Apr 07, 2022 21:00:00

What kind of Thunderbolt-compatible wired LAN adapter should I buy for my MacBook?

by Dean Shareski

In some notebook PCs, the LAN connector has been eliminated due to the miniaturization, so it is necessary to connect a Thunderbolt connectable wired LAN adapter to the USB-C port in order to make a wired connection. However, it has been reported that some wired LAN adapters limit the Ethernet transfer speed due to the influence of the Ethernet controller chip built into the wired LAN adapter. At eGPU.io, a forum for discussing external eGPU topics, khronokernel , who works in the Thunderbolt-enabled peripherals industry, explains the contents of Thunderbolt-enabled wired LAN adapters.

PCIe Ethernet in Thunderbolt docks | GPU, Monitor & Peripherals
https://egpu.io/forums/gpu-monitor-peripherals/pcie-ethernet-in-thunderbolt-docks/

It has been pointed out that most of the wired LAN adapters that are relatively easy to obtain are ODM products , and although they look different, the parts that make up the contents are almost the same. In particular, the Ethernet controller chip Realtek RTL8153 used in many products has a problem that the Ethernet transfer speed is limited to the 100 megabit level, and the driver fix patch was macOS Catalina (version 10.15) at the time of writing the article. It has been pointed out that it cannot be fixed on mac OS Big Sur (version 11) or later because it only supports up to.

What are the problems that emerged after disassembling the three types of 'wired LAN adapter with USB-C hub' that can be used with MacBook? --GIGAZINE

Wired LAN adapter Gigabit Ethernet controllers include PCI Express (PCIe) to Ethernet controllers and USB to Ethernet controllers. According to khronokernel, on macOS, the PCIe to Ethernet controller has more driver support. On the other hand, in the case of the USB to Ethernet controller, it seems that the specification uses a general-purpose driver based on the USB device class .

Devices equipped with a PCIe to Ethernet controller perform most of the processing tasks with the onboard controller, so the load on the CPU is reduced, and even if heavy processing is performed, the system will have some margin. On the other hand, in the case of a device equipped with a USB to Ethernet controller, the problem is that it consumes valuable resources because it processes with the CPU and shares the bandwidth with other USB devices on the same controller. , Khronokernel points out.

The vendors and drivers for PCIe to Ethernet controllers that natively support macOS Big Sur / Monterey are: Some Intel drivers only support Intel CPUs with the x86_64 architecture, but others also support Apple Silicon with the Arm64e architecture.

vendor	driver	Supported architecture	Corresponding chip
Intel	AppleIntel8254XEthernet.kext	x86_64	80003ES2LAN, 82545EM, 82571EB / 82571GB
Intel	AppleIntelI210Ethernet.kext	x86_64 ・ arm64e	i210, i225
Intel	Intel82574L.kext	x86_64 ・ arm64e	82574L, 82566DC
Broadcom	AppleBCM5701Ethernet.kext	x86_64 ・ arm64e	5764M, 57761, 57762, 57765, 57766
Aquantia	AppleEthernetAquantiaAqtion.kext	x86_64 ・ arm64e	QC107, AQC113

Below is a Thunderbolt compatible wired LAN adapter equipped with a USB to Ethernet controller compiled by khronokernel. Of course, the table below lists only a few of the many products. Most products use Realtek RTL8153. In addition, WALINK's Thunderdock SE / Thunderdock SE III and Razer's Core X Chroma require separate driver installation.

Manufacturer	product	Electric power	Ethernet controller	connection
Belkin	Thunderbolt 3 Dock Pro	85W	Realtek RTL8153	USB
CalDigit	USB-C Pro Dock	85W	Realtek RTL8153	USB
ThinkPad	Universal Thunderbolt 4 Dock	100W	Realtek RTL8153	USB
OWC	Thunderbolt 4 Dock	90W	Realtek RTL8153	USB
Sonnet	Echo 11 Thunderbolt 4	90W	Realtek RTL8153	USB
Satechi	Thunderbolt 4 Dock	96W	Realtek RTL8153	USB
WAVLINK	Thunderdock SP 3 / Thunderdock SP 5	85W	Realtek RTL8153	USB
Dell	Thunderbolt Dock TB16	130W	Realtek RTL8153	USB
Plugable	Thunderbolt 3 USB-C Dual Display	96W	Realtek RTL8153	USB
HP	Thunderbolt Dock 120W G2	120W	Realtek RTL8153	USB
Razer	Thunderbolt 4 Dock Chroma	90W	Realtek RTL8153	USB
Corsair	TBT100 Thunderbolt 3 Dock	85W	Realtek RTL8153	USB
Seagate	Firecuda Gaming Dock	not clear	Realtek RTL8153	USB
Mantiz	Saturn Pro	97W	Realtek RTL8153	USB
HP	Omen Accelerator	60W	Realtek RTL8153	USB
WAVLINK	Thunderdock SE / Thunderdock SE III	not clear	Asix AX88179	USB
Razer	Core X Chroma	100W	Asix AX88179	USB

And below is a Thunderbolt compatible wired LAN adapter equipped with a PCIe to Ethernet controller. However, Sonnet's Twin 10G SFP + cannot be used with Apple Silicon-equipped Macs.

Manufacturer	product	Electric power	Ethernet controller	connection
Apple	Thunderbolt Display	not clear	Broadcom BCM57761	PCIe
Apple	Thunderbolt 1 to Ethernet adapter	not clear	Broadcom BCM57762	PCIe
Belkin	Thunderbolt 3 Express Dock HD	85W	Intel i210	PCIe
Plugable	Thunderbolt 3 Dock + 60W	60W	Intel i210	PCIe
i-tec	Thunderbolt 3 Dual 4K Dock + 60w	60W	Intel i210	PCIe
Cable Matters	Thunderbolt 3 Dock + 60w	60W	Intel i210	PCIe
StarTech	Thunderbolt 3 Dual-4K	15W	Intel i210	PCIe
StarTech	Dual 4K Mini Thunderbolt 3 Dock	not clear	Intel i210	PCIe
StarTech	Thunderbolt 3 Dock --Dual 4K 60Hz	85W	Intel i210	PCIe
CalDigit	TS3 Plus	87W	Intel i210	PCIe
Sonnet	Echo 11 Thunderbolt 3	87W	Intel i210	PCIe
TUL	mini eGFX prototype	15W	Intel i210	PCIe
Visiontek	Expansion Chassis TB3 Mini eGFX	15W	Intel i210	PCIe
Goodway	DBD1330	96W	Intel i225	PCIe
ThinkPad	Universal Thunderbolt 4 Dock	100W	Intel i225	PCIe
OWC	Thunderbolt 3 Pro Dock	60W	Aquantia AQC107	PCIe
Akitio	Thunder3 Dock Pro	60W	Aquantia AQC107	PCIe
Sonnet	Twin 10GSFP +	not clear	Intel X540	PCIe