-home (gpon/xpon) if you got fibre from your isp and shared with other users. If you need it only for indoor then you are free so far and do not take care of wavelengthā€¦it just need to be same on both ends.

The ISP uses an ONT for now. There has been talk of skipping this for the last year. We can disregard this.

My fibre is between my devices inside my home. Nothing else.

If I understand I have to consider:

  1. Select SFP+ modules that are compatible with: Ubi ER-SFP + Banana BRI4 + whatever module is put on the PC
  2. Choose the right wavelegth used.
  3. Choose the single mode or multimode.
  4. Make sure all points above 1, 2, 3 all match up and are compatible.

Dor indoor use multimode are mostly usedā€¦singlemode are more for outdoor because of larger range (kilometers instead of meters). As i said for lan wavelength is not important as both sides use the sameā€¦not sure if there are multiple wavelengths usedā€¦my sfp does not tell wavelength on buyers pageā€¦850 nm sounds a bit smallā€¦i expect something like 1300 or 1500.

Fibre sfps are mostly (if not all) simple media converters as they have no phy for rateadaption like copper ones.

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Is there a list of modules that work on the wiki?

Yes, see link aboveā€¦