USB Ethernet adapters randomly stop working on M1 MacBook Pro and macOS Big Sur

I think i have exactly the same problem and i described it over there:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/ethernet-disruption-in-clamshell-mode.2277222/

I configured my router to limit the connection between my M1 MacBook Pro and the NAS from 1000 Mbit/s to 100 Mbit/s. At that speed the disruptions rarely occur and Time Machine Backups mostly work, but that's not a satisfying solution.

Your description is the kind of thorough, fairly complete picture of a problem the Engineers at Apple WISH they could get from Users when a problem occurs. It is far more likely to be usable to reproduce the issue, which is most of the way toward getting the problem solved.

But we have no methods to escalate issues from here on the User-to-User forums to Apple Engineering.

It takes YOU to contact support, work through the First responders to a get the ear of a Specialist, then provide your information so they can create a Bug Report. Only Bug Reports and service returns get Engineering action. A savvy specialist may be able to look at your posting on the forums to save you some time re-explaining your experiments and observations.

First responders are trained to be patient and methodical. Specialists have more technical training, but may be far less patient.

Based on that, this looks like a growing body of evidence that these adapters are not working in Big Sur, regardless of processor.

Best bet may be to try to apply pressure on the Vendors to get a new Driver for the 8153 chip.

One desperate user reported that using the Apple ThunderBolt-3 <-> ThunderBolt-2 adapter with the old ThunderBolt-2 to Gigabit Ethernet adapter DOES work, but-is definitely a "cracking nuts with a B-52 bomber" kind of a solution.

I certainly would bypass the hub, and I might question the Ethernet adapter unless it has been verified to work.

The Belkin USB-C to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter - Apple

I will add you have a limited 14 days for a full refund or exchange for one that works out of the box, if you suspect a hardware issue here.

Call Customer Support (800) MY–APPLE (800–692–7753)

or call AppleCare Support at 1-800-APLCARE (800-275-2273)

Alternatively you can search Realtek Support for known issues/updated driver for M1 compatibility.

I have the same issues here with several MBP M1 and Lenovo USB-C Dock Gen 2.

I tried to report this issue to Apple via Support Chat but sadly they just referenced me to Lenovo, although this is clearly a Realtek Driver bug in macOS.

I hope Apple will fix this soon. Isn't there any other way of reporting those crashes to Apple?

Your information confirms it stopped working suddenly The resulting backlog of data (and possibly the recursion need to re-transmit it) caused a stack overflow, which halted the DriverKit process.

This also caused the interface to revert to a Self-Assigned IP address (in the 169.254.xxx.yyy range, which happens when no one will talk to you and give you batter IP address.

Your Mac should not crash like this when bad things happen. But we have no mechanisms here to escalate such problems to Apple Support to get a Bug Report filed and get Engineering working on reproducing and solving this issue.

if you can, please take the time to contact support and get them to add you to the Bug report, or if they cannot find one, to start a new one. Your panic data is the first I have seen posted, and may be interesting for them. The link is at the top of every forum page.

Similar issue. I don't know about drivers and chipsets, but my 2019 MacBook Pro about 3-4 weeks ago started the same issue on Ethernet, I'm using a dock CalDigit TS3 Plus but also replicated issue through a CalDigit Mini Dock. Works fine on WiFi speeds but Ethernet kills the entire internet connection once it starts processing big files. I use a Dropbox finder app and constantly syncing large video files, and everything works fine until it starts syncing any large files 500mb+ maybe, not exactly sure on size. But I can switch the WiFi on and everything connects fine. Or I can unplug adapter, plug it back in, and get it working again until it starts downloading those files again....

i'm having exactly the same problem with the Satechi TYPE-C MULTI-PORT ADAPTER 4K WITH ETHERNET V2 (https://satechi.net/products/type-c-multi-port-adapter-with-ethernet-v2?variant=45020091145). It loos ethernet connectivity every few hours. The ehternet setting shows it as connected, but is not really working and computer disconnects. It heats so much that burns at touch. I'm using it on a 2021 MacBook Pro (M1). The only way to fixit is unpluggin the USB Type C connector from the computer, but this is anoying and disconnects power, video and other usb device.

<< I was hoping that some of them would be browsing the forums for these kind of issues. >>

It would be nice if that were so, but it is not normally the case. They have piles of work that came in through Bug Reports, so they generally don't have time to go 'looking for trouble' on the forums.

Also, the typical forum post is so devoid of methodical experimentation (which makes your posting so refreshing) that it can not be acted on without MUCH more information-gathering.

Same issue with Belkin F2**040 adapter which seems to contain a RTL chip.

Connectivity gets lost in video calls. Had to switch back to WiFi as for now.

Looking forward to getting a fix in the future updates...

Having the exact same issue, with 3 types of dongle. Reconnecting t he network cable do show its sense the disconnection, but IP cannot be renews.

Disconnecting the dongle and reconnecting works, but then randomly goes away again.

I can see that both Adapters (HP, Goldtouch) are Realtek, but how can I see that model so I'll try new drivers ?

I just want to add my experience. I purchased a MacBook Pro M1 so that I'm able to do video editing on the go. I also had the idea that I can use it to stream my gameplay from my gaming PC using OBS + NDI. Installation and setup went smooth however, when it came to broadcasting, anywhere from 5 mins. to 30 mins., the broadcast would stop. I did a lot to try and fix the problem from changing bitrates, changing encoders, swapping ethernet cables from Cat5e to Cat6, and also buying another USB-C hub (QGeeM branded). I started thinking maybe it's the computer I bought (refurbished model from Apple Store online). Anyway, I'm glad I came across this as there seems to be an issue with USB-C hubs or dongles with the Realtek device. Hopefully we can get a fix soon.