Network Cards Buyers Guides

No computer device, be it a desktop PC, laptop, workstation, server, NAS box or the myriad of smart devices such as cameras, can operate effectively in isolation. If you’re struggling to decide on the best way to connect your devices, we’ve created the following buyers guides to help demystify how to pick the best wired and wireless network cards for home, small office and professional users.

Wired

Wired

Wired networks provide high-speed communications between multiple devices. This guide will help you select the best Network Interface Card (NIC) for the PCs, laptops, workstations and servers, walking you through all you need to know including the different types of network cards such as from standard NICs to SmartNICs, SuperNICs, DPUs and IPUs. The buyer’s guide also covers the network protocols Ethernet and InfiniBand, form factors including PCIe and OCP and the different grades of SFP transceivers that are required for different speed network cards.

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Wireless

Wireless

Wireless or WiFi networks provide mid-speed communications between multiple devices. This guide will help you select the best network interface card (NIC) for the PCs and laptops in your home or office, walking you through all you need to know starting with the various 802.11 IEEE standards that determine the performance of your wireless network - both in terms of speed and range. The buyer’s guide also details the different form factors of wireless NICs including PCIe and M.2 cards and USB dongles plus other network considerations such as access points and routers and how to tackle dead spots.

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