USB vs Thunderbolt ethernet adapter

How much is 5x performance worth to you ?

 

What are you connecting to ?

When I connect my MBA to my Gbit switch with the USB version, I get ~20MBps read speed. With the TB version I get >100MBps read speed.

 

A USB2 adapter will give you 100Mbps performance. USB3 and TB can both give you 1000Mbps performance.

 

If you want a faster Internet connection, pay the little bit extra and get a USB 3 or Thunderbolt ethernet adapter. They are wayyyy faster than any inexpensive USB 2 ethernet adapter (or USB 2 wireless dongle), because USB 2 is the limiting factor in speed.

Startech makes a great USB 3 ethernet adapter, but like most USB 3 things, it's a tad expensive also ($33 or so at Amazon). The Apple Thunderbolt ethernet adapter is actually cheaper ($29 and probably the only Thunderbolt accessory that is less expensive than it's USB 3 equivalent).

 

Good deal, but if you're talking about the Apple Thunderbolt Adapter beware that there are millions of counterfeits of every Apple product and many of them do not work well. Personally I'd spend the $4 extra to avoid being ripped off. But if it's the Startech USB 3 adapter you're talking about, ignore my warning.

 

Not for surfing/streaming/downloading over the typical home broadband connection, which is slower than a USB connection, no. Maybe a bit less lag on online games or slightly lower CPU usage....? I doubt its going to be dramatic, though.

For file sharing between computers on your home network (if they all have 1000mbps ethernet - yes).

...but check your home equipment actually supports 1000Mbps ethernet (including your router). A lot of cheap/older stuff doesn't (1000Mbps kit will still work with it, bit only at 100Mbps).

 

if all you're doing with this is browsing the net, keep in mind the fastest internet available from time warner cable in NYC is 50Mb/s. (and that's a $30 premium over their standard service)
their standard service is 15Mb/s.
if you've got DSL you're probably slower.
if you've got Fiber to the home (like FIOS) you're probably faster.

so the 100Mb USB adapter will be more than enough.

if you're wireless N, that is faster than 50Mb/s. (and probably faster than 100Mb/s if you've got a good signal)

wireless G is also probably faster than the standard level from time warner.


*if you alt-click the wifi icon in your menu bar, the "transmit rate" is the speed of your connection, see how that number compares to what you're supposed to be getting from your net provider. if they are close you probably won't see much speed increase.

** i keep saying probably, because there are a lot of variables that affect wireless, so speeds seen by you may not match others, or even if you move from one side of the room to another.


the only time you'll see a noticeable difference in speeds is moving files around your network, so to another computer, or to a back up device like a time capsule.

 

And to that I would add - for file TRANSFERS between computers. If I'm streaming 1080p video from one computer to another, wireless N is more than adequate. But when I'm copying 50 GB of files over, wired makes a big difference.

If you do go wired though, definitely go for the Thunderbolt, which will also free up a USB port that you probably need more.