Plugable 2.5 Gigabit USB Ethernet Adapter Review

[@dannewhall5256]

Hi! Just wanted to say I really enjoy these reviews and I'm glad to have found this channel. Originally I watched one of your videos for an 8bitdo controller I was thinking of purchasing and your review was super straightforward and helpful. After watching more reviews, I appreciate how well structured and un-biased these are. You go through the same tests for each product type, so I know how well this product compares to other products you have reviewed. Super helpful when deciding to purchase something. Thank you!

[@supremelawfirm]

Lon, you are such a welcome guru to an IT industry that is getting more complex every minute. Your clear and no nonsense approach to your reviews is very refreshing. Other reviewers should study and imitate your overall approach, because it's A++ in my book!

[@jnorman1986]

In-home connection upgrades are always great! Thanks Lon!

[@davidtsang1807]

I've plugged in to my Synology 1819+ (DSM 6.2.2-24922 Update 4) and nothing show up with this adapter.

[@joeherzog7872]

It's great to see 2.5g network devices drop in price, but the cost is buried in the switches. I await seeing 2.5g further grow in the consumer space.

[@d00msay3r3]

If you don't need to have more than 4 connected 10gig devices Microtik has a 5port switch for about $150 you can just connect it to your gigabit switch to connect all the lower speed devices

[@jw3st0n]

@@d00msay3r3 Yeah, but it's not ethernet.

[@wiziek]

@@jw3st0n What? it isn't ethernet that what is it?

[@Daniel-nm9rm]

Not rj45 it's sfp+

[@mikefretwell842]

I would be interested to see if it works on a Synology NAS. Great channel love watching your show

[@IAmZen_007]

@rezargamer It works perfectly on my DS916+

[@postmastergaming]

This looks like a VHS video from the 90’s 🤔 Excellent review by the way!

[@meles3740]

80's

[@nekron75]

Yeah, cos the old stuff in the back...

[@tablackburn]

As mentioned, I would love to see a follow-up video testing this on other devices like a Synology NAS, nVidia Shield and just for fun something like a phone and/or tablet through a USB adapter as well.

[@Syner_7]

Been looking for this type of analysis. Was curious how pushing data through such a daisy chain of adapters would impact performance. Your use of the main USB C connection to the then USB-A adapter, and USB hub was very insightful to me. Thanks!

[@BrianCairns]

Technically the USB-A plug to USB-C receptical adapter that this comes with is a spec violation. If you bought two of these and a USB C-C cable, you could make a USB-A to USB-A cable, which could damage devices because you aren't supposed to be able to connect USB-A ports together. The correct way to design a device like this would be to include a USB-C receptical on the device itself, and include a USB A to C cable and a USB C to C cable. That would also have the advantage of letting you use a longer cable if you wanted to. Unfortunately, this pattern of cheaping out with a captive cable and a spec violating adapter seems to be common.

[@dennisolof9994]

I will take your word for it, however this device should instead have two cables from the device, one with the USB-C connector and the other with USB-A connector. It would probably cost the same in the manufacturing process but is more safe for the user as with the current design you could break or damage the connectors. Similar to how it was with gender changers form com and serial ports, did not take much to damage that big thing sticking out from the computer.

[@Wawacha]

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[@DAVIDDAVID-85]

Hello sir, I have a MacBook Pro that does not work and WiFi never works for me. The MacBook Pro screen is completely broken, and even the WiFi antenna is completely broken. I formatted the Mac in order to delete the Mac system. Does the adapter work directly without installing a driver? Thank you.

[@foladodo8952]

i have many questions.. Why do you need that big box? does the big box automatically give you better internet even tho you are getting 10mbs before?

[@cwichura]

Note: The Realtek 2.5g chipset sends CDC_NPM reports every second (instead of just when state changes), resulting in Linux kernels spamming dmesg with non-stop updates.

[@jefflynn333]

Test with Firestick, nVidia Shield, Fire Cube, Playstation, X-Box, etc.

[@ckchong79]

have u try link aggregation on Nas connected to gigabit switch (normalswitch) and 2.5g direct from laptop to the switch also ?

[@savageminion5257]

Hello. I recently bought a Hisense u7g tv and wanted to use this for 2.5 gigabyte speed. I currently have the insignia 1 gigabyte adapter and it worked plug and play. This one did not. I bought another one that was compatible with the galaxy s20 thinking it would be plug and play since both are running android os....still didn't work. What am I missing?

[@kian8382]

I don't think it'll work on a Synology device, that said, Synology definitely should update their OS to support some LAN adapters as they can monetize on it too. Qnap is already doing it but I don't like to use QTS.

[@jodajackson4489]

Yes Pleas try it on a Synology NAS. There are some modified drivers available on gethub that allow functionality on Synology NAS models depending on SoC.

[@phuongtran5294]

Please plug this in the new LG OLED smart TV. I bought a new LG 4k OLED TV. It has wifi but I want to go with wired ethernet cable to avoid interference and get better speed. However, TV does not come with ethernet port. It has 2 USB ports next to HDMI ports. I bught a similar adaptor and it not work. I want tonknow if it was an adaptor problem, or the TV USB port is not compatable wired ethernet. Thanks TV is new and 2021 model.

[@hazsneax]

Question: My ethernet port on my desktop PC went out due to electric storm. Everything still works fine outside of that, just fried the ethernet port. If i were to get this, could i plug it into one of my usb 2.0 ports and have a hardwire connection equal to my old ethernet port?

[@GuiltyFighterX]

Lon have you used it on the Nintendo Switch? Do you see any differences in the connection?

[@SoukaDeezNutz]

Isn't the Switch capped at certain speeds? I've paid for very good internet speeds, and a gaming router, but the best Ethernet speeds I can get out of the Switch is 34 Download, and 12 Upload.

[@GuiltyFighterX]

@@SoukaDeezNutz Is it really? Shoot I was hoping for a more stable connection with this adapter.

[@JohnOBryan]

I wonder how well this works with the goCoax 2.5 MoCA adapter. Also do you know if this will work on a Synology NAS? Specifically the DS1817+

[@Zosu22]

Unfortunately the goCoax adapter only has a gigabit port so you will not see anything faster than that.

[@JohnOBryan]

@@Zosu22 Crap! Blew that idea..

[@Placesandspaces35]

I read where Gocoax is supposed to be coming out with new 2.5 gig port adapters sometime this year.

[@Jim.D]

Does it work on the Nvidia Shield?

[@Nefertip]

Can i use this adapter for connecting my internet telefon to ps4 fat ?

[@heh2k]

Amazon review mentioned overheating and speed dropping to < 1gbit when that happens. Anyone run into that?

[@juantiscareno3124]

Can you plug it to a Nintendo switch when in portable mode

[@AznGlenny07]

Hello. I would be interested to see if it works on QNAP TR-004-US 4-Bay with USB 3.0 Type-C. Thank you!

[@cwichura]

Also, at the end you ask about a 5gig adapter. Aquantia has a chip, but it uses USB 3 gen 1 only. So it will NOT hit 5g due to the USB overhead (it's more like a bit shy of 4g.). As such, vendors have been sticking more to the 2.5g chips as besides being cheaper (which is the #1 consideration in the consumer space), they don't have to deal with negative reviews and returns when people find it can't actually do 5g...

[@chuck4571]

In the meantime I was looking for an adapter from Ethernet port to USB Type C for my Nintendo Switch, thanks

[@heh2k]

Does OS X Mojave support this adapter?

[@MichaelSudol]

Is this compatible on a LG OLED that only has a 100Mb Nic? Would love to know if the TV picks this adapter up to take advantage of the increased speeds. I think you have an OLED LG Lon, could you test that please? I Have a 65" C8. Thanks

[@IAmZen_007]

Works on my Synology DS916+!!

[@nekron75]

Nice, and at what speeds? notice any bottlenecks accept maybe HD throughtput?

[@Coonfused57]

Can you go peer to peer bypassing the switch? I've got 2 computers with around 50TB of files I'd like to transfer back and forth.

[@AnoNymInvestor]

Install 2 identical adapters and use a Cat 7 ethnernet cable. Turn off power efficient ethernet and wake on LAN, if you use Realtek adapters.

[@pennakira]

thank you for the video, I would like to see if it works with Amazon Fire to speed it up wired.

[@brandonmiller555]

Could you look into portable routers with SIM cards? I have been looking into buying one but would feel better if it was reviewed by you.

[@edmondenterprisesgrouphold3782]

Good morning, Sorry to jump off topic did you see that new board Seeed Studio Odyssey x86. I am trying to figure out if its better than the Nvidia Shield Pro.

[@Chainedetest-fx7bv]

Thank you for the the test it is great... as suggestion could you try it on a synology nas ?

[@stevenkinlin8271]

I have a question. I have windows 11. I'm using a desktop Pc. My 10 gig, TP-link, ethernet card stopped working. That I have plugged into a pcie slot inside my computer. I have a compatable 2.5 gig cable modem. So it supports 2.5 gig speeds. And that's the port I use . Its a yellow port. I also have a Netgear Nighthawk rax120 router and it has a Multi gig port that support 2.5 and 5 gig speeds. I use that. And, I have a 2.5 multi port switch. Is it okay to use this with my desktop Pc. Yes I have usb 3.0. port. And, also, I noticed that differnt people, that do these videos. For these different usb to ethernet adapters, are saying, that you just need compatable hardware and you will get 2.5 gig speeds. That's not true. You also have to be paying for 2.5 gig speeds from your Internet service provider like xfinity. Just having the hardware is not enough. Thank you!

[@LonSeidman]

You’ll get 2.5 gig speeds on the local network irrespective of internet speed. This should work fine on your pc.

[@stevenkinlin8271]

@@LonSeidman Thank you!! Let me ask is a Usb Ethernet controller just as fast as a Internal Ethernet card? And can you plug this Plugable Usb ethernet adapter into a Usb hun with several Usb 3.0 ports? Or does it have to be plugged directly into my desktop 3.0 port?

[@stevenkinlin8271]

I meant to say Usb Hub

[@tiagoj8020]

Noob here. So I need gigabyte internet speeds from my ISP and a mobo that supports gig internet to use this? Or the equipment specs are just whats needed? Will it still give me more bandwidth regardless of my ISP speed? Thanks!

[@gudenau]

How long can it sustain full load? If it over heats it will have to slow itself down. Edit: Plug it into Android phones and the Nintendo Switch!

[@unmeshagarwala8156]

In addition to thermal behavior, it would be good to know ping latency and CPU utilization.

[@IAmZen_007]

Works in Ipad!

[@killerkhatiby009]

I'd love to see how something like this impacts game streaming via Parsec and/or Moonlight on LAN (specifically if there's any impact on latency) and perhaps cloud services like xCloud, GeForce Now, and Stadia.

[@subterficial]

Higher bandwidth leads to larger resolutions to be possible, and at higher bit rates. That said, technologies that don't rely on ethernet, such as infiniband, would have lower latency, which seems to be the largest bottleneck in terms of smooth gameplay.

[@al4video]

So who is your internet provider and what speed are you paying for?

[@LonSeidman]

I don't have gigabit service at home

[@joseoplmx]

Nice review! Will it work with pfsense to balance more than 1Gbit?

[@gusvec]

Great work. I want something to connect directly to a Sony tv.

[@kodicanada1991]

Great Video. I have a DROBO 5N (Ethernet connection) but I have terrible transfer speed (very slow) over my network connection (Max 25Mbps) & I was thinking using this device to directly connect my DROBO 5N to my computer in the hope of having a faster transfer speed via USB 3.0. Do you think it's possible? Would it help?

[@tremelo8508]

Thats a huge switch for 4 ports!!! I have a 24 port switch that's smaller than that. Must have something to do with the difference between an older gig switch and 2.5 gigs.

[@LonSeidman]

Yeah it's an early 10/5/2.5 switch so it's large and in charge. I bet internally there's not much to it but they needed to fill a 1U space.

[@bbgarnettTotallyNotABot]

Keep up the great work

[@d00msay3r3]

I see you are using Iperf for your testing. I googled that and found it's only a Mac option. Question. What can I use on windows do to a similar type of test?

[@LonSeidman]

Iperf is available on all platforms but it’s command line. Pretty easy to use.

[@MichaelGraves3304]

People using NDI for streaming media production can readily saturate a 1G port, making 2.5G a nice upgrade.

[@daveedwards2089]

Definitely would like to see some NDI testing

[@jefferyholcombe5189]

Plug it into a mifi 8800L's usb-c port and now you have an RJ-45 jack with 1Gig Ethernet w/ the right adapter.

[@dudeh9702]

Great review. I second testing on Raspberry Pi 4 if you have one available.

[@red2]

Try on nVidia Shield plz.

[@IAmZen_007]

I bought one works perfectly but the adapter is warm/hot. Anyone experiencing this?

[@ronm6585]

Thanks Lon.

[@cashmeout330]

Thanks for the video. Should i buy if my ISP's speeds only up to 1gb?

[@estusflask982]

No, it won't make your internet any faster. Unless your ISP starts offering greater than 1gb speeds. It'll only make connecting to other devices on your local/home network faster. Assuming those have 2.5gb ports. Which 95% of devices don't. And everything in between the 2 devices also needs to support 2.5gb. All the switches, routers, etc.

[@chriswright6224]

Comcast often provides a bit more than 1000 with their gig service, I test at 1170 with this adapter.

[@Jaydtv614]

I have dell laptop from 2017 no built in Ethernet port. I hate Wi-Fi. I do have usb 3.0. I have fiber at the house I wonder how these compares to Best Buy name brand usb to gig adapters.

[@bretztheman]

Hey bud. Great vid! I’ve subscribed! I’m ordering 1 of these bad boys! Ok so i have 1000Mbps plan, plus the newest XB7 gateway from XFINITY so I know I have 3 gigabit Ethernet ports...1 port dedicated for 2.5Gbps so I’m good there. My Laptop is 2020 HP Pavillion ce3064st. (Not the most expensive in the world but it’s new lol) I should be all set to plug n play so to speak right? Also my Ethernet cable is CAT5e which u said would work? I’m only 4 ft away from XB7 so distance is not an issue at all Thanks.

[@LonSeidman]

Does the gateway have a 2.5 gig port? Otherwise it’ll only connect at gigabit speed.

[@Zosu22]

Perhaps test it with Android devices, the Raspberry Pi 4, the shield TV, and maybe the iPad Pro?

[@ctk4949]

We need some cheap 2.5G+ switches!!

[@z352kdaf8324]

No, you need 10G at affordable prices..

[@d00msay3r3]

Check out the Microtik 5 port switch for about $150 on Amazon.

[@Daniel-nm9rm]

There are no cheap 2,5 nor 10 Gig sfp+/rj45 modules. Ech cost more than 50$

[@dawidwolnik628]

5 Gigabit would be interesting

[@chriss2595]

I'd like to see good USB-C to ethernet adapters for smartphones in order to eliminate the wifi radiation.

[@bluey_fan968]

They have those

[@funzoneentertainment4023]

excellent product

[@ootwii]

Try it in the nintendo switch plz..

[@IanC14]

Surely it needs 5gbps since it's 2.5gbps each way?

[@LonSeidman]

A 2.5 gig switch is bi-directional

[@Camelotsmoon]

Do people actually get these speeds? 1 gigabit sounds like it's a legend to me.

[@handquake]

Great....unfortunately I have no fuckin' idea how to get more than 100 meg up in Vegas.

[@BB-uz4tc]

Wow Lon TV. Amazing. Thanks for the video. Stay handsome

[@wetubeon9516]

Useless, Can not internet usb c to smart phone(LG V20)

[@jasonvoorhees4590]

Go cat 8

[@markphillips8019]

"Nobody is paying for this review". Well, they kind of are by supplying the hardware in the first instance.