Required driver download to get full speed
I have 3 different brands of USB 2.5GB ethernet adapters and this was the most difficult to install. The adapter shows up as 2500/2500 Mbps in my windows 2011 settings, but I was only getting around 1.23-1.25 Gb when I ran iper3 tests to 3 other computers, so I know this device was the limiting factor. It turns out that I needed to install a new driver. That was also a bit of a pain because Amazon says this adapter is model 201095 but the Cable Matters support page only listed a 201090. At least that still worked, and it refers you to the drivers on the Realtek website, which is the actual chip in this device.

So to sum it up, this adapter works fine, but you may need to install new drivers. I am getting about 2.37 Gbps which is basically as fast as it can get, so now I’m happy. And as a tip, the official driver on Realtek is called Realtek USB FE / GBE / 2.5G / 5G Ethernet Family Controller Software

Solid Build Quality
Unfortunately this didn’t work for me. I know it’s not down to the ethernet adapter, it’s my mistake i thought this might work with my oldish laptop running windows 10 unfortunately not. The adapter itself looks sturdy and solid, and to be honest i have no reason to believe this won’t do what it supposed to do when connected to the right device.

Easyway to add 2.5 Gigabit to a PC or Mac
Having had issues with USB based Ethernet Adapters in the past this one has pleasantly surprised me.

The packaging is minimal and not that informative, just the cable in a box basically. Thankfully it’s pretty easy to use. It was detected right away under Windows 11 and 10. Under windows 7, it was detected as a USB CD drive at first with a disc containing the drivers needed. Which is a neat way to handle providing the needed drivers. It was also detected without issue right away under Mac OS 10.14 and Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, but I couldn’t get it working under older versions of Ubuntu or Android.

Performance wise it seems to do about the same as a PCI-E card, getting transfer speeds of around 2.35 Gigabit a second. Though this can fluctuate as low as 2 gigabit if the cable is under an strain or is used intensively for a long period of time.

Annoyingly, but perhaps unsurprisingly it just refuses to work if plugged into any USB type C port that only runs at USB 2.0 speeds. Though thankfully these are fairly rare, but do check before buying that your device as at least a USB 3.0 type C port.

Worked great - tested on W10, W11 and MacOS
This lightweight and compact unit is probably the easiest way to add 2.5gb ethernet to most USB C capable devices.

I plugged it into my Windows 10 desktop, m1 mac mini and windows 11 laptop and all detected it and started working pretty much immediately.

Running a throughput test with tamosoft between this adapter and a 2.5gb PCIE adapter in another computer it achieved near enough the full speed – pulling down 2350 mbps, uploading approx 1900mbps simultaneously – not a perfect result but very good nonetheless and comfortably double what you’d get on a gigabit link.

The automatically installed windows driver is rather long in the tooth – dated 2016 – so I updated to the latest from the Realtek website, although this didn’t really change the performance.

Power consumption appears minimal by this unit – I monitored the computer’s power consumption at the wall and the increase in usage was very marginal. Even after leaving the throughput test running for twenty minutes or so the case of the adapter hardly seemed warm to the touch. This is quite a contrast to some of the gigabit adapters I’ve used in the past, which certainly get warm after some time using them.

Unfortunately it didn’t work on my Android phone, although this does appear to be a software/driver issue as all the lights do come on – hopefully a later version of android or a different phone will support it – for context I’ve had no issues using a USB C gigabit adapter.

Of course, unless your network infrastructure supports 2.5gb you won’t see an improvement in performance – these are starting to come down but there is still quite a jump in price from gigabit kit! – still, with one of these adapters you will at least be ready for it.

Recommended.

Great Product that works without a hitch
Currently, my home network boasts a blazing-fast 1.1 Gbps connection to the primary internet (WAN). While this speed is more than sufficient for everyday web browsing and rapid downloads, I was particularly interested in exploring the full potential of this adapter. Its primary objective was to facilitate speeds beyond the gigabit range for swift file transfers within my local network, connecting my PC and NAS.

In terms of hardware, my PC boasts a 2.5Gb NIC and the same goes for my NAS. To ensure a rigorous evaluation, I decided to test this adapter’s capabilities by conducting an internet throughput (iperf) test between my PC and my Mac, the latter equipped with this dongle. To eliminate any potential bottlenecks, I used a Cat 8 “Gaming” Ethernet cable for the connection. My PC served as the host, while my Mac, equipped with the adapter, acted as the client.

During testing, I observed impressive speeds, consistently hovering between 2.3 and 2.35 Gbps, which aligns closely with the promised 2.5Gbps speed. Achieving such speeds can be a challenge without high-end PC equipment and controlled lab conditions that minimize software and hardware overheads. Nevertheless, these results validate the use of a 2.5Gbps controller for handling data transfers at these remarkable speeds. When connecting to speed test servers via the internet, I consistently achieved speeds ranging from 1 to 1,050 Mbps. This confirms that the adapter performs exactly as anticipated.

Setting up and installing the adapter was a straightforward process. I simply plugged it in, and within seconds, my NIC was up and running. I was delighted to discover that there were no bothersome software installations or driver updates required, a convenience that applies to both PC and Mac users. It’s worth noting that this adapter also supports Linux, although this detail is not explicitly mentioned.

In summary, this product lives up to its advertised performance, is reasonably priced at 22.99, and comes remarkably close to its promised 2.5Gbps speed. Considering that it falls outside the realm of standard consumer technology, it offers exceptional value for money. I wholeheartedly recommend it to others seeking a reliable and high-speed networking solution.

Does exactly as it says and nothing more to add
This little helper is a must have tech gadget if you have an ultrabook like the HUAWEI MATEBOOK X that
does not come with an ethernet port. Usually you would transfer files over WiFi, but I have some really
big files around 100Gb that I need on my workstation for AI tests on a frequent base.
I was able to get 1Gbit/s with my CAT 6 cable which is very good.
The design is very slim and functional – exactly as I like it.
I can recommend this product.

Speeds as expected on Windows, lacking on Android
My home network is 3 Gbps, and I currently use a 10 Gb NIC. I’m using CAT 7 cable, direct from router to device.

My speed when testing with my main NIC was 3141 Mbps DL / 3201 Mbps UL. When switching to the Cable Matters USB-C Ethernet Adaptor, my speeds were 2339 Mbps DL and 2339 Mbps UL. This is very close to the expected 2.5 Gbps speeds advertised, and it works great! I plugged it in, the installer ran, and within seconds, I was ready to go with this NIC.

When plugging it into Android, it was a different story. Over WiFi, I was getting 327 Mbps DL and 200 Mbps upload. After turning off Mobile Data and Wi-Fi, plugging in the adaptor, and verifying my phone showed “Ethernet”, I tested again, and was left with speeds of 272 Mbps DL and 456 Mbps UL. There was an improvement over my wireless speeds for upload, but there was a drop for download. It appears this product doesn’t deliver the full 2.5 Gbps. The phone in question is a Pixel 6 Pro, which uses USB-C 3.1 Gen 1 (max 5 Gbps), so I’m not being limited by the device. I also tested genuine and synthetic network loads (file transfer and speedtest, respectively) and found similar results.

Overall, this item works great as advertised for Windows, but it doesn’t deliver the full 2.5 Gbps speeds on all devices. Plug and Play capabilities may need to be improved.

Good
Seems well made, plastic casing on both ends and the indicator light is nice to have. Cable is kinda cheap but reasonably flexible, for 23 it’s a good price for what it is. It does the job its meant to do running at 2.5gbe. Good product.