METHODOLOGY / DATA QUALITY
How we verify product data
Every specification on NetworkPicker is meant to be traceable to the manufacturer. This page explains where the data comes from, how it is checked, and where our own judgement comes in.
Sources, in order of priority
We use the manufacturer's product page first, then its data sheet, manual and official support documentation. Retailer listings and secondary sources are used only when the manufacturer publishes nothing better. Each product page lists its sources and the date they were last verified.
Structured, comparable specifications
Specifications are stored as structured values rather than marketing text, so they can be compared and checked. A few conventions keep brands comparable: Ethernet port counts include RJ45 ports only, with SFP and SFP+ cages listed separately; WAN speed is the fastest port that can serve as WAN; and when a manufacturer publishes only a throughput figure with IDS/IPS enabled, we show it as exactly that.
Human review before publishing
Products move from draft through review and approval before they are published. Software, including AI-assisted extraction, can propose values from manufacturer documents, but nothing is published without a person checking it against the source. Automatic consistency checks block contradictions, such as port groups that do not add up or a device that draws more power than its PoE class can supply.
Unknown stays unknown
If a manufacturer does not publish a value, we leave it blank (shown as “—”) rather than estimate it. Comparisons only highlight differences where both values are known.
Compatibility checks
Compatibility results come from fixed rules: PoE standard and budget, port counts, link speeds, and throughput against your internet plan. Each result says which rule applied and shows the numbers, so you can check the reasoning yourself. Try them in the PoE calculator or the network builder.
Our assessments versus manufacturer claims
Coverage areas, client counts and throughput figures are the manufacturer's claims and are labelled as such. Comparison verdicts and “choose this if” guidance are NetworkPicker's editorial assessments, written from the verified specifications and reviewed before publication. They never claim performance the data does not support.
Corrections
Manufacturers update their documentation. When a source changes or an error is found, the product record is corrected, its source verification date is updated, and the evidence for the change is kept with the record.