Usb To Fast Ethernet Adapter Driver
Ethernet ports are almost gone from laptops, unless it's a heavy gaming laptop. Thankfully this problem could be solved easily with a USB to Ethernet adapter.
The Manhattan USB 2.0 Fast Ethernet Adapter is a compact, high-performance network adapter that allows you to upgrade your desktop or notebook computer to operate at 10/100 Mbps speeds on the LAN. Oct 19, 2018 - Connecting USB 2.0 10/100 Ethernet Adapter to PC gives error. Providing Fast Ethernet connectivity over USB, the Plugable USB 2.0 to. 10/100 USB 2.0 fast ethernet adapter makes it easy to connect your laptop to a fast ethernet network. Download the Windows 10 Driver Driver for Rev B label.
Almost every PC hardware manufacturers are constantly trying to make their laptops and ultrabooks thinner and even more thinner. And that comes at a cost, cutting down all the legacy I/O ports. Leaving users to deal with many adapters, docs and dongles.
So, here's list of 13 different USB Ethernet adapter to give you an overview to pick the best for your purpose. Contents.
Things you should keep in mind Driver compatibility: It's the first thing you should consider before buying. Most of the usb to ethernet cable listed below doesn't need any kind of driver installation on Windows 8 or Windows 10. But Windows 7 may require manual driver installation, specially when not updated. Recent versions of Linux, Android and Chrome OS also doesn't need any driver installation. As default inbuilt USB to Ethernet driver has a wide range of hardware support.
There should be no need of driver installation on macOS 10.9 and above. Though there's few report regarding manual driver installation to get the adapter working properly. If needed, you can download the latest driver from their respective manufacturer's site. Speed: Even there's no USB 3 port on your device, like a Raspberry Pi SBC, I'll recommend a USB 3.0 to Gigabit adapter. A Gigabit adapter on USB 2.0 port could reach 250-300 MBps speed easily, about 3 times more speed compared to a 100M ethernet adapter. Also there's no ridiculous price difference between a Gigabit and 100M adapter. Port type: If there's both USB type A and type C port on your device, the you should go with a type C adapter.
May be there's a type C port on your phone, so you can use the adapter both on your laptop and smartphone. Another advantage is they're reversible, hence easier to connect.
Best USB to Ethernet Adapter Here's a list of 5 USB LAN adapter, USB 3.0 type A. All of them with 1000 Mbps speed. Specially for somewhat older laptops, 2-in-1 detachables and convertibles, like Surface Pro. And of course the adapters listed here supports all the basic Ethernet functionalities. Such as Wake on LAN, auto negotiation, auto MDI-X, and reverse compatibility with 10/100M Ethernet. It's a descent usb ethernet adapter with 3 extra USB 3.0 ports, and reasonably priced. The casing is entirely made of plastic, though doesn't feel cheap.
Model TP-Link TL-UE330 Build Quality Good, Plastic body Converter chip Realtek RTL8153 OS support Windows 7 and above, macOS 10.9 and above, Linux kernel 3.x, Android 4.4 and above Warranty 2 years Price You many feel the glossy plastic body somewhat disappointing. It's prone to scratches, if rubbed against hard surface.
But I've to say the adapter performs reasonably well, both as a ethernet adaptor and USB hub. If you're thinking about to connect a wireless keyboard, bluetooth adapter or 2.4 Ghz USB WiFi dongle, then it might disappoint you.
The reason discussed at the end. It's a aluminium body adapter, so considerably rugged compared to the previous one, and there's no USB hub. Model AK-A7611011 Build quality Excellent, Aluminium body Converter chip Realtek RTL8153 OS compatibility Windows 7 and newer, macOS 10.9 and above, Linux kernel 3.x series and newer Warranty 1.5 years of manufacturer warranty Price As said before, this adapter is quite well built with sufficiently strong cable strain relief. So you can expect a relatively longer life when handled roughly.
There's 3 indicator LED on the adapter to show various status like power and data transfer speed. However you may feel it annoying, specially when using in a darker environment. It's one of few adapter which uses a converter chip from ASIX, and compatible with Nintendo switch. Though the all plastic body is not that great. Model USB3-E1000 Build quality Good, all plastic construction Converter chip ASIX AX88179 OS support Windows 8 and above, macOS 10.9 and newer, Linux 3.x, Nintendo Switch Warranty 1 year limited warranty Price This USB to Ethernet adapter works just fine on Windows 10 and Linux, no driver installation is required at all.
But the compatibility with Nintendo Switch makes it stand out of the crowd. On linux 4.9 and above the cdcether driver can detect the device, but on older systems the ax88179178a module is used instead. The only downside I can find is it's relatively higher price outside USA. Another cheap yet quality usb to ethernet adapter from TP-Link. Build quality is reasonably good, though it's all plastic construction. Model TP-Link TL-UE300 Build Quality Good, All plastic body, with foldable flat cable Converter chip Realtek RTL8153 OS support Windows 7 and above, macOS 10.9 and above, Linux kernel 3.x, Android 4.4 and above Warranty 2 years, limited warranty Price The most notable feature of this adapter is the foldable adapter cable and compact size.
I'm using one from Oct-2017, still no fraying sign on the cable. Just like any other RTL8153 based USB to LAN adapter, it works flawlessly on Windows 8, Windows 10, almost every Linux distribution and Android 4.4 and newer versions. There's also no need of driver installation on Windows 10, just plug in and start using it. Nothing fancy here, it got the typical build quality, but the Amazon Basics adapter is with a AX88179 usb to etherent converter chip, like the Plugable USB3-E1000.
It costs less than half of the Plugable adapter, at least for me. So it's worth looking if you're looking for a cheaper alternative from a trusted brand. Model AE3101X1 Build Quality Average, Plastic construction Converter chip ASIX AX88179 OS support Windows 7 and above, macOS 10.9 and above, Linux kernel 3.x series and newer Warranty Depends on Amazon Price This adapter works without any problem on Windows 8, Windows 10, Linux and macOS. However it's explicitly mentioned that it's not for Android, Windows RT and pfSense. As the ASIX AX88179 is used on this adapter, it should work with Nintendo Switch, at least theoretically. USB Ethernet adapter for Mac When it's about expansion port selection, Mac system are always a bit different.
Previously there was Ethernet ports on Macbooks, but on newer models they're totally extinct. Macbooks from few years back had USB 3.0 type A ports and Thunderbolt 2 ports. So you can use any of the above type A adapter without any problem. But there's very few thunderbolt ethernet adapter, all of them are made/approved by apple, check one below.
But latest Macbooks from 2017 has only and only Thunderbolt 3 ports, there's 4 of them on the 15' model. Thankfully thunderbolt 3 uses the USB type C port, and they are pin compatible. So any macOS compatible usb C ethernet adapter should be usable too.
Belkin is one of the trusted names when it's about a networking equipment. The build quality is quite good, encased in a shiny plastic body, with good quality cable and connector. There's few regional variant of the same adapter, but they're exactly same design from outside and inside. Model B2B145-BLK Build Quality High quality all plastic body, reversible type C connector Converter chip RTL8153 OS support macOS 10.9 and later, all major Linux distros, Windows 8 and above, Android Warranty 2 years limited warranty Price As other adapters, there's no driver installation required on macOS operating system,it's just plug and play. This adapter reaches around 90-100 MB/s transfer speed easily, quite close to gigabit speed. If there's a Thunderbolt 2 port on your Mac, then it's a good choice, the adapter is from Apple itself.
Note that it won't fit on a thunderbolt 3 port, they're not pin compatible. The adapter's built quality is quite good, a white all plastic body, much like the above Belkin adapter.
Model MD463LL/A Build Quality Very good, glossy plastic body, thunderbolt 2 adapter Converter chip Complex design, many chips OS support macOS all versions, 10.8 and newer Warranty 1 year Price Though it's not a USB adapter, but it's worth including this one in this list. The main advantage of this adapter is there's no driver installation is required at all.
According to reviews, it performs quite well, capable of data transferring at near 1000Mbps speed. Best USB C Ethernet adapters USB type C is now almost mainstream, present in almost every thin and light laptops, ultrabooks and high end smartphones.
Ethernet To Usb Adapter Driver
There's few advantage of type C usb ethernet cable compared to type A. As example, it's quite future proof, compatibility with Thunderbolt 3 and ability to connect the same adapter on a wide range of hardware.
The type C devices are reversible, hence easier to attach and detach. Here's few shortlisted USB type C adapters, should be compatible with any type C port and thunderbolt 3 ports. One of the most popular USB type C ethernet adapter, powder coated metal body with a reasonable price tag. It's almost same as the Plugable USB type A adapter, mentioned before. Model USBC-E1000 Build Quality Good, metallic body, average quality cable and connector Converter chip ASIX AX88179 OS support All latest macOS versions, Linux, Windows and Android and Chrome OS Warranty 1 year limited warranty, parts and labor Price There's two LED in the RJ45 jack, to indicate connection and data transfer status.
The ASIX AX88179 chip is well supported on macOS, however there's few issue with faulty driver. You can download driver's from. On Windows 10 or Linux, there's no driver related issue. Another quality product from Anker, with 3 extra USB 3.0 type A ports to attach other devices like a USB flash drive, card reader etc. Such adapter+hub combos are quite useful when there's only one USB port are available, like in a smartphone or tablet. The silver colored aluminium body is quite well built.
The attaching cable is also good enough, can easily provide up to 1.8 Amps to power hungry devices, however pass through charging is not supported. Model AK-A8303041 Build Quality Good, Aluminium body Converter chip RTL8153 OS support All major Linux distros, macOS 10.9 and above, Windows 8 and above, Android Warranty 1.5 years Price This USB to ethernet adapter seems to work quite well with macOS, however few users are facing problem, so Anker published a patch for mac OS. To download the patch and drivers for Windows, follow. The driver's are on the downloads section. A relatively unknown brand, advertised as USB type C adapter specialist. But there's no doubt that their USB type C dongles have above average build quality, and better looks compared to others. This adapter stands out with a sleek dark gray aluminium shell and braided wire, feels quite durable.
There's two LED on the RJ45 jack, showing connection and data transfer status. Model UNICE01 Build Quality Great, Aluminium shell body, braided wire, reversible connector Converter chip Unknown OS support Most of the Macbooks and iMacs, including 2017 versions, Windows, Android, Linux Warranty Not specified, probably covered by seller. Price Compatibility with many devices is one of it's main highlights, like Macbooks, popular Android tablets and smartphones, and Chromebooks. So it should work with any macbook without any problem.
This USB LAN adapter from Dell features a good build quality and a flat connecting cable. It's highlighted as it supports PXE booting, which is a partially true and a marketing tactic I believe. Any adapter with proper UEFI UNDI driver can do that. Realtek provides those drivers from their download page. Model Various, Build Quality Above average, matt finish plastic body, flat cable Converter chip RTL8153 OS support Windows 8 and above, Linux, Android, macOS Warranty 1 year Price This adapter is specially designed to support latest Dell XPS, Lattitude and Allienware series laptops, officially recommended by Dell. Here's the link to. So, if you've a DELL laptop and want to use specially authorized accessories, then this could be your best choice.
Best micro USB to ethernet adapters Micro USB still the main wired connectivity option for most Android smartphones and tablets. You can connect any type A adapter with a OTG cable, but it adds up unnecessary bulk.
So here's two shortlisted micro USB to ethernet adapter for somewhat easier ethernet connectivity on Android. It's adapter is USB 2.0 hub with 3 type A ports and a 10/100M fast ethernet port,and a 5 volt power adapter. Much like a cheap docking station for Android or Windows tablets and smartphones.
Fast Ethernet Adapter Driver
However the power adapter is only for delivering extra power to the USB ports, not for charging the host device. Model GAZEWALL19810006-1 Build Quality Average, glossy all plastic body Converter chip RTL8152 OS support Windows 8 and above, all linux distros, Raspbian, Android 4.4 and above Warranty Unspecified Price The RTL8152 chip used in this device is pretty well supported by most operating systems, just like it's gigabit version RTL8153. So we could expect a stable operation and wide range of device support.
Gigabit Usb Ethernet Adapter Driver
This is a perfect adapter for any Windows 10 tablet and most android tablets. Features a ASIX AX88772 chip, which has quite mature driver support. However the build quality is not that good. All the plastic body, cable and the connector looks somewhat flimsy. Model USB2-OTGE100 Build Quality Average, plastic body, avarage cable quality Converter chip ASIX AX88772 OS support Windows 8 and above, all Linux versions, Android 4.4 and above, Raspbian Warranty 1 year limited Price Unlike all other's above, it's fast ethernet device, speed limited to 100Mbps. This adapter also said to be supported by Raspberry Pi Zero when using the Raspbian OS, which doesn't have any ethernet port. Comparability with Android varies, however if you're using customs ROMs like Linage OS or various AOSP ports, then it's most probabbly supported.
Android driver support: A micro USB to Ethernet adapter can be connected to any android device with USB OTG functionality, if there's a proper driver. Most of the time the default cdcether driver is built-in inside the kernel, which has a wide range of converter chip support, including the RTL8153 and RTL8152. Here's how to properly on Linux. Note - Interference with 2.4 GHz ISM band As I've said earlier here, the USB 3 adapters with hub functionality may cause with interference with any wireless device connected to it operating in the 2.4 GHz ISM band. It's because USB 3 signals works within a broad frequency range, and the 2.4 GHz band falls under the it's spectrum. So, there could be significant amount of RF radiation, specially when the connecting wires not properly shielded and long. So, if you're planning to connect a USB adapter, wireless keyboard-mouse receivers or a USB WiFi dongle, then they might not work as expected.
As of my personal experience, WiFi connection dropped few times while using the Amazon Basics adapter. But there's no drop if the signal is strong enough. Then connected a Logitech Unifying wireless keyboard receiver to the TP-Link TL-UE330 adapter. No lags while the keyboard is close, but starts lagging and dropping when it's about 4-5 feet away. And it starts lagging even more when I connect a USB 3 external hard drive.
Conclusion WiFi speed has been improved quite a lot, however it's nowhere near a wired connection in real world. Ethernet is still the backbone of networking, either it's over copper or fiber.
So, sometimes for a better data transfer speed over network, ethernet is still much better choice. Hopefully this list is meaningful, expecting it to be useful, though somewhat long.
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