Monitoring tools only perform as well as the traffic they receive. Send every packet indiscriminately to an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) or a network performance probe, and you'll oversubscribe ports, exhaust tool capacity, and bury analysts in noise. Network Test Access Points (TAPs) with integrated packet filtering solve this by capturing traffic at the wire and delivering only what each tool needs — filtered, deduplicated, and properly directed — without ever touching the live network.
This guide compares six verified vendors offering TAPs with packet filtering capabilities in 2026. Whether you're designing a new visibility architecture or rationalizing an existing one, these are the platforms worth evaluating.
| Vendor | Key Filtering Capability | Max Speed |
|---|---|---|
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Layer 2–4 filtering, payload masking, API-driven automation |
Up to 400G |
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XtraTAP filtering, aggregation, load balancing |
Up to 400G |
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Adaptive Packet Filtering (APF), regex, payload-level filtering |
Up to 400G |
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Dynamic filter compiler, L7 application awareness, FPGA-based |
Up to 400G |
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Application filtering, Deep Packet Inspection (DPI), pattern matching |
Up to 400G |
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Filtering and load balancing via nGenius 7000 Packet Flow Switches |
Up to 400G |
Network Critical's SmartNA-XL and SmartNA-PortPlus platforms combine hybrid TAP and packet broker functionality in a single chassis, making them a compact and practical choice for organizations that need both network access and intelligent traffic management in one device. The SmartNA-XL supports 1G to 40G deployments, while the SmartNA-PortPlus scales from 48 to 194 ports across 1G, 10G, 25G, 40G, and 100G speeds. For environments demanding 400G, the SmartNA-PortPlus HyperCore delivers 32 QSFP-DD interfaces in a 1RU chassis.
Filtering runs at Layer 2 through Layer 4 across all platforms, with the SmartNA-XL adding packet slicing, header stripping, payload masking, and tunneling/de-tunneling for compliance-sensitive environments. Drag-n-Vu — Network Critical's patented graphical management engine — handles filter rule generation automatically, with a Rule Optimization Engine (ROE) that saves up to 70% of system rule resources. A RESTful Application Programming Interface (API) allows security platforms such as Darktrace to update filter configurations and port maps automatically, without any human intervention.
The hybrid TAP and packet broker architecture is a key differentiator. Organizations get TAP-level passive access alongside broker-level filtering, aggregation, and load balancing — without deploying separate hardware for each function. Network Critical's scale-out design means additional SmartNA-PortPlus units connect to the base chassis and operate as a single managed system, protecting the initial infrastructure investment as port requirements grow.
Proven results:
Garland Technology focuses exclusively on network visibility, and their XtraTAP line brings packet broker filtering functionality directly into the TAP form factor. XtraTAP devices support advanced filtering, aggregation, load balancing, and media conversion, reducing the need for separate packet broker hardware in mid-scale deployments. Their PacketMAX Advanced Aggregators extend this capability to speeds from 10/100M through 400G across copper, single-mode fiber, and multi-mode fiber.
Filtering on XtraTAP units targets traffic by IP address, VLAN, port, protocol, and MAC address, allowing organizations to send only relevant traffic to each connected monitoring or security tool. The platform supports regeneration — sending the same filtered traffic to multiple tools simultaneously — and includes load balancing for stateful inspection tools that require session consistency. Garland's TAPs carry no IP or MAC address, making them immune to network-based attacks. Their hardware data diodes physically enforce unidirectional traffic flow for environments where software-based controls aren't sufficient. PacketMAX aggregators include deduplication to remove redundant packets before they reach downstream tools.
Gigamon's filtering architecture relies on the GigaSMART engine, which runs on GigaVUE HC Series appliances and integrates with GigaVUE TA Series aggregation nodes. GigaVUE TA Series devices handle traffic aggregation at speeds up to 400G and feed the HC Series for more advanced processing. Standard filtering covers Layer 2–4 headers across all GigaVUE platforms.
GigaSMART's Adaptive Packet Filtering (APF) extends this to payload-level inspection, supporting regular expression-based filter rules that can match content beyond Layer 4 — including URL patterns, BitTorrent signatures, and application-specific encapsulations such as MPLS, VXLAN, and GTP. APF can be combined with header stripping, packet slicing, masking, and de-duplication in a single service chain, enabling complex multi-stage filtering without requiring additional hardware. GigaSMART's Application Filtering Intelligence automatically identifies and classifies applications, with the ability to reduce traffic volumes sent to tools by over 60% using Advanced Flow Slicing. GigaVUE-FM provides centralized management across the entire visibility fabric.
Keysight Technologies' Vision 400 Series Network Packet Brokers (NPBs) pair with the Flex Tap family of passive fiber TAPs to deliver a hardware-accelerated visibility platform built around FPGA-based processing. The Vision 400 performs filtering, de-duplication, packet trimming, header stripping, and tunneled IP filtering at full line rate with no dropped packets, even when multiple features run simultaneously — an area where software-based filtering engines often fall behind.
Keysight's dynamic filter compiler handles overlapping filter rule sets automatically, removing the manual effort typically required to manage complex rule hierarchies. The Vision 400S extends full-featured packet processing — including header stripping, timestamping, tunneled IP filtering, and data masking — to edge aggregation deployments, where these capabilities are normally unavailable. Context-aware, signature-based application layer filtering with geolocation and tagging adds L7 visibility. Keysight's iLink Aggregators provide a cost-effective option for tapping and aggregating lower-volume links before feeding into Vision NPBs for advanced processing. Timestamping supports Network Time Protocol (NTP), IEEE 1588 Precision Time Protocol (PTP), and 1PPS+ToD (G.8271) sources.
APCON's IntellaView platform delivers packet filtering capabilities across chassis configurations ranging from 1RU to 9RU, with up to 52 ports per blade and a maximum backplane throughput of 19.2 Tbps. The IntellaFlex XR serves smaller deployments at 1G and 10G speeds, while the IntellaView HyperEngine Packet Processor extends advanced processing to 100G line rate with support for up to 400Gbps total throughput across four concurrent service engines.
APCON's application filtering engine classifies over 1,600 applications and 400 protocols in real time, enabling tool operators to pre-filter low-risk traffic before it reaches capacity-constrained security appliances. Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) adds the ability to search on individual packets or sessions — useful for Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance, masking Personally Identifiable Information (PII) such as credit card or Social Security numbers, and filtering low-risk flows. Header stripping covers VLAN, VLAN Q-in-Q, FabricPath, MPLS, VXLAN, GPRS, GTP, VN-tag, and GENEVE encapsulations at true line rate with zero latency. Packet slicing on the 36-port blade supports configurable byte offsets for ingress or egress processing. ApconTap passive fiber TAPs support 1G through 400G speeds with split ratios of 50/50, 60/40, and 70/30, and include a 40G bidirectional (BiDi) option for modern high-density data centers.
NETSCOUT offers network TAPs across copper and fiber interfaces — from 10M copper through 100G fiber — with the nGenius 5000 and 7000 Series Packet Flow Switches providing the packet broker layer for filtering, aggregation, and distribution. The nGenius 7000 Series adds filtering, load balancing, and active-inline bypass functionality on top of core packet brokering. NETSCOUT's fiber optic TAPs require no power, carry no IP address, and pass every packet including malformed or retransmitted frames — characteristics shared with passive TAPs across this category.
NETSCOUT's rack mount chassis supports up to 24 fiber TAPs in 1RU, providing high density for data center deployments. The External PowerSafe TAP (EPT) module supports up to eight bypass segments per chassis with modules from 1G copper to 100G fiber, configured and powered by the nGenius 7000 without requiring separate power or IP management. The nGenius Cloud vTAP extends visibility into public cloud environments including Microsoft Azure, addressing the east-west traffic gap that physical TAPs cannot reach. NETSCOUT's positioning integrates TAP infrastructure with the broader nGeniusONE service assurance platform, making the combination a natural fit for organizations where performance management and visibility share a common operational team.
Not all filtering requirements are the same. Layer 2–4 header-based filtering — by IP address, VLAN, port, or protocol — is sufficient for most tool-separation and aggregation use cases. If your tools need to receive only specific application traffic, or if you need to mask sensitive payload content for compliance reasons, look for platforms that extend filtering to Layer 7 or support payload-level inspection. Network Critical's SmartNA-XL supports payload masking and packet slicing for regulated environments. Gigamon's APF and APCON's DPI engine both reach into packet contents for more granular classification.
TAPs and packet brokers sized for today's network may not serve the network you'll operate in three years. If your infrastructure is transitioning from 10G to 100G, confirm that the platform you select handles both speeds natively, without requiring separate hardware. The SmartNA-PortPlus scale-out architecture allows you to start at 1G/10G and expand incrementally. For 400G environments, confirm that filtering features remain available at full line rate — some platforms restrict advanced processing to lower-speed ports.
Hybrid TAP and packet broker platforms — such as Network Critical's SmartNA product line — reduce the number of devices you need to deploy, configure, and manage. Separate TAP and broker hardware can create additional cabling complexity and management overhead. Consider how filter configuration is performed: drag-and-drop interfaces with automated rule generation reduce misconfiguration risk compared to command-line rule sets. API availability matters if you want security platforms to manage filter updates automatically.
Check whether the TAP platform supports direct integration with the security tools already in your stack. Network Critical's RESTful API enables machine-to-machine control with platforms such as Darktrace. Gigamon's GigaSMART integrates with a broad ecosystem of security and analytics vendors. APCON's IntellaView Enterprise provides centralized multi-site management with mobile access. The tighter the integration between your visibility layer and your security tools, the faster the response time when filters need to change.
Environments subject to Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), or other data-handling regulations need filtering platforms capable of masking sensitive fields before traffic reaches monitoring tools. Look for verified payload masking, packet slicing, and configurable byte-offset slicing — not just header-based filtering. Confirm that the vendor can demonstrate these features operating at the line rates your network runs.
The purchase price of a TAP with filtering is rarely the largest cost. Factor in the number of devices required to cover all tapping points, licensing structures for advanced filtering features, the management overhead of the platform, and the cost of scaling as the network grows. Platforms with scale-out architectures that build on existing units avoid the rip-and-replace costs common with fixed-chassis solutions.
A network TAP creates a passive copy of live traffic without affecting the production network. A packet broker sits between TAPs and monitoring tools, aggregating, filtering, and distributing that traffic to the correct destinations. In practice, many enterprise deployments use both: TAPs for wire-level access and packet brokers for intelligent traffic management. Some vendors — including Network Critical — combine both functions in a single hybrid TAP chassis, reducing hardware footprint and management complexity.
Packet filtering on a TAP or packet broker controls which traffic reaches each connected monitoring or security tool. Instead of sending every captured packet to every tool, filters route specific traffic — by IP subnet, VLAN, protocol, port, or application — to the tools that need it. This prevents tool oversubscription, reduces false positives, and extends the effective capacity of security appliances. Advanced platforms add payload-level filtering, de-duplication, and packet slicing to further optimize traffic before delivery.
Purely passive TAPs — which use no power and contain no active electronics — cannot perform filtering. Filtering requires processing logic, which means active TAPs, hybrid TAP/broker platforms, or dedicated packet brokers connected downstream of a passive TAP. Passive fiber TAPs are commonly used as the access point, with the copied traffic fed into an active device such as the SmartNA-XL or SmartNA-PortPlus for filtering and distribution.
Several platforms in this guide support filtering at 100G and 400G, but confirm whether advanced filtering features — such as payload masking, application filtering, or packet slicing — operate at full line rate on the hardware you're evaluating. FPGA-based platforms such as Keysight's Vision 400 Series are designed to sustain line-rate processing with multiple features active simultaneously. Network Critical's SmartNA-PortPlus HyperCore supports 400G with 32 QSFP-DD interfaces, extending the same visibility architecture to the highest-speed environments.
There's no fixed threshold, but organizations with more than three or four monitoring tools — or with tools that cannot handle full line-rate traffic — typically benefit from packet broker filtering. Without filtering, each tool receives all captured traffic, regardless of relevance, which wastes processing capacity and increases false positive rates. A network packet broker can reduce the volume of traffic reaching each tool substantially while ensuring that no relevant packets are missed.
Choosing the right TAP with packet filtering isn't just a hardware decision — it's an architectural one. The platform you select will define how cleanly your security and monitoring tools operate, how quickly filters can adapt to changing traffic patterns, and how easily the infrastructure scales as your network grows.
Network Critical's SmartNA-PortPlus and SmartNA-XL platforms combine passive TAP access, advanced filtering, and intelligent packet brokering in a single modular chassis. Scale-out architecture means your initial deployment doesn't become obsolete — additional units extend the same system without rip-and-replace. Proven deployments at HSBC, Vodafone, and BP demonstrate that the platform performs in demanding, high-stakes environments.
Speak to the Network Critical team to discuss your filtering requirements, or request a free network audit to identify where your current architecture has blind spots. Talk to the team today.