Network Card for Soft Router
Network card for Soft Router might be a must if you want to swfit PC or device to Soft Router. As regular PC or Arm-device usually has only one Ethernet port, Soft Router usually needs at lease two ports: one as WAN; others as Lan.
What’s Network Card?
Network card actually is name as Network interface controller, also known as network interface controller, network adapter or LAN adapter, is a piece of computer hardware designed to allow computers to communicate on a computer network.
Because it has a MAC address, it belongs to the second layer of the OSI model. It allows users to connect to each other via cable or wirelessly. Each network card has a unique 48-bit serial number called the MAC address, which is written in a ROM on the card. Every computer on the network must have a unique MAC address. No two network cards produced have the same address. This is because the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is responsible for assigning unique MAC addresses to vendors of network interface controllers.
The network card used to be inserted into the computer bus as an expansion card, but due to its low price and the widespread existence of Ethernet standards, most new computers have integrated network interfaces on the motherboard.
Unless multiple interfaces are required, a separate network card is no longer needed. Even newer motherboards may contain built-in dual network (Ethernet) interfaces.
Network cards for PC
If your PC’s motherboard is ATX or mATX, or some mini-ITX, you have below options to add more Ethernet ports.
Optical Fiber Modem
If you plan to make a strong softer Router for a bid company, you could consider to add PCI-e optical fiber modem as WAN port, which also support multi-module and usualy equipped on high-end servers.
PCI-E Network cards for Soft Router
You can add more Ethernet cards as more as PCI-e slots. If so, your Soft Router could a switch also.
USD3.0 to Ethernet Adapter
You could add more Ethernet port by USB3.0 to Ethernet Adapter if necessary.
M.2 to Ethernet Adapter as
Network cards for Soft Router
Another option is M.2 to Ethernet Aatper if you don’t use M.2 slot for wireless card.
Motherboard with Dual Ethernet Port
You can also find a easier solution: motherboards or PC with two Ethernet ports.
