CableCreation USB3.0 2.5GbE Adapter (RealTek) $22.99 - 5% off coupon (clip) @ Amazon

[VirtualLarry]

Amazon.com: CableCreation USB 3.0 to 2.5 Gigabit LAN Ethernet Cable Adapter, USB to Network up to 2.5Gbps Compatible with MacBook, Chromebook, Windows 10, 8.1, Mac OS X 10.6-10.15, Black: Computers & Accessories

Buy CableCreation USB 3.0 to 2.5 Gigabit LAN Ethernet Cable Adapter, USB to Network up to 2.5Gbps Compatible with MacBook, Chromebook, Windows 10, 8.1, Mac OS X 10.6-10.15, Black: USB Network Adapters - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

Crazy good price on a branded (?) RealTek 2.5GbE USB3.0 adapter. I bought a couple of the Asustor models for $35.99 ea., the vendor then raised the price to the current $45.99 or so, where it has remained.

These appear to be a new listing, and are likely to increase in price after they make a few sales, probably up to the ~$45 level of the other RealTek 2.5GbE USB3.0 adapters.

Btw, this is a Type-A USB3.0 plug, so should be more compatible and reliable with older systems.

Edit: Product is Branded "CableCreation", also on ebay, there are sellers with that product, and the seller on Amazon for this product is also "CableCreation", so I believe that this is the mfg selling them direct via Amazon Marketplace. If not true, please indicate.

Sold by CableCreation and Fulfilled by Amazon.

 

[13Gigatons]

I really wish they didn't waste time on 2.5 and 5.0GbE and just jumped to 10GbE....oh well still a great deal.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Even with a 10Gbit/sec USB3.1/3.2 Gen2 interface, there is overhead on USB, so it wouldn't be able to reach 10Gbit properly over USB3.1 Gen2, not to mention the power and heat issues, the 5GbE USB3.x adapters have heatsinks, because they need them, and there are power issues with the ports as well as thermal issues.

So, basically, asking for 10GbE over USB3.x (Gen2), is still too much to ask. 5GbE is actually doable, but can be tricky. 2.5GbE is way easier and cheaper, or at least, should be, and this deal exemplifies that.

Only problem is, now you need a decent switch, and 8-port 2.5GbE switches (often with 10GbE uplinks, either SFP+ or 10GbE-T), cost nearly as much as full-on 10GbE/NBASE-T/multi-gig switches do.

Someone really needs to come out with a 5-port or 8-port 2.5GbE switch (without the 10GbE-T uplinks), for under $200, and preferably, under $100. Why that hasn't happened yet, I don't know.

Yet, we've got 1GbE 8-port switches for $15. Or 2.5GbE-T 8-port switches for $350-450. Something's wrong there.

Edit: That's not even getting into the cabling issue. You need (*at least according to official spec) CAT6a or CAT7 cabling for 10GbE of any reasonable distance. (I realize that you can use CAT6, but that's "out of spec", officially.)

Whereas, 2.5GbE, and even 5GbE for certain distances, are in-spec over "normal" Cat5e/Cat6 cabling infrastructure.

So if you already have in-wall Cat5e cabling, in your house or whatever, you can upgrade your LAN using these dongles, without having to rip-and-replace the cabling, a real major benefit.

Eventually, ISPs are going to offer internet plans faster than 1Gbit/sec symmetrical, so might as well be ready. (Routers with all 2.5GbE, or at least one WAN and one LAN of 2.5GbE are pretty sparse right now too.)

Edit: Also, with CPUs, RAM, SSDs, people pay for 5%, 10%, 20% improvements. This is a 2.5x improvement over 1GbE, and is an easy upgrade (no need to open up the PC, find an open empty slot, install drivers - they are included in the USB dongle I believe), for network-bound applications (such as some forms of backup, or large file-transfers to a NAS and back). That's still significant, in terms of saving real-world time.

 

[Ranulf]

Good price since many 1Gb adapters are around that price still. Future speed upgrade if we ever get decent Multi-gig switches.

 

[13Gigatons]

Even with a 10Gbit/sec USB3.1/3.2 Gen2 interface, there is overhead on USB, so it wouldn't be able to reach 10Gbit properly over USB3.1 Gen2, not to mention the power and heat issues, the 5GbE USB3.x adapters have heatsinks, because they need them, and there are power issues with the ports as well as thermal issues.

So, basically, asking for 10GbE over USB3.x (Gen2), is still too much to ask. 5GbE is actually doable, but can be tricky. 2.5GbE is way easier and cheaper, or at least, should be, and this deal exemplifies that.

Only problem is, now you need a decent switch, and 8-port 2.5GbE switches (often with 10GbE uplinks, either SFP+ or 10GbE-T), cost nearly as much as full-on 10GbE/NBASE-T/multi-gig switches do.

Someone really needs to come out with a 5-port or 8-port 2.5GbE switch (without the 10GbE-T uplinks), for under $200, and preferably, under $100. Why that hasn't happened yet, I don't know.

Yet, we've got 1GbE 8-port switches for $15. Or 2.5GbE-T 8-port switches for $350-450. Something's wrong there.

Edit: That's not even getting into the cabling issue. You need (*at least according to official spec) CAT6a or CAT7 cabling for 10GbE of any reasonable distance. (I realize that you can use CAT6, but that's "out of spec", officially.)

Whereas, 2.5GbE, and even 5GbE for certain distances, are in-spec over "normal" Cat5e/Cat6 cabling infrastructure.

So if you already have in-wall Cat5e cabling, in your house or whatever, you can upgrade your LAN using these dongles, without having to rip-and-replace the cabling, a real major benefit.

Eventually, ISPs are going to offer internet plans faster than 1Gbit/sec symmetrical, so might as well be ready. (Routers with all 2.5GbE, or at least one WAN and one LAN of 2.5GbE are pretty sparse right now too.)

Edit: Also, with CPUs, RAM, SSDs, people pay for 5%, 10%, 20% improvements. This is a 2.5x improvement over 1GbE, and is an easy upgrade (no need to open up the PC, find an open empty slot, install drivers - they are included in the USB dongle I believe), for network-bound applications (such as some forms of backup, or large file-transfers to a NAS and back). That's still significant, in terms of saving real-world time.

1. Running Ethernet over USB isn't official either but yeah I understand your point. It's just convenient.

2. Cat 5e will perform at 10GbE for shorter runs (which is officially accepted)...my longest run is only 175 feet. So maybe you won't need to rip out the Cat 5e or Cat 6 cable. Home users can run "out of spec" so long as it's safe for in-wall use.

 

[VirtualLarry]

1. Running Ethernet over USB isn't official either but yeah I understand your point. It's just convenient.

I wasn't aware that the ethernet standards dictated the types of host bus interfaces that were allowed to host ethernet NICs (MACs and PHYs). Are there official standards for that? Is the ISA or EISA bus still supported, officially? What about ThunderBolt? Surely, PCI-E and USB of various generations should be supported.

I wasn't talking about ethernet physical signalling over a USB3.x cable. What applications would that have?

 

[VirtualLarry]

Sorry for being pedantic. Anyways, back to this deal, I ordered a few for my PCs and laptops. Unfortunately, I learned, that the "Clip Coupon" for 5% off, only extended to 1 unit, not the whole qty. Is that normal for Amazon coupons, that they only apply to Qty. 1? That wouldn't have even qualified for free shipping then.

 

[SamirD]

That's an interesting limitation on the coupon, but I know coupons can be made to work in certain ways so that's probably it.

You could try seeing if the coupon works on 3 different orders.

 

[13Gigatons]

I wasn't aware that the ethernet standards dictated the types of host bus interfaces that were allowed to host ethernet NICs (MACs and PHYs). Are there official standards for that? Is the ISA or EISA bus still supported, officially? What about ThunderBolt? Surely, PCI-E and USB of various generations should be supported.

I wasn't talking about ethernet physical signalling over a USB3.x cable. What applications would that have?

Your post #3 illustrated why USB3.0 and 10GbE Ethernet don't really mix that well. For older desktops an add-on card would be better and for laptops it would be nice if 10GbE were already ubiquitous.

It's a good deal and anything faster then 1GbE is the right move. I will more then likely buy one....just need a good deal on a switch.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I received mine today. They work well, or just as well as the Asustor 2.5GbE USB3 adapter, but more reliable because these don't have the dreaded "Type-C" connector.

They even work with my Asustor 6104T NAS unit. Shhh, don't tell Asus!

 

[SamirD]

Awesome! Now all you need is a nice nbase-t switch.

 

[KentState]

Going to try this out on my laptop. The AX maxes out around 800 Mb/s so this will come in handy.

 

[Bull Dog]

I must have gotten a dud. It won't transfer files any faster than 45 MB/s. Returning that one and ordering a new one.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I must have gotten a dud. It won't transfer files any faster than 45 MB/s. Returning that one and ordering a new one.

That's USB 2.0 mode speeds. Check how / what you have connected. (Is it a USB2.0 hub or USB2.0 port on the hub, or do you have a USB3.0 hub plugged into a USB2.0 rear port? That was a problem that I encountered, with the Asustor 2.5GbE adapter.)

Try it in your front USB3.0 ports, if you can.

 

[Bull Dog]

Yes, tested on three different computers. Ports labels USB 3.0/3.1 gen 1 and USB 3.2 gen 2. Same result every time.

Network is not the bottleneck as I can do 1 GB/s on 10GbE to the file server.

 

[SamirD]

Yes, tested on three different computers. Ports labels USB 3.0/3.1 gen 1 and USB 3.2 gen 2. Same result every time.

Network is not the bottleneck as I can do 1 GB/s on 10GbE to the file server.

Maybe it's installing the wrong driver?

 

[Bull Dog]

Maybe, but I've tried both the included driver, the windows update driver, and the one on Realtek's website with the same result each time.

 

[SamirD]

Maybe, but I've tried both the included driver, the windows update driver, and the one on Realtek's website with the same result each time.

Bummer--definitely sounds like you got a bad one.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Yeah, that sounds like a bad one to me too, sorry.

 

[Bull Dog]

So the replacement adapter arrived and I had some time to do some more testing last night. Started fresh and had Windows delete all existing drivers and then installed the latest ones from Realtek's website.

The 40-45 MB/s speed problem went away and instead I started getting 8-12 MB/s when trying to download a file from my file server. Had a WTF!!! moment and plugged in the original adapter in and it behaved the same. 8-12 MB/s download.

Next, I tried uploading a file to the file server and it blazed away at a solid 270-280 MB/s. Tried downloading from the file server...and 8-12 MB/s again. Same behavior in both adapters.

The topology looks like this

Test Computer <--2.5 GbE link--> Trendnet TEG-7080ES switch <--10 GbE link--> FreeNAS File Server

So evidently there is a setting, or flow control problem, or something else that is wrong. At any rate it's beyond me at the moment.

I verified that the CableCreation 2.5GbE USB Adapters aren't at fault by configuring the Aquantia AQN-107 10GbE chip built into my motherboard to link at 2.5 Gbps and the same issue happened. Full speed upload and 20-22 MB/s download to/from the file server. Tried at 5 Gbps and the same thing too.

Interestingly this issue does not happen at Gigabit Ethernet speeds. It's a solid 112 MB/s up and down all day long.

PC <--1 GbE link--> TEG-7080ES switch <--10 GbE link--> File Server Good
PC <--2.5 GbE link--> TEG-7080ES switch <--10 GbE link--> File Server Bad
PC <--5.0 GbE link--> TEG-7080ES switch <--10 GbE link--> File Server Bad
PC <--10 GbE link--> TEG-7080ES switch <--10 GbE link--> File Server SPEEED

TLDR:
Maybe I did have a driver issue before. However, I have been unable to re-create my original 45 MB/s problem. As best I can tell, the USB adapters actually work fine. More importantly, I discovered that my switch doesn't play nice with mixed multi-gigabit signals.

Live and learn I guess.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Is your switch NBASE-T compatible? My understanding is that some switches, are ONLY 1Gbit/10Gbit, and nothing in-between. Mostly older or commercial switches.

 

[Bull Dog]

Yes, it is. Even advertises such right on the box "Supports 2.5G/5G NBASE-T connection speeds"

 

[VirtualLarry]

Does the file server ALSO have a second, 1GbE-T link to your LAN (mobo onboard LAN)? Which NIC (file server 10GbE-T, or 1GbE-T on mobo) is set as the Default Gateway NIC on that device? If the outgoing default gateway on the FS is the 1GbE-T, that might explain the slow bandwidth on the return path.

 

[mxnerd]

Default gateway does not affect LAN operation and will not determine link speed between LAN ports.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Default gateway does not affect LAN operation and will not determine link speed between LAN ports.

Then what does?