New 10 GbE USB adapters are cooler, smaller, cheaper
108 points
2 hours ago
| 10 comments
| jeffgeerling.com
| HN
GeertJohan
1 hour ago
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A Framework expansion card was also announced this week. https://frame.work/nl/en/products/wisdpi-10g-ethernet-expans...
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topspin
1 hour ago
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That link notes:

"Card supports 10Gbit/s and 10/100/1000/2500/5000/10000Mbit/s Ethernet"

Nice to see; some NICs are shedding 10/100 support. Apparently, it's not necessary to do this, even in a low cost device.

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userbinator
1 hour ago
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Low-cost devices are exactly where 10/100 is still widely used. On PCs, it's a common power-saving mode.
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deepsun
1 hour ago
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Is it also possible to power a laptop through those adapters? PoE++ can deliver up to 100W of power, more than enough for most laptops.
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eqvinox
1 hour ago
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Theoretically yes, practically that hasn't been built yet. I've only seen it for 2.5Gbase-T, and only for 802.3bt Type 3 (51W).

If anyone's aware of something better, I'd be interested too :)

(Then again I wouldn't voluntarily use 5Gb-T or 10Gb-T anyway, and ≈50W is enough for most use cases.)

[ed.: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256807960919319.html ("2.5GPD2CBT-20V" variant) - actually 2.5G not 1G as I wrote initially]

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Iulioh
39 minutes ago
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Eh.

A lot of laptops won't accept less than 60w

My work laptop won't accept less than 90w (A modern HP, i7 155h with a random low end GPU)

At first everyone at the office just assumed that the USB C wasn't able to charge the pc

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spockz
14 minutes ago
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Great. So we got EU laws to mandate USB-C chargers and then get manufacturers that flaunt the spirit of the law by rejecting lower wattages.
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gertrunde
11 minutes ago
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I think class 4 tops out at about 71W delivered to the powered device, albeit 90W at the switch port.

Might be a struggle I suspect!

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userbinator
11 minutes ago
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Yes, but look up the prices for PoE switches and you might reconsider.
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burnt-resistor
30 minutes ago
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With 802.3bt type 4 (71W delivered, 90W consumed), absolutely achievable with the proper electronics, but would you trust a no-name, fly-by-night NIC to not fry your expensive devices? That's the biggest hurdle. Possibly a company like Apple, Anker, or similar megacorp or high-trust startup could pull if off.
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superjan
16 minutes ago
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My favorite USB ethernet adapter is a lowly 100 MBit one that works everywhere without requiring driver downloads.
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fmajid
24 minutes ago
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FWIW I got a Xikestor 10G adapter with the Realtek chipset from AliExpress and it underperforms my much cheaper 5G one.
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jordand
25 minutes ago
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For Thunderbolt 4/5 docks, I've held off from buying a high-end Thunderbolt 5 dock as many still have 2.5GbE Ethernet and other limitations with displays. The CalDigit TS5 Plus is one of the only options with 10GbE and its $500 (and usually OoS). I managed to buy an ex-corporate refurb HP Thunderbolt 4 G4 dock for only ~$64 and would recommend others do the same (this has an Intel 2.5GbE and good display outputs)
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userbinator
1 hour ago
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sva_
1 hour ago
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It seems like a lot of laptop manufacturers skipped the USB 3.2 Gen2x2 in favor of USB4/TB4.
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TMWNN
1 hour ago
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Conversely, the last time I checked a couple of weeks ago, it was impossible to find any USB4 external SSDs on Amazon; only USB 3.2.
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justinclift
26 minutes ago
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If Amazon is a strict requirement, then this won't help. But if you're ok with AliExpress then it's probably a win:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005008555989592.html

I have one of these, though I'm using with a USB 3.x port as that's what my desktop has. For me it's working fine, and for others with actual USB 4 ports it seems to be working properly for them.

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whilenot-dev
49 minutes ago
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Wouldn't it be better to just buy an M.2 NVMe adapter, eg. ICY DOCK ICYNano MB861U31-1M2B[0]?

[0]: https://global.icydock.com/product_247.html

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justinclift
25 minutes ago
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That doesn't seem to be USB 4?
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sva_
49 minutes ago
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Really? I see plenty when I search for 'usb4 nvme enclosure'
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user34283
1 hour ago
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I have a RTL8157 5 Gbps adapter from CableMatters.

Interestingly it seems to get burning hot on the MacBook M1 Pro while it remains cool on the M5 Pro model.

Maybe the workload is different, but I would not rule out some sort of hardware or driver difference. I only use a 1G port on my router at the moment.

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eqvinox
58 minutes ago
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Too bad this is 10Gbase-T, that energy-wasting hot-running garbage needs to die sooner rather than later. Good thing the ranges for 25Gbase-T are short enough to make it impractical for home use.

(Fibre is nowhere near as "sensitive" as some people believe.)

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userbinator
9 minutes ago
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Good thing the ranges for 25Gbase-T are short enough to make it impractical for home use.

Anyone who talks about 25GBASE-T like it actually exists, doesn't know anything about what they're talking about.

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spockz
10 minutes ago
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Is the energy consumption inherent to 10Gbase-T? Or is it that 1Gbit nics have been around forever and optimised ad infinitum?

To be fair, the power consumption is also my biggest gripe with my WiFi 6 AP, they run extremely hot.

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zrm
34 minutes ago
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The problem with fibre isn't the sensitivity. It's that most endpoints have a 1Gbps copper port on them and then Cat6A ports can be used with the common devices but also allow you to add or relocate 10Gbps devices without rewiring the building again.
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HappMacDonald
29 minutes ago
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However — unlike copper twisted pair — the bandwidth current fiber media can carry is nearly limited by nothing but the optics at each end.
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zrm
23 minutes ago
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That doesn't solve the chicken and egg problem.

What probably would is something like having PCIe and USB to 1Gbps fiber adapters that cost $5.

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mschuster91
6 minutes ago
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In practice though 10G via copper requires pretty perfect terminations. The slightest error leads to crosstalk issues.
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shevy-java
55 minutes ago
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Will they be cheaper? I look at the RAM prices. Granted, RAM is in a different category than USB adapters, but I no longer trust anyone writing "will be cheaper" - the reality may be different to the projection made.
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