Malcolm Owen
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.
Andrew Orr
Wesley Hilliard
Christine McKee
William Gallagher
10 Comments
Are there any USB-Ethernet (or TBx-Ethernet) adapters that have ever had a removable cable from the housing? I don't think so.
"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
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.
She’s a looker!
No 10Base 5 or TokenRing?? Pfft... Totally bogus, dude!!