ULANSeN Dual I226-V 2.5GbE PCIe Network Card

ULANSeN Dual I226-V 2.5GbE PCIe Network Card — image 1
ULANSeN Dual I226-V 2.5GbE PCIe Network Card — image 2
ULANSeN Dual I226-V 2.5GbE PCIe Network Card — image 3
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ULANSeN Dual I226-V 2.5GbE PCIe Network Card — image 6
ULANSeN Dual I226-V 2.5GbE PCIe Network Card — image 7
ULANSeN Dual I226-V 2.5GbE PCIe Network Card — image 8
82%
18%
88%
Chipset Reliability
91%
Installation Ease
86%
OS & Platform Compatibility
71%
Thermal Performance
89%
Value for Money
74%
Build Quality
79%
Driver Stability
83%
PXE Boot Functionality
87%
Physical Form Factor
85%
Link Speed Consistency
82%
Power Consumption
68%
Warranty & Support
84%
Multi-Port Utility
More

Overview

The ULANSeN Dual I226-V 2.5GbE PCIe Network Card is a dual-port wired NIC built for desktop users who have outgrown standard gigabit speeds but aren't ready to jump to a full 10GbE setup. It runs on Intel's I226-V chipset, the direct replacement for the I225-V — functionally identical, but with improved packet error rates and slightly lower power draw under load. A low-profile bracket ships in the box alongside the standard one, so it fits both full-tower and compact small form factor builds without any extra shopping. For a dual-port card at this price tier, the value proposition is hard to argue with.

Features & Benefits

Each of the two RJ45 ports supports 2.5Gbps, 1Gbps, and 100Mbps speeds, so you're not locked into a single mode depending on your switch. The card fits any PCIe slot from x1 to x16, which removes most installation headaches. OS support is genuinely broad — Windows 10 and 11 work out of the box, and on the Linux side it covers Kernel 5.8 and 5.16.18, Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, FreeBSD 13.0, VMware ESXi 7 and 8, Proxmox VE, Unraid, and OpenWRT. PXE boot is supported too, which matters if you're pushing OS images over the network. The 180-day no-return-required warranty is a quiet reassurance rather than a headline feature, but it's good to have.

Best For

This Intel I226-V adapter is a natural fit for home lab builds running Proxmox, Unraid, or VMware — anywhere you need two independent fast interfaces on a single card, whether for separating management traffic from data traffic or setting up a basic two-port router. NAS operators who want a dedicated high-speed link for transfers alongside a separate management port will get real mileage here. Small form factor PC owners will appreciate that the low-profile bracket isn't an afterthought. And if you're a network admin who relies on PXE provisioning, having that capability on an affordable 2.5G card keeps your toolkit lean.

User Feedback

Across 86 ratings averaging 4.2 stars, the pattern is mostly positive with a few honest caveats. Windows users consistently describe plug-and-play installation with no manual driver hunting, and the Unraid and Proxmox communities have received it well, reporting stable throughput and clean integration. The rougher edges show up on older Linux kernels, where a handful of users had to track down a specific driver version to get things working properly — not a dealbreaker, but worth knowing before you install. A smaller number of reviewers noticed the card runs warm during sustained heavy transfers, though passive cooling seems to handle it adequately for most workloads. Solid overall, with a few edge cases to be aware of.

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Pros

  • Two independent 2.5Gbps ports on a single x1 PCIe card frees up additional slots for other hardware.
  • Intel I226-V chipset brings improved packet error rates and lower power draw over the older I225-V.
  • Windows 10 and 11 users report true plug-and-play installation with zero manual driver steps.
  • Fits Proxmox VE, Unraid, VMware ESXi 7 and 8, OpenWRT, and FreeBSD out of the box.
  • Both standard and low-profile brackets are included, covering full-size and compact chassis builds.
  • PXE boot support makes network-based OS provisioning straightforward without extra hardware.
  • Works in any PCIe slot from x1 to x16, giving broad motherboard compatibility.
  • Passive operation means no fan noise added to your system under typical workloads.
  • The 180-day no-return-required refund policy is a practical safety net for a lesser-known brand.
  • Dual-port design enables clean traffic separation between management and data networks in home lab setups.

Cons

  • Older Linux kernels below 5.8 may require manual driver sourcing, which catches some users off guard.
  • No published power consumption figures make precise power-budget planning harder than it should be.
  • Passive cooling can struggle during prolonged, high-throughput transfers in enclosed or warm cases.
  • The 180-day warranty period is noticeably shorter than what established NIC brands typically offer.
  • Users on certain motherboard and chipset combinations report needing BIOS or driver updates before the card stabilizes.
  • Port labeling is minimal, making cable identification awkward in dense wiring environments.
  • No guarantee of compatibility outside the officially listed OS versions, leaving edge-case platforms unsupported.
  • PXE boot behavior varies by UEFI firmware implementation and may need legacy boot adjustments on some boards.
  • Customer support quality for complex technical issues appears inconsistent based on available buyer feedback.

Ratings

The ULANSeN Dual I226-V 2.5GbE PCIe Network Card has been evaluated using AI-driven analysis of verified global buyer reviews, with spam, bot-generated, and incentivized feedback actively filtered out to ensure the scores reflect genuine user experiences. Ratings span everything from installation ease to thermal behavior under sustained load, giving you a transparent, warts-and-all picture of how this dual-port NIC performs in the real world. Both the standout strengths and the recurring friction points are honestly represented in every score below.

Chipset Reliability
88%
The Intel I226-V is a well-regarded controller, and buyers consistently report stable connections over extended periods without dropped packets or unexplained resets. Users running this card in always-on NAS and home lab environments particularly note the dependable link stability compared to cheaper no-name chipsets.
A small subset of users experienced intermittent issues that appeared tied to specific motherboard chipset combinations, requiring a BIOS or driver update to resolve. These cases are the exception, but they're real enough to mention if you're running older platform hardware.
Installation Ease
91%
On Windows 10 and 11, the card is genuinely plug-and-play for the vast majority of buyers — slot it in, boot up, and the OS picks it up without any manual driver hunting. That kind of friction-free setup is genuinely appreciated when you're mid-build and just want things to work.
Linux users on older kernels occasionally hit a wall where the default in-tree driver doesn't load correctly, requiring them to manually compile or source a specific driver version. It's solvable, but it adds an unexpected step for users who assumed broad Linux support meant universal compatibility.
OS & Platform Compatibility
86%
The range of supported environments is one of this adapter's strongest practical assets — Proxmox VE, Unraid, VMware ESXi 7 and 8, OpenWRT, FreeBSD, and Ubuntu 22.04 LTS all work reliably according to community feedback. Home lab users in particular have embraced it as a dependable multi-platform NIC.
Compatibility with older Linux kernel versions below 5.8 is not guaranteed, and some users on RHEL derivatives encountered driver inconsistencies that required extra configuration steps. The official support list is solid, but anything outside it is uncharted territory.
Thermal Performance
71%
29%
For typical home and office workloads — NAS transfers, VM traffic, general routing — the passive cooling handles heat adequately, and most users never notice the card getting warm enough to concern them during normal operation.
Under sustained high-throughput transfers running for extended periods, a noticeable minority of reviewers report the card running quite warm. There is no active cooling, so users pushing the card hard in enclosed or poorly ventilated cases should factor that in before buying.
Value for Money
89%
Getting two 2.5Gbps ports on a single PCIe card at this price tier is genuinely good value, especially when comparable single-port options from more established brands often cost nearly as much. For home lab builders trying to stretch a hardware budget, that math is hard to ignore.
A handful of buyers noted that budget-conscious alternatives with a single port exist at a lower price point, making the dual-port premium feel less justified for users who only need one fast connection. It's excellent value for the right use case, but not universally the cheapest path.
Build Quality
74%
26%
The card feels reasonably solid for its size and weight class, and the inclusion of both a standard and low-profile bracket in the box reflects attention to practical usability across different chassis types. The PCB and port construction appear consistent across reported units.
The overall build doesn't exude the premium finish of enterprise-grade NICs, and a few buyers noted that the bracket fit required minor adjustment for a clean panel mount. It's functional hardware, not particularly refined hardware.
Driver Stability
79%
21%
Windows driver stability is strong across the board, and Unraid and Proxmox users specifically cite clean, low-maintenance driver behavior once the card is up and running. Long uptime without driver-related crashes is a recurring positive theme in community threads.
Occasional driver version sensitivity on Linux — particularly with kernels not in the officially tested range — creates a non-trivial troubleshooting burden for some users. The issue isn't widespread, but it does appear consistently enough in reviews to be a real pattern rather than isolated incidents.
PXE Boot Functionality
83%
Network admins and home lab operators who rely on PXE for automated OS deployment report that the feature works reliably on this card without special configuration in most UEFI environments. Having PXE support on an affordable 2.5G dual-port card is genuinely useful for lean IT setups.
PXE behavior can vary depending on UEFI firmware implementation on the host motherboard, and a small number of users reported needing to toggle legacy boot settings to get network boot working correctly. Not a defect in the card itself, but worth testing before committing to a deployment workflow.
Physical Form Factor
87%
The low-profile bracket ships in the box alongside the standard one, which means small form factor PC and HTPC builders don't need to source a separate bracket or modify the card. That thoughtful inclusion genuinely expands the addressable use cases without any extra effort on the buyer's part.
The card's compact dimensions mean port labeling is minimal, which can make at-a-glance port identification slightly awkward in dense cable environments. A minor point, but one that comes up occasionally in detailed user reviews.
Link Speed Consistency
85%
Users consistently achieve the expected 2.5Gbps throughput when connected to a compatible 2.5G switch or router, with no reports of the card negotiating down unexpectedly under normal conditions. Real-world NAS transfer speeds align closely with what the spec sheet would lead you to expect.
A few users noted that on certain older Cat5e cable runs close to the 100-meter limit, the link occasionally negotiated down to 1Gbps rather than holding at 2.5Gbps — a known limitation of 2.5GBase-T over marginal cabling rather than a flaw in the card itself.
Power Consumption
82%
18%
The I226-V chip's reduced active power draw compared to its I225-V predecessor is a quiet but meaningful improvement, particularly for always-on builds where cumulative energy efficiency adds up over months. Users in low-power NAS and router builds have noted it doesn't measurably impact overall system wattage.
No concrete power consumption figures are published by the manufacturer, making it difficult for users building strict power-budget systems to calculate exact draw. The improvement over the I225-V is real, but the lack of specific numbers makes precise system planning harder than it should be.
Warranty & Support
68%
32%
The 180-day no-return-required refund policy is a genuinely buyer-friendly safety net, and users who reached out to customer support generally report responsive handling of defective unit claims. For a lesser-known brand, that's a reasonable level of post-purchase assurance.
180 days is shorter than the one-to-three-year warranties offered by more established NIC brands, which may give pause to buyers planning long-term deployment in production or semi-production environments. Customer support quality for complex technical issues appears inconsistent based on available feedback.
Multi-Port Utility
84%
Having two independent 2.5G ports on a single x1 PCIe card is practically useful for setups that need to separate traffic streams — management versus data, WAN versus LAN, or two distinct VM networks — without consuming additional slots or adding a second card.
Users who only need a single fast port will find the second port goes unused, and the card's price premium over single-port alternatives may not feel justified in those scenarios. The dual-port advantage is real, but only if your use case actually requires it.

Suitable for:

The ULANSeN Dual I226-V 2.5GbE PCIe Network Card is purpose-built for a specific and growing category of desktop user: the home lab operator, self-hosted NAS builder, or small office IT enthusiast who needs more than a single gigabit connection without stepping into expensive 10GbE territory. If you're running Proxmox, Unraid, or VMware ESXi and want to dedicate one port to management traffic while the other handles VM or storage data, this dual-port setup makes that architecture straightforward and affordable on a single PCIe x1 slot. NAS users who want to push file transfers well beyond the 1Gbps ceiling will feel the difference immediately when paired with a 2.5G-capable switch. Small form factor build owners will appreciate that the low-profile bracket is already in the box, removing an annoying sourcing problem that often comes with compact chassis upgrades. Network admins who rely on PXE boot for OS provisioning will also find this card fits naturally into existing deployment workflows without extra configuration overhead.

Not suitable for:

If you only need a single faster-than-gigabit port and have no plans to use the second one, the ULANSeN Dual I226-V 2.5GbE PCIe Network Card may not be the most cost-efficient choice compared to budget single-port 2.5G alternatives. Users running Linux kernel versions older than 5.8 should proceed with caution — the card is not guaranteed to work out of the box and may require manual driver compilation, which is a real barrier for anyone who isn't comfortable working at the command line. If your build runs inside a small, poorly ventilated enclosure and you plan to push sustained high-throughput transfers for hours at a time, the lack of active cooling could become a legitimate concern worth factoring in. This is also not an enterprise-grade NIC — buyers who need multi-year warranties, dedicated technical support contracts, or certified compatibility with mission-critical infrastructure should look at established networking vendors instead. Finally, if your existing switch or router only supports standard gigabit, buying this card delivers no real-world speed benefit until the rest of your network equipment catches up.

Specifications

  • Chipset: The card uses the Intel I226-V controller, the direct successor to the discontinued I225-V, offering improved packet error rates and lower active power consumption while maintaining identical functionality.
  • Ports: Two RJ45 Ethernet ports are provided, each independently capable of operating at 2500, 1000, or 100 Mbps depending on the connected network equipment.
  • PCIe Interface: The card uses a PCIe 3.1 x1 electrical interface and is physically compatible with x1, x2, x4, x8, and x16 slots found on standard desktop motherboards.
  • Dimensions: The card measures 3.46″ long by 2.6″ wide by 0.78″ tall, making it a compact addition to most desktop builds.
  • Weight: The card weighs 61 grams (approximately 2.15 oz), which is typical for a half-height single-slot PCIe NIC of this type.
  • Brackets Included: Both a standard full-height bracket and a low-profile bracket are included in the box, covering compatibility with full-size ATX and compact small form factor desktop chassis.
  • OS Support: Officially supported operating systems include Windows 10 and 11, Linux Kernel 5.8 and 5.16.18, Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, FreeBSD 13.0, VMware ESXi 7.0 and 8.0, Proxmox VE, Unraid, and OpenWRT.
  • Ethernet Standards: The card complies with IEEE 802.3, 802.3u, 802.3ab, 802.3bz, and 802.3az standards, covering 10BASE-TE, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T, and 2500BASE-T operation.
  • PXE Boot: Network boot via PXE is supported, enabling automated OS provisioning and remote deployment workflows in home lab and small IT environments.
  • DPDK Support: The card is compatible with DPDK versions 20.05 and 22.07, which is relevant for users building high-performance packet processing or software-defined networking applications.
  • Cooling: The card relies entirely on passive cooling with no onboard fan, which keeps the system silent but places limits on sustained thermal performance under heavy continuous load.
  • Data Transfer Rate: Maximum rated throughput per port is 2.5 Gigabits per second when connected to a 2.5GBase-T compatible switch or router using Cat5e or better cabling.
  • Warranty: The manufacturer provides a 180-day warranty with a no-return-required refund policy, meaning defective units can be replaced or refunded without shipping the card back.
  • Brand: This card is sold under the ULANSeN brand and manufactured by ULANSON, a hardware vendor specializing in PCIe networking and storage expansion cards.
  • Model Identifier: The product is listed under the model number Dual I225, which reflects its original chipset designation before the I226-V became the shipping variant.

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FAQ

Yes, for the vast majority of Windows 10 and 11 users it is genuinely plug-and-play. You slot it in, boot up, and Windows identifies it automatically through its built-in driver library. No trips to the manufacturer website required in most cases.

Functionally, yes. Intel discontinued the I225-V and replaced it with the I226-V, which is identical in terms of what it does for the end user. The I226-V actually improves on the I225-V with better error rates over longer cable runs and slightly lower power consumption, so the transition is an upgrade, not a downgrade. If you were shopping for an I225-V based card, this is the current equivalent.

It should, yes. Both a standard bracket and a low-profile bracket are included in the box, so you do not need to source a separate bracket for compact chassis. Just swap to the low-profile bracket before installing and it will clear a standard SFF panel cutout.

It does, and this is actually one of its strongest use cases. Unraid and Proxmox users have reported clean driver integration and stable throughput in community forums and buyer reviews. It is well-suited for separating VM traffic from storage or management traffic across the two ports.

No, it only requires an x1 lane electrically, but it fits physically into any standard PCIe slot from x1 up to x16. So if your only free slot is an x4 or x8, the card will still work fine in it.

Ubuntu 20.04 is not on the officially supported list, which covers Ubuntu 22.04 LTS and Linux Kernel 5.8 and above. You may be able to get it working with manual driver steps, but it is outside the tested range and there is no guarantee. If you are on an older kernel, it is worth checking the Intel I226-V driver source before purchasing.

Under normal home and office workloads it stays within a reasonable temperature range and passive cooling handles it adequately. Where it becomes more of a concern is during sustained, high-throughput transfers running for extended periods in a poorly ventilated enclosure. If your case has good airflow it should be fine; if it is very enclosed and you plan to push it hard continuously, that is worth factoring in.

Both ports operate independently and simultaneously. You can have separate network connections on each port at the same time — useful for running a storage network on one and a management or internet-facing network on the other, which is a common setup in NAS and home lab environments.

The ports themselves are independent interfaces managed by the OS, so whether you can use link aggregation depends on your operating system and switch configuration rather than the card itself. On Linux-based platforms like Proxmox and Unraid, bonding the two ports is achievable through standard OS-level network bonding configuration.

You need Cat5e or better cabling to reliably achieve 2500BASE-T speeds. Standard Cat5e handles 2.5Gbps at typical home and office cable run lengths. Cat6 or Cat6a gives you more headroom on longer runs. If you are on marginal or aging Cat5e runs close to the 100-meter limit, the link may negotiate down to 1Gbps rather than holding at 2.5Gbps, which is a property of the 2.5GBase-T standard rather than a flaw in the card.