  Quantum state transfer in the presence of noise is one of the main challenges
in building quantum computers. We compare the quantum state transfer properties
for two classes of qubit chains under the influence of static randomness. In
fully engineered chains all nearest-neighbor couplings are tuned in such a way
that a single-qubit state can be transferred perfectly between the ends of the
chain, while in boundary-controlled chains only the two couplings between the
transmitting and receiving qubits and the remainder of the chain can be
optimized. We study how the noise in the couplings affects the state transfer
fidelity depending on the noise model and strength as well as the chain type
and length. We show that the desired level of fidelity and transfer time are
important factors in designing a chain. In particular we demonstrate that
transfer efficiency comparable or better than that of the most robust
engineered systems can also be reached in boundary-controlled chains without
the demanding engineering of a large number of couplings.
