Anxious For 10Gbps Ethernet? ASUS Now Offers A $99 Single Port Adapter

Considering the fact that we’ve had solid-state drives for years that have been able to peak at about 500MB/s, it’s been downright appalling to me that 10Gbps Ethernet isn’t more popular in the home (or anything better than 1Gbps, for that matter). Our storage caught up, but our networking hasn’t. Of course, 10G has been available in the enterprise for eons, but let’s face it: with our data growing at expedited rates, 125MB/s peak (theoretical) no longer cuts it.

I hate to call 10Gbps “bleeding-edge”, because it’s far from it, but from a home user’s standpoint, it is. The cost-of-entry has reflected that, and until recently, it’s been unclear whether or not more affordable solutions would drop. Well, we get another whiff this week of more progress being made, thanks to the folks at ASUS.

With its brand-new XG-C100C networking adapter, this 10Gbps part offers just a single port, but carries the modest (for 10G) price of $99. Somehow have a 2.5Gbps or 5Gbps router? Don’t fret: this adapter will work with those speeds, too (along with, of course, 1Gbps and 100Mbps).

The XG-C100C isn’t targeted at a specific group specifically, and “gaming” (thankfully) isn’t mentioned anywhere. Those who’d make best use of this are those using 10Gbps-equipped NASes, or have (or are willing to purchase) a suitable router or switch. The switch route is going to be the most common, I’d think, for users of this adapter, and thankfully, ASUS itself already offers one, announced last fall.

Per our networking guru Greg King, despite ASUS’ move here, it seems like widespread adoption is still going to be a couple of years off. The ball is rolling, but in truth, it’s been rolling for a while – it’s just been mind-numbingly slow. For complete 10Gbps solutions, SFP+ is a route worth considering, as well, and there’s always the option of going used. But if you’ve held off this long, what’s another 1,000 or so days?!