Optic.ca NGQ100G-CU2M-OC — 100G QSFP28 passive copper DAC cable, 2 m
The Optic.ca NGQ100G-CU2M-OC is a 100GBASE QSFP28 passive TwinAx copper direct attach cable (DAC) designed for ultra-low-latency, high-bandwidth 100 Gigabit interconnects at distances up to 2 metres. Purpose-built and 100% NETGEAR certified, it is the cost-efficient, plug-and-play interconnect of choice for connecting switches, servers, and storage within a rack or between adjacent racks. Featuring built-in Digital Diagnostic Monitoring (DDM), it enables real-time link health visibility without additional tooling. Pre-tested before shipment and coded in-house by Optic.ca, it meets Tier 1 MTBF standards and is backed by Optic.ca's lifetime warranty, making it a reliable, budget-friendly alternative to OEM cabling.
100% NETGEAR Certified Compatibility
This cable carries official NETGEAR certification, meaning it has been validated by NETGEAR for use in their M4350 and M4500 switch families — the same switches many data centre and enterprise AV/IT deployments rely on. Certification eliminates the compatibility guesswork that can plague third-party DAC cables: there is no risk of the switch rejecting the module or issuing firmware warnings that block operation. For end users, this translates directly into a faster, smoother commissioning experience and confidence that the link will stay up in production without surprises.
In-House Coding & Tier 1 Reliability
Optic.ca programs every DAC cable in-house rather than relying on generic off-the-shelf firmware, and pre-tests each unit before shipment. The cables meet or exceed Tier 1 MTBF standards — the same benchmark used to qualify OEM hardware. For a 100G passive copper cable sitting inside a rack running 24/7, this means the link is statistically far less likely to cause unplanned downtime than a commodity cable of unknown provenance. It also means fewer support escalations and lower overall cost of ownership over the cable's lifetime.
Built-In DDM for Live Link Diagnostics
Digital Diagnostic Monitoring (DDM) is embedded directly in the cable's connectors, exposing real-time parameters — temperature, TX/RX power levels, and supply voltage — to the switch management interface. This matters operationally: instead of physically reseating cables or swapping hardware to troubleshoot a marginal link, network staff can pull DDM data remotely and pinpoint whether an issue is a failing transceiver, a power anomaly, or a cabling fault. In high-density rack environments with many 100G ports, DDM visibility dramatically reduces mean time to diagnose (MTTD) during incidents.
Passive TwinAx: Low Cost, Zero Latency
As a passive copper DAC cable, the NGQ100G-CU2M-OC requires no internal laser, driver chip, or power circuitry beyond what the switch port supplies — which means lower per-port cost and essentially zero additional latency compared to an active optical solution. For top-of-rack (ToR) switch-to-server connections spanning 2 metres, passive TwinAx is the standard choice: it avoids the cost of optical transceivers while delivering the same 100 Gbps throughput. The savings per cable add up quickly across a multi-rack deployment, making budget stretch further without compromising performance.
