Dualcomm ETAP-2003 10/100/1000Base-T Gigabit Ethernet Network TAP

I do a lot of low level Ethernet packet analysis and this is a simple solution to use along with Wireshark for monitoring network traffic. Since you cant find hubs anymore this is a better solution that a switch which can hide traffic for things other than broadcasts.

When I started doing my research for network taps I was surprised at the expense. It seemed that many products were over $500. What was I missing? It seemed like such a small thing to do, just like the old hubs. For my application, I needed a passive tap because it was going to be used to feed a network intrusion detection system (NIDS). Sure, I could have mirrored a port on my cisco switches, but I didnt want to lose any packets. The Dualcomm Gigabit Network TAPs price point made the purchase a no-brainer when comparing other products. When I received the product it was extremely simple to setup. No software configuration necessary. A simple passthrough from ports 1 to 2 with port mirroring on port 5. It doesnt get any easier than that. The system has been working great and has been successfully transmitting packets to my NIDS. Ive already detected several worms on my internal workstations. It is hard to put a price on that. I recommend the product and dont have any complaints.

powerful to get capture

it is fantastic. with the combination of Wire Shark and this switch, I resolved few issues. Save my life many times,

Perfect. A little bit more expensive due to its metal casing.

This thing is cool! A must have for a network engineers toolkit. I cant rely on customers to be able to setup mirror ports, so for troubleshooting this is a great tool. I may only use it once in a while but it will be a lifesaver in the right situation. Ive tested it out and it works as anticipated - especially useful for sniffing VOIP phone traffic with the POE passthrough.

I use it for work and its well worth the price. Dont rely on using the processing power of port mirroring from the device under test. Use a TAP instead to capture the relevant data. I also love the fact that you can power it off a USB port. Although I dont plan on using it, the PoE option was tested on my desk IP phone and worked perfect. If youre working with fiber or theres any chance you will in the future, go for the higher priced model with the SFP option.

I work from home about 50% of the time. I run a few systems and every once in awhile i would glance over at my cable modem and watch it flashing when there is no apparent work being done. I always wonder what is so chatty. Well, being pretty technical does not help. After adding this box inside the firewall, loading a copy or wireshark and snort, it is easy to see what is talking and to whom. This is not only for security experts, but anyone technical that wants to know what packets are really moving around the network and what is talking to the internet. An excellent product. A+

I found the DCGS-2005L to perform exactly as advertised. It is straightforward to set up and use. Its small size and weight make it a good addition to a IT persons go-bag. My one complaint, and why the 4 instead of 5 stars is that; Fot the price they could have thrown in a wall wart. Otherwise I think it was a good value.

Simple, no hassle, does what I expected. I prefer to plug it into a USB power adapter so not to confuse my simple-minded XP machine regarding an unexpected USB device.