Sonnet’s Solo5G Ethernet adapter brings fast connections to Apple portables
- feb
- 25
What you need to know
- The Solo5G is a USB-C to Ethernet adapter.
- But it's capable of speeds up to 400% that of gigabit Ethernet.
- You'll need a compatible switch, though.
For when gigabit Ethernet just won't cut it.
Sonnet has announced the Solo5G Ethernet adapter and it's designed to add Ethernet capabilities to notebooks that only have USB-C ports. So, all of Apple's portables, then.
What makes this Ethernet adapter different to most, as spotted by Apple Insider, is its use of NBASE-T, a standard that sits somewhere between gigabit Ethernet and 10-gigabit Ethernet. In reality it can offer speeds of between 250% and 400% of a standard gigabit connection, but you'll need to have a multigigabit or 10-gigabit switch for that to work.
Featuring NBASE-T technology (also known as multi-Gigabit Ethernet) the Solo5G adapter supports 5 Gb/s and 2.5 Gb/s link speeds (5GBASE-T and 2.5 GBASE-T, respectively) over common Cat 5e cabling when used with a compatible multi-Gigabit Ethernet switch or 10 Gigabit Ethernet switch with NBASE-T support. Models from Buffalo, Cisco, Netgear, QNAP, TRENDnet and others are available now.
In the box you'll find the adapter as well as a 0.5m USB-C to USB-C cable. There's a USB-C to USB-A cable for those using computers without the latest connections, too.
None of this fancy tech comes cheap, though. You can order Sonnet's Solo5G directly from the company's website now for a cool $79.99. If you want the fastest of the fast though, this is the adapter to get.