The Anker USB-C to Ethernet Adapter is part of Anker’s PowerExpand line. It adds a full-size Ethernet port to laptops and tablets without one, using just a USB-C connection. The adapter supports speeds up to 1 Gbps and works with 10, 100, and 1000 Mbps networks, depending on your router. You don’t need to install anything; it works as soon as you plug it in. The adapter has an aluminum body and a braided nylon cable and is backed by an 18-month warranty from Anker.
Head over to Amazon to get the Anker USB-C to Ethernet Adapter for just $15, down from its usual price of $26. That’s a $11 discount and 40% off.
An easy way to connect your USB-C devices to ethernet
Laptops stopped including Ethernet ports once manufacturers chased thinner designs, and the port was one of the first things to go because it won’t fit in a chassis that thin. That’s fine most of the time since Wi-Fi handles most tasks. It stops being fine when you’re on a hotel network that keeps dropping, downloading something large, or on a video call that can’t afford to stutter.
Plugging this into a USB-C port gives you a wired connection up to 1 Gbps, which avoids the interference and latency of wireless. A wired connection doesn’t care how many people are on the network or how far you are from the router. The speed you get is the speed your internet plan actually delivers rather than what survives the trip through the air.
Plug and play means exactly that here. There’s no driver to download, no software to install, and no account to create. Connect the adapter to your laptop, run an Ethernet cable from the adapter to your router, and the connection comes up on its own. It works with Windows, macOS, and Linux, and Anker lists compatibility back to Windows XP and Mac OS X 10.2.
The aluminum on this adapter looks just as good as every other Anker product with an aluminum body. The braided nylon around the cable also lasts longer than the rubber cords that get frayed within a year of carrying them in your laptop sleeve. It fits inside a laptop sleeve and doesn’t take up much space.
Anker says its Ethernet adapter will only work on certain compatible devices. For example, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models have been compatible since 2018, as well as iPad Pros made after 2018. The Dell XPS 13 and XPS 15 are also compatible, along with the Microsoft Surface Pro 7, Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon, and many Chromebooks. So, before you decide whether to spend $15 on the Anker USB-C to Ethernet Adapter instead of its usual $26, take note that in order to get wired internet access for your Nintendo Switch, you’ll need a different type of USB-C-to-Ethernet adapter.