10GbE in 2026: The Switches and Gateways
One of the biggest changes for 2026 is the proliferation of new generations of lower-cost 10GbE switches and gateways.
Years ago, for example, when we did our Netgear ProSAFE XS708T Review an 8-port 10Gbase-T switch was revolutionary at $999 or roughly $125/ port. Now, we are reviewing 10GbE switches that are less than a third of that price.
Even on the 10G gateway side, there are still many low-end 1GbE gateways on the market, but you can also find plenty of 10GbE-capable gateways.
On some of the switches, like the MikroTik CRS812-8DS-2DQ-2DDQ-RM, which are getting close to $1100 street price, we are seeing 10Gbase-T ports as just the management ports for higher-speed switches.
As a result, we are also seeing larger brands update lower-end model lines to include 10GbE, both in SFP+ and 10Gbase-T variants, to their portfolios.
10GbE gear is starting to actually replace 1GbE gear at the edge, just as we are seeing more 10Gbase-T NICs pop up in devices.
This is all useful, but let us discuss some of the challenges and also our testing updates.
there is enough interest
nice summary to start the year!