Speed of Apple's USB Ethernet

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Level 3

503 points

Speed of Apple's USB Ethernet

How fast is Apple's USB Ethernet adapter for the MacBook Air? I read on this very board that USB Ethernet adapters only go up to 100Mbps because of the limitation of USB 2.0. However, I have actually found a USB-Ethernet adapter that claims to be Gigabit speed (see: http://www.ramelectronics.net/network/network-cards/usb-ethernet-adapters/usb-2- 0-to-gigabit-ethernet-adapter-ae2300/prodAE2300.html ) Given that, I'm now questioning how fast Apple's USB Ethernet adapter is.

Thanks!

MacBook Pro 15-inch 2.16Ghz, 2GB RAM, 120GB Hard Drive, 20" Ext. Monitor, Mac OS X (10.5.2)

Posted on May 9, 2008 11:00 PM

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Answer 1

Kappy

Level 10

362,007 points

May 10, 2008 9:34 AM in response to Conal Ho

The Apple adapter is 10/100BT. The limitation is due to the USB port which supports speeds up to 480 Mbits/sec. This is not fast enough for Gigabit Ethernet which is 1000 Mbits/sec. I'm not sure what that third-party adapter does to attain a speed in excess of what the USB port can sustain. However, it requires a driver that only supports Windows. It's possible that the device will not work on a Mac.

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Answer 2

Conal Ho Author

Level 3

503 points

May 10, 2008 10:00 AM in response to Kappy

Thanks for the clarification!

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Answer 3

Kappy

Level 10

362,007 points

May 10, 2008 10:03 AM in response to Conal Ho

Where in VanCity are you? I'm in the UBC area.

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