I think Gig-E is not just specifying that the camera uses a gigabit ethernet connection, but actually is a specific protocol used for controlling, as well as getting an image from, such a camera. So of course it will require control software for it. I have been considering buying a used Gig-E camera from ebay just to experiment with, and my laptop's ethernet port does support gigabit speed, but I would still need control/viewer software. Is there any free Gig-E camera software. I know Lab View can work with such cameras, but I also know it's a HUGE program (even the free version is several GIGABYTES in size), so it's way too bloated for just one specific application (in this case controlling and viewing the video from a Gig-E camera).