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A bulky but reliable option is the $29 Apple “Thunderbolt (1) to Gigabit Ethernet adapter” connected to the $49 Apple “Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Ad

A bulky but reliable option is the $29 Apple “Thunderbolt (1) to Gigabit Ethernet adapter” connected to the $49 Apple “Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter”. It’s gigabit and PCIe using the rock-solid BCM570x chip.

JonathonW 4y ago
Yes, this adapter works well in my experience, too. A little clunky since Apple still hasn't updated it to native Thunderbolt 3 so it needs an adapter, but that doesn't really impact how it functions. I've also had good luck with whatever Caldigit uses in their Thunderbolt Mini Docks (not at my desk to check and see what chipset's in mine).
krull10 4y ago
This works great for me too, and is what I use for multiple laptops. Ridiculous there isn’t something better though at this point…
assttoasstmgr 4y ago
So you need two daisy-chained dongles to get a reliable Ethernet port on your $2000 laptop? Take my money please!
- snemvalts 4y ago
  Should it be the other way around? 95% of people who haven't thought about ethernet cables for the past year should have a bulky port on the laptop that eats into PCB + battery space
  - rollcat 4y ago
    The same company has been selling a tiny 10Ge machine that can saturate this plus both TB ports without breaking a sweat. You'd think they could make a single dongle with 1/10th of that capacity.
  - assttoasstmgr 4y ago
    The assertion that something as basic as a functioning Ethernet port in a "professional" laptop - the high end model of which exceeds $6000 - constitutes a waste of PCB and battery space, is utter delusion. At that price they should throw in a Saks Fifth Avenue bag to carry your dongles.
    - joshspankit 4y ago
      I’d argue for the MBPro keeping the eth port (and even going latest gen, like 2.5 or 10Gb), and the Air not including it. Professionals need all the stable connectivity they can get.
  - water8 4y ago
    Wifi is still not on par with ethernet and probably wont be until wifi 7 is the norm. Even then 10gbps ethernet will likely be more common and still out perform wifi especially in urban areas of high interference
    - chupasaurus 4y ago
      Wifi will become on par with ethernet when it would switch the media to copper or fiber optic.
  - gomoboo 4y ago
    There are collapsible ports that some laptop manufacturers include. Robustness might be a worry but I’m sure Apple would be able to engineer something suitable.
    - assttoasstmgr 4y ago
      3Com was doing this[1] over 25 years ago stuffing a retractable RJ-45 into a PCMCIA card. The concept is not new. I'm sure if Apple ever did such a thing it would be lauded as pure genius, an invention so incredible we would not be worthy of it. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XJACK https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XJACK
- AviationAtom 4y ago
  Aren't closed ecosystems wonderful? I was elated to hear that Apple is being forced to abandon Lightning on iPhones, and I'm normally not much for government meddling.
KennyBlanken 4y ago
Reliable, meh. I've had two die on me. One lasted a few years of VERY light usage, the other died barely a year or two in. Also almost no usage. In both cases it simply stopped appearing on the bus, but was clearly "running" to some degree - it would get warm to the touch, just as they normally do. I've also found that the Thunderbolt connector's lack of a "click" engagement to be a serious issue for storage, network, and even display - every Mac I've seen it in use, the connection has been flaky. It really fucking sucks to whip out the thunderbolt adapter and plug into ethernet for "reliability", set up a transfer of a ton of data, and half-way though shift the machine slightly aaaaaaaaand then the ethernet adapter disappears and your transfer is fucked. Happy to see them drop that idiotic connector for USB-C, as at least that has some sort of physical retention mechanism other than "hopes and dreams" (ie: rely on proper clearance tolerances between different vendors, on surfaces that will wear with use.)
- bouke 4y ago
  My first (2011?) MBP had very sturdy Thunderbolt connectors, and dongles wouldn’t suddenly fall out. The lauded 2015 model I had had very loose connectors with the problem you’re describing. Strange design change IMO.

JonathonW 4y ago

Yes, this adapter works well in my experience, too. A little clunky since Apple still hasn't updated it to native Thunderbolt 3 so it needs an adapter, but that doesn't really impact how it functions. I've also had good luck with whatever Caldigit uses in their Thunderbolt Mini Docks (not at my desk to check and see what chipset's in mine).

krull10 4y ago

This works great for me too, and is what I use for multiple laptops. Ridiculous there isn’t something better though at this point…

assttoasstmgr 4y ago

So you need two daisy-chained dongles to get a reliable Ethernet port on your $2000 laptop? Take my money please!

snemvalts 4y ago
Should it be the other way around? 95% of people who haven't thought about ethernet cables for the past year should have a bulky port on the laptop that eats into PCB + battery space
- rollcat 4y ago
  The same company has been selling a tiny 10Ge machine that can saturate this plus both TB ports without breaking a sweat. You'd think they could make a single dongle with 1/10th of that capacity.
- assttoasstmgr 4y ago
  The assertion that something as basic as a functioning Ethernet port in a "professional" laptop - the high end model of which exceeds $6000 - constitutes a waste of PCB and battery space, is utter delusion. At that price they should throw in a Saks Fifth Avenue bag to carry your dongles.
  - joshspankit 4y ago
    I’d argue for the MBPro keeping the eth port (and even going latest gen, like 2.5 or 10Gb), and the Air not including it. Professionals need all the stable connectivity they can get.
- water8 4y ago
  Wifi is still not on par with ethernet and probably wont be until wifi 7 is the norm. Even then 10gbps ethernet will likely be more common and still out perform wifi especially in urban areas of high interference
  - chupasaurus 4y ago
    Wifi will become on par with ethernet when it would switch the media to copper or fiber optic.
- gomoboo 4y ago
  There are collapsible ports that some laptop manufacturers include. Robustness might be a worry but I’m sure Apple would be able to engineer something suitable.
  - assttoasstmgr 4y ago
    3Com was doing this[1] over 25 years ago stuffing a retractable RJ-45 into a PCMCIA card. The concept is not new. I'm sure if Apple ever did such a thing it would be lauded as pure genius, an invention so incredible we would not be worthy of it. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XJACK https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XJACK
AviationAtom 4y ago
Aren't closed ecosystems wonderful? I was elated to hear that Apple is being forced to abandon Lightning on iPhones, and I'm normally not much for government meddling.

KennyBlanken 4y ago

Reliable, meh. I've had two die on me. One lasted a few years of VERY light usage, the other died barely a year or two in. Also almost no usage. In both cases it simply stopped appearing on the bus, but was clearly "running" to some degree - it would get warm to the touch, just as they normally do. I've also found that the Thunderbolt connector's lack of a "click" engagement to be a serious issue for storage, network, and even display - every Mac I've seen it in use, the connection has been flaky. It really fucking sucks to whip out the thunderbolt adapter and plug into ethernet for "reliability", set up a transfer of a ton of data, and half-way though shift the machine slightly aaaaaaaaand then the ethernet adapter disappears and your transfer is fucked. Happy to see them drop that idiotic connector for USB-C, as at least that has some sort of physical retention mechanism other than "hopes and dreams" (ie: rely on proper clearance tolerances between different vendors, on surfaces that will wear with use.)

bouke 4y ago
My first (2011?) MBP had very sturdy Thunderbolt connectors, and dongles wouldn’t suddenly fall out. The lauded 2015 model I had had very loose connectors with the problem you’re describing. Strange design change IMO.