Hi:

I got an Ethernet to Thunderbolt dongle. It's marked 'Gigabit Ethernet
Adapter', and the System Settings > Network shows it as 'USB 10/100/1000
LAN'. Yet I can only get 100Mb/s throughput.

I tried a different dongle, and System Settings > Network shows 'USB
10/100/1G/2.5G LAN'. This one gives full speed.

So what does '10/100/1000 LAN' mean, if I can't get 1Gb/s from it? Is the old
dongle really a 'Gigabit Adapter'?

Martin S Taylor

On 09/04/2024 12:06, Martin S Taylor wrote:
> Hi:
>
> I got an Ethernet to Thunderbolt dongle. It's marked 'Gigabit Ethernet
> Adapter', and the System Settings > Network shows it as 'USB 10/100/1000
> LAN'. Yet I can only get 100Mb/s throughput.

This sounds like a USB to Ethernet dongle, not Thunderbolt (that USB in
the Network description)?

I have just such a USB to Ethernet dongle, that reports itself as USB
10/100/1000 LAN, which is configured as 1000baseT - look in Details then
Hardware to see how it's configured - and really is 1 Gbps.

> I tried a different dongle, and System Settings > Network shows 'USB
> 10/100/1G/2.5G LAN'. This one gives full speed.
>
> So what does '10/100/1000 LAN' mean, if I can't get 1Gb/s from it? Is the old
> dongle really a 'Gigabit Adapter'?

I have three possibilities up front:

i) the ethernet cable or ethernet port only does fast ethernet (4 wires,
not 8)
ii) it has been explicitly configured to run slowly
iii) the USB port or hub to which it is connected is USB 2 (480 Mbs)

D

Martin S Taylor <correspondence@mRaErMtOiVnEsTtHaIySlor.com> wrote:
> Hi:
>
> I got an Ethernet to Thunderbolt dongle. It's marked 'Gigabit Ethernet
> Adapter', and the System Settings > Network shows it as 'USB 10/100/1000
> LAN'. Yet I can only get 100Mb/s throughput.
>
> I tried a different dongle, and System Settings > Network shows 'USB
> 10/100/1G/2.5G LAN'. This one gives full speed.
>
> So what does '10/100/1000 LAN' mean, if I can't get 1Gb/s from it? Is the old
> dongle really a 'Gigabit Adapter'?

What is the cable rated as? What's at the other end of the cable? It all
has to be rated as gigabit.

On 9 Apr 2024, Chris wrote
(in article <uv3pp1$aq6u$1@dont-email.me>):

> Martin S Taylor<correspondence@mRaErMtOiVnEsTtHaIySlor.com> wrote:
> > Hi:
> >
> > I got an Ethernet to Thunderbolt dongle. It's marked 'Gigabit Ethernet
> > Adapter', and the System Settings > Network shows it as 'USB 10/100/1000
> > LAN'. Yet I can only get 100Mb/s throughput.
> >
> > I tried a different dongle, and System Settings > Network shows 'USB
> > 10/100/1G/2.5G LAN'. This one gives full speed.
> >
> > So what does '10/100/1000 LAN' mean, if I can't get 1Gb/s from it? Is the
> > old
> > dongle really a 'Gigabit Adapter'?
>
> What is the cable rated as? What's at the other end of the cable? It all
> has to be rated as gigabit.

It's nothing to do with the cable, or the router at the end of it. As I
wrote, with a different dongle it works perfectly at gigabit speed.

MST

On 9 Apr 2024, David Sankey wrote
(in article <uv3nj4$a5u3$1@dont-email.me>):

> On 09/04/2024 12:06, Martin S Taylor wrote:
>
> > Hi:
> >
> > I got an Ethernet to Thunderbolt dongle. It's marked 'Gigabit Ethernet
> > Adapter', and the System Settings > Network shows it as 'USB 10/100/1000
> > LAN'. Yet I can only get 100Mb/s throughput.
>
> This sounds like a USB to Ethernet dongle, not Thunderbolt (that USB in
> the Network description)?
>
> I have just such a USB to Ethernet dongle, that reports itself as USB
> 10/100/1000 LAN, which is configured as 1000baseT - look in Details then
> Hardware to see how it's configured - and really is 1 Gbps.
>
> > I tried a different dongle, and System Settings > Network shows 'USB
> > 10/100/1G/2.5G LAN'. This one gives full speed.
> >
> > So what does '10/100/1000 LAN' mean, if I can't get 1Gb/s from it? Is the
> > old
> > dongle really a 'Gigabit Adapter'?
>
> I have three possibilities up front:
>
> i) the ethernet cable or ethernet port only does fast ethernet (4 wires,
> not 8)
> ii) it has been explicitly configured to run slowly
> iii) the USB port or hub to which it is connected is USB 2 (480 Mbs
It's nothing to do with the cable, or the router at the end of it. As I
wrote, with a different dongle it works perfectly at gigabit speed.

MST

On 09/04/2024 18:07, Martin S Taylor wrote:
> On 9 Apr 2024, Chris wrote
> (in article <uv3pp1$aq6u$1@dont-email.me>):
>
>> Martin S Taylor<correspondence@mRaErMtOiVnEsTtHaIySlor.com> wrote:
>>> Hi:
>>>
>>> I got an Ethernet to Thunderbolt dongle. It's marked 'Gigabit Ethernet
>>> Adapter', and the System Settings > Network shows it as 'USB 10/100/1000
>>> LAN'. Yet I can only get 100Mb/s throughput.
>>>
>>> I tried a different dongle, and System Settings > Network shows 'USB
>>> 10/100/1G/2.5G LAN'. This one gives full speed.
>>>
>>> So what does '10/100/1000 LAN' mean, if I can't get 1Gb/s from it? Is the
>>> old
>>> dongle really a 'Gigabit Adapter'?
>>
>> What is the cable rated as? What's at the other end of the cable? It all
>> has to be rated as gigabit.
>
> It's nothing to do with the cable, or the router at the end of it. As I
> wrote, with a different dongle it works perfectly at gigabit speed.

You say you only get 100Mb/s - do you know this from timing a file
transfer or is that what the router says the link is established at or
something else?

It would be useful to know what the router thinks the connection is
established at for the 'slow' dongle. (The colour coding of the LEDs
either side of the socket should be enough to tell.)

It would be useful to know what makes and model the two dongles are.

But in answer to your original question, '10/100/1000 LAN' should mean
that it is capable of 1Gbps.

--
Bruce Horrocks
Surrey, England

On 9 Apr 2024, Bruce Horrocks wrote
(in article<4d7eb72b-72e8-4036-a5ea-633fec38e84d@scorecrow.com>):

> You say you only get 100Mb/s - do you know this from timing a file
> transfer or is that what the router says the link is established at or
> something else?

The router says the link is established at 100Mb/s, and Speedtest says my
maximum download speed from the Internet is 95Mb/s via Ethernet and the old
dongle, when I can get 400Mb/s using WiFi and 475Mb/s using Ethernet and the
new dongle.
>
> It would be useful to know what the router thinks the connection is
> established at for the 'slow' dongle. (The colour coding of the LEDs
> either side of the socket should be enough to tell.)

Router says the connection is 100Mb/s
>
> It would be useful to know what makes and model the two dongles are.

Old, slow dongle (now sent back to Amazon) was a Maxonar. New one is Anker.
>
> But in answer to your original question, '10/100/1000 LAN' should mean
> that it is capable of 1Gbps.

....which is rhe reason for this post!

MST

Martin S Taylor <correspondence@mRaErMtOiVnEsTtHaIySlor.com> wrote:
> On 9 Apr 2024, Chris wrote
> (in article <uv3pp1$aq6u$1@dont-email.me>):
>
>> Martin S Taylor<correspondence@mRaErMtOiVnEsTtHaIySlor.com> wrote:
>>> Hi:
>>>
>>> I got an Ethernet to Thunderbolt dongle. It's marked 'Gigabit Ethernet
>>> Adapter', and the System Settings > Network shows it as 'USB 10/100/1000
>>> LAN'. Yet I can only get 100Mb/s throughput.
>>>
>>> I tried a different dongle, and System Settings > Network shows 'USB
>>> 10/100/1G/2.5G LAN'. This one gives full speed.
>>>
>>> So what does '10/100/1000 LAN' mean, if I can't get 1Gb/s from it? Is the
>>> old
>>> dongle really a 'Gigabit Adapter'?
>>
>> What is the cable rated as? What's at the other end of the cable? It all
>> has to be rated as gigabit.
>
> It's nothing to do with the cable, or the router at the end of it. As I
> wrote, with a different dongle it works perfectly at gigabit speed.

Sorry. Missed that bit.

Must be faulty or poor quality.

On 09/04/2024 22:20, Martin S Taylor wrote:
> On 9 Apr 2024, Bruce Horrocks wrote
> (in article<4d7eb72b-72e8-4036-a5ea-633fec38e84d@scorecrow.com>):
>
>> You say you only get 100Mb/s - do you know this from timing a file
>> transfer or is that what the router says the link is established at or
>> something else?
>
> The router says the link is established at 100Mb/s, and Speedtest says my
> maximum download speed from the Internet is 95Mb/s via Ethernet and the old
> dongle, when I can get 400Mb/s using WiFi and 475Mb/s using Ethernet and the
> new dongle.
>>
>> It would be useful to know what the router thinks the connection is
>> established at for the 'slow' dongle. (The colour coding of the LEDs
>> either side of the socket should be enough to tell.)
>
> Router says the connection is 100Mb/s
>>
>> It would be useful to know what makes and model the two dongles are.
>
> Old, slow dongle (now sent back to Amazon) was a Maxonar. New one is Anker.
>>
>> But in answer to your original question, '10/100/1000 LAN' should mean
>> that it is capable of 1Gbps.
>
> ...which is rhe reason for this post!

I have looked at a number of USB Ethernet dongles over the past day or
two, all describing themselves as USB 10/100/1000 LAN, all configured as
1000baseT when I look in the Hardware tab in Details, even when
connected on a USB 2 bus (so 480 Mbps to the host).

So sounds like your one was dodgy and sending it back was the right thing.

D

On 10 Apr 2024, David Sankey wrote
(in article <uv6u3o$16co0$1@dont-email.me>):

> I have looked at a number of USB Ethernet dongles over the past day or
> two, all describing themselves as USB 10/100/1000 LAN, all configured as
> 1000baseT when I look in the Hardware tab in Details, even when
> connected on a USB 2 bus (so 480 Mbps to the host).
>
> So sounds like your one was dodgy and sending it back was the right thing.

Mine described itself as USB 10/100/1000 LAN and configured as 1000baseT in
the Hardware tab. But the router said 100Mb/s and that figure was borne out
by running Speedtest.

MST

Martin S Taylor <correspondence@mRaErMtOiVnEsTtHaIySlor.com> wrote:
> On 10 Apr 2024, David Sankey wrote
> (in article <uv6u3o$16co0$1@dont-email.me>):
>
>> I have looked at a number of USB Ethernet dongles over the past day or
>> two, all describing themselves as USB 10/100/1000 LAN, all configured as
>> 1000baseT when I look in the Hardware tab in Details, even when
>> connected on a USB 2 bus (so 480 Mbps to the host).
>>
>> So sounds like your one was dodgy and sending it back was the right thing.
>
> Mine described itself as USB 10/100/1000 LAN and configured as 1000baseT in
> the Hardware tab. But the router said 100Mb/s and that figure was borne out
> by running Speedtest.

I’ve had one built into a USB hub device, cheap oriental one, which was
sold as 10/100/1000, but would only connect at 10/100 on my iPad Pro. It
also dropped out the Internet at frequent intervals too (needing a restart
to fix).

I replaced that with a separate USB to Ethernet adapter (from Amazon), and
that does connect at the advertised 10/100/1000 speeds. I actually bought
two, the other I used on my old MBP.

Speeds were ok, but also dropped internet, although less often.

--
Andy H