Five models in the 2.5G family — converters that carry 2.5GBASE-T onto fiber, for Wi-Fi 6/7 backhaul and workstations that outgrew gigabit but not the budget.
2.5GBASE-T was created for a specific embarrassment: Wi-Fi access points and workstations whose real throughput passed 1 Gbps, attached to buildings wired with Cat5e that nobody wanted to re-cable for 10G. The 2.5G rate runs over the installed copper — and then the link needs to leave the building, join a fiber spine, or cross to another switch room, which is where this family of five models works: conversion between 2.5G copper and fiber, documented in units such as the 100M/1G/2.5GBase-T to 2.5G Base-SX/LX Fiber Media Converter.
The family's models sit inside a family named 'Media Converter & Switch' because several units combine conversion with small-scale switching — the natural shape of a wiring-closet aggregation point for a floor of multi-gig access points. The neighbouring families put the step in context: the managed converter page covers multi-rate models that reach 2.5G on their way to 10G, and the injector families document 2.5G powered models where the endpoint also needs PoE.
| Model (official product name) | Series | Documentation |
|---|---|---|
| 100M/1G/2.5GBase-T to 2.5G Base-SX/LX Fiber Media Converter | — | Specification captured from the official product page |
| 4x2.5Gbps PoE Ports + 2 x10G SFP+ Fiber Ports PoE Switch | LNK-2 | Specification captured from the official product page |
| 4x2.5Gbps RJ45 Ports + 2 x10G SFP+ Fiber Ports Ethernet Switch | — | Full specification confirmed per model at quotation |
| 8x2.5Gbps PoE Ports + 1x10G SFP+ Fiber Port PoE Switch | — | Full specification confirmed per model at quotation |
| 8x2.5Gbps RJ45 Ports + 1 x10G SFP+ Fiber Port Ethernet Switch | — | Full specification confirmed per model at quotation |
The complete 2.5G Media Converter & Switch family (5 models) as listed in the manufacturer's catalogue.
A 2.5G link needs 2.5G at the device, the converter and the far end. Mixed-rate frustration ('my AP is fast, my uplink is 1G') is usually a 1G device hiding in the chain — the inquiry should name the devices at both ends.
2.5GBASE-T's gift is running over Cat5e at full channel length. The converter's role begins where copper ends — building exits and spines. If your whole run is within one wiring closet's reach, you may not need conversion at all; the honest design says so.
The documented reference model names both multimode (SX) and single-mode (LX) fiber variants. State your fiber type; the module/variant confirmation follows from it.
If the devices are 2.5G and the fiber plant is multimode with short runs, 2.5G conversion is the proportionate buy. If a 10G upgrade is already budgeted, the managed multi-rate converters (to 10G) future-proof the same shelf space. The roadmap decides.
2.5GBASE-T is specified for Cat5e channels — that is its reason to exist. Cat6 and better only help. The fiber side has no such caveat; it is fiber.
Conversion and power are separate functions; powered multi-gig endpoints are served by the 2.5G injector models in the industrial injector family, or by pairing conversion with an injector at the closet. State the power need in the inquiry.
Send the model name, the distance, the fiber type and the quantity. We will confirm the matching transmitter/receiver pairing, the optical module and the full specification of the exact model in writing before you pay.