USB C to Ethernet Adapter 5G, WAVLINK 5G Ethernet Adapter for Laptop, Compatible with Type C Device to Network for MacBook, XPS, iPad Pro-USB3.1 Gen 2 Required

If you’ve ever stared at your laptop and thought, “Wow, you’re sleek, modern, and completely useless without Wi-Fi,” this little adapter is your redemption arc. The WAVLINK 5G USB-C to Ethernet Adapter does exactly what it promises: it gives your laptop a wired connection like it’s 2005, but faster. Plug it in, and suddenly you’re living that low-latency life—no drivers, no drama, just pure, unfiltered internet. Pros: Turns your laptop into a responsible adult that doesn’t rely on flaky Wi-Fi. Speeds so fast you’ll wonder if your ISP is lying to you (spoiler: they probably are). Compact enough to lose in your bag, which is the ultimate sign of good design. Cons: Doesn’t come with an Ethernet cable, because apparently, we’re all supposed to have one lying around like it’s a family heirloom. Makes you question why laptops ditched Ethernet ports in the first place. Bottom line: If you want stability without sacrificing speed, this adapter is the unsung hero your laptop didn’t know it needed. Five stars, because it works, and in tech, that’s basically a miracle.

I don’t have nor need Gig+ service from my ISP nor internal home network, but I ordered a pair of these to have 5Gbps throughput/testing capabilities for other things. So now 5Gbps is my new speed transfer/testing limit. And since I ordered two, I suppose that this is a review of the capability and compatibility of two of them. I would’ve ordered 10Gbps adapters, but 5Gbps adapters are currently far cheaper. I connected these adapters together using two TB4 capable/ported laptops and a 10ft Cat6 patch cable. Using Iperf3, these adapters transferred data at 4.5 Gpbs actual. Accounting for the typical 10% loss for network overhead, I’d say that they do what they claim. Also, I initially used an older 3 foot Cat5e patch cable and was only getting 3.5. Gbps. That’s when I switched to the Cat 6 cable. But I was also able to get the same 4.5. Gpbs on a 1 ft. Cat 5e patch cable. I’m aware of the theoretical/stated speeds of USB ports, cable types, etc. But I also just pushed 3.5-4.5 Gbps through some (yeah…very short) Cat 5e patch cables rated for 1Gbps. :) At some point, I might play around and dial-in the actual/non-theoretical length vs cable/quality capabilities. But for now, I’d say for over 3 Gbps, quality cabling, length, and a solid negotiation between devices is more sensitive than at lesser speeds. So be mindful of those factors in your setup/application. Also, my 90’s house has some old Cat5 (not “e”) cabling in it, so it’ll be interesting to see what that old cabling is actually capable of. I intend to replace/rerun it all with Cat6+ and fiber at some point, but that’s a considerable project. I also have an old Fluke CIQ test set, that still is worth $1,000+ but only tests to 1Gbps. Modern 10Gbps testers cost thousands. A couple of TB4+ capable laptops cost less than $500 used. There are some durability and convenience considerations, but with two laptops and these adapters, I can now test a link to 5Gbps. Also note that some USB ports claim 5Gbps, but are <3.5 actual. That’s why I keep stating TB4, as those are supposed to be 10Gbps+. Do your own research on this, but point is with a little knowledge such a rig is far cheaper that the pro testers. Also note that other similar products also offer PD passthrough but at a higher cost, so FYI.

I have this paired up with the 10G port of my Verizon router and Cat 7a cable. It works beautifully, and usually is running around 2.5G speeds, which is about what I expected with spinning hard drives. The link speed is indeed 5G. Be sure to go in to Device Manager after installing this and go to the power management tab, and turn off the "allow the computer to power off this device" or whatever it is. Otherwise it'll get shut off when the connection is idle. I have a Plex server and found out that hard way when I wasn't home that Windows shuts it off by default.

No real complaints, this just works. I wanted to improve upon the 2.5GbE that was on my mini-PC, which I use for backup mostly. I have a multi-gig (up to 10GbE) switch but really couldn't justify a 10GbE dongle as the PC wouldn't keep up anyway.

Terrible product. The performance was great at first and it can achieve rated speeds however the connection constantly drops and the connection is very cheaply made. Slight bumps or movements of the usb c connection will cause disconnects. It really sucks if you’re gaming or downloading. The unit also gets alarming hot. I wish these issues popped up sooner since I am now outside of the return window.

There are no available Mac Drivers for Apple Silicon chipped devices. I have been unable to confirm if full speed can be achieved without the use of the drivers. The enclosed documentation does indicate that to achieve full speed the drivers must be installed.

Good item, works perfect on my phone

Once I got the right driver installed, it is working very well. I have GFiber with a download speed of around 3.6gb, going through a 2.5gb switch, and get around 1.8 to 2.0gb down through the adapter. I intend to upgrade the switch in the future.

Unlike many 2.5GbE adapters, I get the full speed with this adapter with my M4 Mac Mini (rather than download being less than upload). I was apprehensive as this is a Realtek chipset too, but it seems to perform correctly at each speed level (1G / 2.5G). I don't any devices at 5G to confirm how it performs at that speed. But this satisfies my needs at least.

Funktioniert ohne Probleme. Eingesteckt und die Arbeit konnte beginnen. Gute Lösung.

Amazing. Works great

Fonctionne très bien avec un Macbook. Plus and play, on le connecte au port USB-C du Mac et port Ethernet de la box et ça fonctionne. Débits atteints : 4,6Gb/s en DL

Ho utilizzato negli anni molti adattatori USB-Eth e ogni volta il progresso mi stupisce. Da principio non capivo bene la sigla 5G utilizzata dal produttore e che a mio avviso potrebbe trarre in inganno sia i neofiti che gli specialisti confondendola con l'omonima tecnologia wireless dei cellulari, 5G per l'appunto. Dopo aver connesso l'adattatore ho realizzato la potenza di questo piccolo "aggeggio": 5G si riferisce a 5Gbps, ovvero l'adattatore USB-C_Ethernet è in grado di trasferire dati alla velocità di 5.000Mbps se connesso a switch o router compatibili con questa velocità. L'involucro è sensibilmente più largo, aspetto che mi ha lasciato un po' deluso, mi aspettavo un profilo molto più esile ed elegante, tant'è che l'ho subito conftontato con un'altro adattatore dalle linee più affusolate. Mi aspettavo qualcosa di più consono al mio MAc Book Air... solo dopo ho constatato che dispone di prese di aerazione passante, per favorire la dissipazione dell'eventuale calore in eccesso sviluppato dal suo core Realtek da 5Gbps compliant con lo standard IEEE 802.3bz. La connessione al Mac OS è stata rapida ed assolutamente indolore, riconosciuto con il driver standard della Apple, ha funzionato perfettamente al primo colpo. Anche su Windows 10, riconoscimento immediato e utilizzo senza alcuna acrobazia. Cavetto da 8 cm per un totale di 12,5 cm compreso il connettore, è delal misura minimale per stare comodamente in uno zaino o borsetta. il corpo è in alluminio anodizzato e il jack RJ45 dispone di due spie, una per i link fino a 1Gbps e per l'activity, l'altro verde per connessioni da 2,5 o 5 Gbps. Viene fornita una Quick Start Guide nel packaging ben curato, che riporta le istruzioni in Inglese, Tedesco, Francese, Spagnolo e Italiano. Un ulteriore biglietto fornisce le indicazioni per lo scaricamento del driver specifico, qualora i driver standard dei sistemi sui quali lo si utilizza non dovessero soddisfare per funzionalità e altre "feature" più avanzate. Che dire un ottimo prodotto, retrocompatibile con gli standard precedenti, qualora ce ne fosse la necessità, decisamente un passo avanti...