Network TAPs
Reliable packet visibility for security, monitoring, and troubleshooting.
Every security appliance, packet capture platform, and performance monitoring solution relies on one thing – a complete and accurate copy of your network traffic.
Without reliable packet access, security investigations become less effective, troubleshooting becomes more difficult, and critical network events can be missed.
That’s why Network TAPs (Test Access Points) form the foundation of many enterprise, data centre, and network operator visibility architectures.
Why SPAN ports aren’t enough
Many companies use switch SPAN (mirror) ports to provide traffic to security and monitoring tools. While simple to configure, SPAN ports cannot guarantee that every packet will be copied.
During periods of heavy utilisation, packets can be dropped before they ever reach your monitoring infrastructure. This means packet capture, intrusion detection, performance monitoring, and forensic tools may be working with an incomplete picture – particularly when visibility is needed most.
For business-critical environments, relying solely on SPAN ports introduces unnecessary operational and security risk.
Purpose-built for complete visibility
A Network TAP is a dedicated hardware device that creates an exact copy of network traffic without affecting the live production network.
Installed directly into the network link, a TAP provides continuous, dependable packet visibility, ensuring every packet is available to downstream monitoring, packet capture, and security tools. And because TAPs operate independently of network switches, they continue to provide consistent traffic copies regardless of switch load or utilisation.
The result is greater confidence in your monitoring, faster troubleshooting, and more accurate forensic investigations.
Designed for modern networks
We supply scalable copper and fibre Network TAP solutions for environments ranging from enterprise networks to high-speed data centres and network operators’ infrastructures.
Whether you’re monitoring 1G, 10G, 800G or beyond, we’ll help you select the right TAP architecture to provide reliable packet visibility while supporting future growth.
Network TAPs we supply include:
Copper TAPs – complete visibility for copper Ethernet links
Copper TAPs provide reliable, lossless copies of traffic traversing copper Ethernet links, ensuring monitoring and security tools receive complete packet visibility without relying on switch SPAN ports.
Designed for enterprise networks, branch offices, and operational environments where copper connectivity remains prevalent, Copper TAPs are available with a range of features including fail-safe bypass capabilities, Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) support, and aggregation options. They provide a dependable foundation for packet capture, intrusion detection, network monitoring and troubleshooting.
Fibre TAPs – modular passive fibre network visibility
Fibre TAPs provide passive, non-intrusive access to optical network traffic across enterprise, data centre, and network operator environments. And because they contain no active electronics, they introduce no latency and continue operating independently of network devices, making them ideal for mission-critical environments.
Modular Fibre TAP platforms provide exceptional flexibility, allowing companies to deploy the right TAP configuration for each network link while supporting future expansion. Available for a wide range of fibre types, wavelengths and network speeds, they provide a scalable foundation for modern network visibility architectures.
Tough TAPs – built for industrial / OT environments
Industrial networks demand the same level of visibility as enterprise infrastructure but often operate in far more challenging environments. Tough TAPs are specifically designed for deployment in manufacturing facilities, utilities, transportation networks, defence installations, and other harsh operating conditions.
With ruggedised construction and support for industrial networking applications, Tough TAPs deliver dependable packet visibility without compromising network reliability. They enable companies to extend security monitoring, performance management, and packet capture into environments where standard network equipment may not be suitable.
Patch TAPs – integrated fibre optical TAPs
Patch TAPs combine the functionality of a network TAP with a fibre patch panel, providing a neat and space-efficient way of introducing network visibility into your infrastructure. By integrating packet access directly into the patching environment, they simplify deployment while reducing rack space and cable complexity.
Ideal for data centres and enterprise networks, Patch TAPs provide continuous, passive copies of network traffic for network packet brokers, packet capture platforms, security appliances, and performance monitoring tools without affecting production traffic. Their modular design also makes them easy to deploy as network requirements evolve.
Regeneration TAPs – one traffic source feeding multiple tools
As organisations deploy increasing numbers of monitoring and security platforms, multiple tools often need access to the same network traffic. Regeneration TAPs solve this challenge by creating multiple identical copies of a single network link.
This enables packet capture systems, network packet brokers, network performance monitoring platforms, intrusion detection systems, and other cyber security tools to analyse the same traffic simultaneously, eliminating the need for additional SPAN ports or complex network configurations. The result is a highly scalable visibility architecture that supports both current and future monitoring requirements.
Contact one of our experts
At Red Helix, Network TAPs are just one part of a complete network visibility strategy.
Our Engineers design and integrate end-to-end visibility solutions that include Network TAPs, Bypass TAPs, Network Packet Brokers, Lossless Packet Capture, and Performance Monitoring platforms, ensuring every monitoring and security tool receives just the traffic it wants – in the speeds and formats it needs.
Expert network visibility solutions
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