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Nice! Except I see that ethernet is a bit too large to fit the body, so this hangs a bit off of the side. Is there an advantage to this over an external ethern

Nice! Except I see that ethernet is a bit too large to fit the body, so this hangs a bit off of the side. Is there an advantage to this over an external ethernet to USB-C adapter (e.g. https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Ethernet-Portable-1-Gigabit-Chromebook/dp/B00ZZ6NW5E https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Ethernet-Portable-1-Gigabit-Chr...)? These days, I find that when using my laptop at home, a decent USB-C hub/dock is pretty much a pre-requisite given the number of things I need to connect (for me, monitor + mouse + keyboard + webcam + webcam light) and many of these have ethernet adapters built in anyway (which I don't personally use since my WiFi is fast enough).

xur17 4y ago
The framework one is 2.5Gbit/s vs 1Gbit/s for the Anker one you linked to.
- jelled 4y ago
  Here's a 2.5gb one: https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Ethernet-PowerExpand-Aluminum-Portable/dp/B097N5WJY9 https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Ethernet-PowerExpand-Aluminum-P.... Guessing there would be no difference since the Framework modules appear to connect to the chassis via USB-C.
- neathack 4y ago
  Anker offers a 2.5G adapter as well: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B097N5WJY9/ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B097N5WJY9/
stewbrew 4y ago
The Framework Expansion card essentially is an USB-C adapter but with the form factor of a framework extension card. I personally don't find the card very appealing. I thought Ethernet ports in thin laptops are a solved problem.
- jvanderbot 4y ago
  They are! Unless you'd like it to be a USB A card occasionally. Or and SD reader. Or you would like to buy a laptop that lets you choose exactly what ports you want, with the power to change it any time. In that case, an expansion slot sounds nice.
- CoolGuySteve 4y ago
  I'm not a fan of having a such a large USB-C hub built into the laptop at all. This adapter shows the weird compromise where there is not enough space inside the laptop for a complicated adapter but a non-trivial amount of space inside the chassis is still being used. I'd much rather have more battery volume inside the computer with all the USB-C ports directly exposed and then have the option to carry around a USB-C dongle with the extra ports I might need.
  - spockz 4y ago
    Could you have one of these slots filled with an usb-c battery? Then at least you keep modularity. But it not add space efficiënt probably as just extending the internal battery.
  - andrewia 4y ago
    Then the Framework just isn't for you. The Framework was designed to be a portable laptop that is also modular and repairable. Apple's design philosophy seems to most closely match yours - only USB-C ports with separate dongles.
    - CoolGuySteve 4y ago
      Not sure why you assume I don't want a repairable laptop or what some plastic USB-C port extenders have to do with modularity. Hiding a USB-C hub inside a laptop and calling it "modularity" seems pretty silly. Maybe if that hub connected to some kind of riser card PCI-E interface and was replaceable I'd take this modularity claim more seriously. At least then I'd be able to replace the whole contraption with NVMe slots, a GPU, 10GigE, etc.
      - Dylan16807 4y ago
        > Maybe if that hub connected to some kind of PCI-E interface and was replaceable I'd take this claim more seriously. Well congrats, it is connected to PCIe because it's thunderbolt, and there's no hub to need to replace because it has a direct line to the CPU (you can replace the main board if you want).
gwbas1c 4y ago
> Is there an advantage to this over an external ethernet to USB-C adapter It's more securely attached to your laptop: You don't need to deal with it when you put your laptop in a backpack, or worry about losing it when you disconnect it.

xur17 4y ago

The framework one is 2.5Gbit/s vs 1Gbit/s for the Anker one you linked to.

jelled 4y ago
Here's a 2.5gb one: https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Ethernet-PowerExpand-Aluminum-Portable/dp/B097N5WJY9 https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Ethernet-PowerExpand-Aluminum-P.... Guessing there would be no difference since the Framework modules appear to connect to the chassis via USB-C.
neathack 4y ago
Anker offers a 2.5G adapter as well: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B097N5WJY9/ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B097N5WJY9/

stewbrew 4y ago

The Framework Expansion card essentially is an USB-C adapter but with the form factor of a framework extension card. I personally don't find the card very appealing. I thought Ethernet ports in thin laptops are a solved problem.

jvanderbot 4y ago
They are! Unless you'd like it to be a USB A card occasionally. Or and SD reader. Or you would like to buy a laptop that lets you choose exactly what ports you want, with the power to change it any time. In that case, an expansion slot sounds nice.
CoolGuySteve 4y ago
I'm not a fan of having a such a large USB-C hub built into the laptop at all. This adapter shows the weird compromise where there is not enough space inside the laptop for a complicated adapter but a non-trivial amount of space inside the chassis is still being used. I'd much rather have more battery volume inside the computer with all the USB-C ports directly exposed and then have the option to carry around a USB-C dongle with the extra ports I might need.
- spockz 4y ago
  Could you have one of these slots filled with an usb-c battery? Then at least you keep modularity. But it not add space efficiënt probably as just extending the internal battery.
- andrewia 4y ago
  Then the Framework just isn't for you. The Framework was designed to be a portable laptop that is also modular and repairable. Apple's design philosophy seems to most closely match yours - only USB-C ports with separate dongles.
  - CoolGuySteve 4y ago
    Not sure why you assume I don't want a repairable laptop or what some plastic USB-C port extenders have to do with modularity. Hiding a USB-C hub inside a laptop and calling it "modularity" seems pretty silly. Maybe if that hub connected to some kind of riser card PCI-E interface and was replaceable I'd take this modularity claim more seriously. At least then I'd be able to replace the whole contraption with NVMe slots, a GPU, 10GigE, etc.
    - Dylan16807 4y ago
      > Maybe if that hub connected to some kind of PCI-E interface and was replaceable I'd take this claim more seriously. Well congrats, it is connected to PCIe because it's thunderbolt, and there's no hub to need to replace because it has a direct line to the CPU (you can replace the main board if you want).

gwbas1c 4y ago

> Is there an advantage to this over an external ethernet to USB-C adapter It's more securely attached to your laptop: You don't need to deal with it when you put your laptop in a backpack, or worry about losing it when you disconnect it.