Thanks for moving the thread over - I think others will get a kick out of it.
NBase-T otherwise known as 802.3bz, is the brand name way to talk about the new wired network speeds of 2.5gbps, 5gbps over existing cabling. There are network switches and adapters that will work at this faster than 1gbps speed, without the costly re-wiring of a building. Originally targeted at wifi access points for high density locations, it's a great tool for folks who move lots of data, like us. We can fully saturate (use) a 1gbps network connection, especially if working off a SSD or other fast storage system. The cost and wiring requirements for 10gbps networking is high - CAT7 cabling, fully shielded, each port on a network switch. So they've developed a great middle ground. The gear is still being slowly released, but Netgear seems to have jumped in with both feet with a full line up options based on need.
https://www.netgear.com/landings/multi-gig/In IT, we compare network switches on a Price per Port, as in how much each port of a certain speed switch will be. A 10gbps port is going to cost most than a 5gbps port, which costs more than the 2.5gbps port and 1gbps ports are just thrown around willy-nilly. But by matching the actual need per port, you can get away with fewer of the expensive 10gbps ports, and get more of the 2.5 & 5gbps ports.
Once you start to copy around 100's of gigabytes of data, gaining a 2x or 5x speed advantage becomes huge. For me, the advantage is to gain access to lots of storage (on my NAS) at higher speeds than I can otherwise on my Mac laptop. By using a 25' CAT7 network cable and a tb3-10gbps adapter, I can sit on my couch and access my NAS at the fastest speed.
-Joe