Potentially, but the problem is that now you had no choice. Back then, your laptop would come with a reputable (most likely Intel) Ethernet controller that you

Potentially, but the problem is that now you had no choice. Back then, your laptop would come with a reputable (most likely Intel) Ethernet controller that you would use so you had no reason to buy an external one and bear the risk of getting a shitty one. Now, more and more laptops don't have an Ethernet controller, so you have no choice but to roll the dice and churn through multiple dongles until you get one with a controller that doesn't suck.