Industrial cameras come in USB3 and GigE versions. Which should we choose, and what ports does the computer need?

Choose by the distance from camera to computer and the number of cameras. USB3 Vision: about 5 Gbit/s of bandwidth, low latency, power over the cable. The limit is cable length: passive copper is typically reliable only to about 3–5 m; beyond that you need active or fibre cables. USB plugs loosen under vibration, so choose screw-locking cables. Each camera should have its own USB controller rather than sharing a hub. GigE Vision: 1 Gbit/s per port (2.5, 5 and 10 GbE versions exist), network cable up to 100 m, powered via PoE. Suitable when the computer sits in a cabinet away from the line, or when many cameras are needed. Use a multi-port NIC that supports jumbo frames to reduce CPU load. On the computer: for USB3, count USB 3.x ports with independent controllers; for GigE, count LAN or PoE ports and check for a free PCIe slot to add a network card.