Do I choose a branded or compatible SFP?

A SFP (small form-factor pluggable) is a small transceiver that plugs into the SFP port of a network switch and connects to Fibre Channel and Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) optical fibre cables at the other end. By choosing the appropriate SFP module, the same electrical port on the switch can connect to fibres of different types (multimode or singlemode) and different wavelengths. If the fibre is upgraded, the SFP module is replaced.

 

What's the difference

 

SFP’s can be expensive due to their complex technical nature but possible more so to do with the brand name placed upon certain SFP’s, such as Cisco, Avaya and Brocade inflating the price tag. Why see your budget wasted on over-priced vendor transceivers, when all you need is a Compatible SFP?

 

Compatible SFP products are available for almost all brands and models and can be up to 80% cheaper than their branded counterparts. Compatible SFPs for all brands are specifically designed to meet to specifications of each brands technology. Due to this, these compatible SFPs provide high levels of functionality, working smoothly and without difficulty when used in conjunction with other branded products such as Cisco, Juniper and Dell. Almost all compatible SFP products can be used in conjunction with other products from brands including switches, firewalls and routers.

 

With the development of compatible SFP’s for almost all brands, it is increasingly more common to see non-branded SFP products running systems to a high-performance level without snags or glitches. Compatible SFP’s work exactly the same as the branded alternatives and there is no difference in performance, appearance or functionality.

 

To ensure the quality of compatible SFP products, almost all compatible SFP suppliers provide a lifetime warranty, in the case of a failure or technical fault. This just shows how well they work otherwise why would a lifetime guarantee be offered.  Plus, compatible SFP’s will not affect your device warranty as host device warranties typically do not cover transceiver modules, which are normally limited to 90 days or at best 1 year for branded ones.

 

All of our compatible SFP products are manufactured and distributed from the same international laboratories and ISO 9001 / 14001 manufacturing facilities as used by large international brands. Compatible products are only substantially cheaper than their branded alternatives, due to the lack of recognised branding not as a result of inferior performance or operational efficiency. All of our compatible SFPs are manufactured to the same high standards in order to ensure the same high results as their branded equivalents.