OWC reveals Thunderbolt 3 10G Ethernet Adapter for MacBook Pro, iMac

Aftermarket Mac upgrade vendor OWC has launched its Thunderbolt 3 10G Ethernet Adapter, allowing users to connect their Mac or MacBook to a 10-gigabit network at the same maximum network speed offered by the iMac Pro.

The Thunderbolt 3 10G Ethernet Adapter, as the name suggests, can connect to a 10G Base-T network, as well as supporting slower-speed connections for 5G, 2.5G, Gigabit, and 100 Base-T networks. On one end is an Ethernet port, with link lights changing color from green to yellow depending on the speed, while the other has a 19.6-inch Thunderbolt 3 cable attached that provides power as well as transferring data.

It is noted the Thunderbolt 3 cable is captive, namely it is securely connected to a hidden port within the enclosure. This means that, in the event the cable is damaged, it can be replaced without changing the entire unit.

It is a compact unit measuring 4.5 inches by 3.1 inches, and 1.1 inches thick, excluding the cable, and is claimed to have a "rugged" enclosure. Weighing just over half a pound, the lightweight and small adapter is highly portable, making it extremely useful for those on the move who need to connect to a wired network.

Taking advantage of the 40-gigabit per second bandwidth of Thunderbolt 3, the adapter will work with devices running macOS 10.3.4 or later, and doesn't need to have a driver installed. It will also work with Windows desktops running Windows 10 64-bit (version 1709) or later, again without needing a driver to be installed beforehand.

The OWC Thunderbolt 3 10G Ethernet Adapter is available from OWC directly, priced at $187.99.

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10 Comments

sflocal

said about 5 years ago

Are there any USB-Ethernet (or TBx-Ethernet) adapters that have ever had a removable cable from the housing? I don't think so.

MplsP

said about 5 years ago

"It is a compact unit measuring 4.5 inches by 3.1 inches, and 1.1 inches thick"

Compact?? That's huge for just being an ethernet adapter. For comparison, Here's the thunderbolt adapter I used with my old MacBook Air. Belkin has a USB C-Ethernet adapter that's similar, but 75% of the reviews on Apple's site were one star, so I don't think I'll be getting that one.

Edit - Just realized this is a 10G, not simply a gigabit ethernet adapter, so the size isn't so unreasonable compared to others. Not sure why the 10G adapters need to be so much bigger

polymnia

said about 5 years ago

It sure would be nice to work multi-GB files on a server over the network. Especially in a collaborative environment, copying assets to local storage and working from those is problematic. Links go missing and even if they are available, the links often point to a local copy, leaving a collaborator to search the server for the file that started out as a local asset.

Leaving everything on a server and accessing at 10Gb is the way to go! I remember when gigabit Ethernet enabled that 15 years ago. Since then files have gotten bigger and the gigabit network is the chokepoint.