Ethernet

Read Cult of Mac’s latest posts on Ethernet:

New Satechi 6-port hub boasts extra-speedy 2.5G Ethernet

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Satechi USB-4 Multiport Adapter with 2.5G Ethernet
If your office or home offers 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet, your Mac could get as speed boost from a new Satechi USB-4 multiport adapter.
Photo: Satechi

The Satechi USB-4 Multiport Adapter with 2.5G Ethernet brings a significant speed boost over typical 1Gbps networking connections.

And that’s just the start. The USB-C hub has a range of other ports, including HDMI, USB-A and more.

This $27 tool helped me ID the Ethernet cables in my wall [Under Review]

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Elegiant Wire Tracker: This $27 tool will quickly identify Ethernet cables buried in your wall.
If you can't tell which Ethernet cable goes where, this inexpensive tool can help.
Photo: Lewis Wallace/Cult of Mac

Under Review on The CultCast The Elegiant Wire Tracker looks unassuming, but it helped me solve a frustrating problem: identifying the Ethernet cables buried behind the walls of my house. The inexpensive kit consists of a little plastic probe about the size of a Polish sausage and an emitter about the size of an iPhone (only it’s an inch or so thick).

It’s made of blue plastic, so it doesn’t pack that heavyweight “pro” feel, but it seems fairly durable. And if you need to figure out which Ethernet cable goes where, it gets the job done.

Easily add speedy Ethernet to your Mac with this inexpensive adapter [Review]

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Plugable USB-C to Ethernet Adapter review
Enjoy the reliability of Ethernet with this simple USB-C adapter for your Mac or iPad Pro.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Adding Ethernet to your MacBook or iPad Pro is as simple as attaching the Plugable USB-C to Ethernet Adapter. This cuts your dependence on WiFi, instead bringing the security, reliability and speed of a wired connection.

I tested this very affordable and portable accessory, and bring you the results in this hands-on review.

ADAM elements CASA Hub 10E brings versatility to your MacBook

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ADAM Elements CASA Hub 10E opens up possibilities for your MacBook Pro or MacBook Air connectivity.
The CASA Hub 10E opens up possibilities for your MacBook Pro or MacBook Air connectivity
Photo: ADAM elements

This USB-C hub post is presented by ADAM elements.

Have you switched to a MacBook Pro or MacBook Air laptop that only has USB-C ports? Then you probably want to either upgrade your connected hardware or get used to working with a hub. That’s where the CASA Hub 10E from ADAM elements comes in. Featuring two USB 3.1 ports, an HDMI port, a Thunderbolt 3 port and two USB-C ports, the expandable, modular hub brings plenty of versatility to your MacBook and the devices you need to connect to it.

Plugable 2.5Gbps Ethernet adapter doubles Mac network speeds at a reasonable price [Update]

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Get much faster Mac Ethernet with Plugable’s latest adapter.
The Plugable 2.5Gbps USB Ethernet Adapter promises faster Mac networking.
Photo: Plugable

Plugable Technologies announced Tuesday the availability of its 2.5Gbps USB Ethernet Adapter, bring a significant boost in speed over other ubiquitous devices at 1Gbps.

This affordable plug-in accessory is compatible with Mac and works over Cat 5e and Cat 6 Ethernet cables.

RAVpower travel router also connects iPhones to hard drives and SD cards [Review]

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RAVpower FileHub Travel Router is also a hub.
RAVpower FileHub Travel Router does far more than its name indicates.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Life on the road can be a hassle, even with an iPhone, but there’s a lot the RAVpower FileHub Travel Router can do to make it easier. It’s a battery, a hub with a USB port and SD card reader, and (naturally) a travel router.

I road tested every feature of this accessory. Read on to see if it deserves a place in your travel kit.

How to plug an Ethernet cable into your iPad

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This is a great-looking hub, but it still has problems.
This USB-C hub adds Ethernet to the 2018 iPad Pro, but any iPad can be hooked up with the right dongle.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Ethernet? In 2018? Yes. Maybe you work in an office without Wi-Fi. Perhaps you need to connect your Mac and iPad together directly with a cable for super-fast file transfers. Or maybe you just want the most reliable network connection possible — when recording a podcast, for example.

Whatever the reason, Wi-Fi hasn’t completely ousted Ethernet yet. And using Ethernet on your iPad is easy. If you’re hooking up an old Lightning iPad, it’s pretty easy. If you’re connecting a new USB-C iPad Pro, it’s dead easy.

Speed up MacBook Pro to 10 Gbps with this adapter

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OWC offers an adapter for your MacBook's Thunderbolt 3 port to connect to 10Gbps Ethernet networks.
OWC offers an adapter for your MacBook's Thunderbolt 3 port to connect to 10Gbps Ethernet networks.
Photo: OWC

Don’t be jealous of the 10Gbps Ethernet port in the iMac Pro. OWC introduced an adapter for your MacBook’s Thunderbolt 3 port to connect to networks at the same massive speeds.

Just be warned, the OWC Thunderbolt 3 10G Ethernet Adapter isn’t an accessory for the casual user. It’ll set you back $187.99.

Roku’s new 4K streamer kills Apple TV on price

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Roku
Roku is dominating the streaming wars.
Photo: Roku

Apple’s plan to dominate the 4K TV streaming market is up against some tough competition from the top company in the game.

Fresh off its IPO, Roku revealed its brand new lineup of streaming dongles today and while they may not pack as much processing power as the new Apple TV 4K, they have one killer feature that will lure in tons of buyers: a cheap price tag.

How to use a USB hub to hook up multiple devices to your iPad

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iPad usb hub
It's a mess, but it all works perfectly.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

You know how the Lightning cable that plugs into your iDevice has a USB plug on the other end? That’s because the Lightning port is a kind of fancy USB port itself. You already know that you can in plug a keyboard, or an audio interface, or a camera, using Apple’s Lightning to USB Camera Adapter. But did you know that you can plug in all of those at once? That’s right — by using a powered USB hub, you can hook up as many accessories as you like to your iPad at once. If you ever use your iPad to work at your desk, with a keyboard, then you can use this tip to build your own iPad docking station.

When Wi-Fi is out, use Ethernet to get online with your iPad

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When the Wi-fi goes down, you can always use Ethernet.
When the Wi-fi goes down, you can always use Ethernet.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

iPads are made to go online with Wi-Fi, but what happens when the wireless goes down and all you have is an Ethernet connection to the internet?

With a couple of Apple dongles and a powered USB hub, you can easily use Ethernet to get online with your iPad, no Wi-Fi required.

Here’s how.

Mastering The Terminal To Use New Features On Unsupported Macs [OS X Tips]

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Finder-Terminal

So far this week, we’ve spent time hacking our Macs via the Terminal, the best darn behind-the-scenes app you can find in Mac OS X. We’ve talked about tweaking the Finder, the user interface, security and privacy, and the Dashboard.

Today, let’s look at a few of the newer features of the OS X world, and how to make them work on older, unsupported Macs using some Terminal magic.

USB 3 Ethernet Adapter

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A USB 2.0 Ethernet adapter is a pitiful thing, an ugly workaround only really useful when you find yourself in a Wi-Fi-free hotel room with only your MacBook Air for company.

A USB 3.0 Gigabit Ethernet adapter, on the other hand, is every bit as good as having a real 10/1000 network connector hole in the side of your machine.

Enable And Use AirDrop Via Ethernet On Unsupported Macs [OS X Tips]

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AirDrop Over Ethernet

Not to beat up on AirDrop or anything, but not all Macs can use the zero-configuration file sharing technology from Apple. In order to use AirDrop, you must have a a newer Mac, like a MacBook Pro from 2008 or later, a MacBook Air from 2010 or later, or a Mac Mini from mid 2010 or later (full list below)

Luckily, if you can connect your older Mac to an Ethernet cable and network, you can enable AirDrop on an older Mac. Here’s how.

Tiny Dongle Turns Hotel Ethernet Into Hotel Wi-Fi

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You're in a hotel room, and you want to hook up to the in-room Wi-Fi. And guess what? It sucks, just like at every other hotel you ever stayed at. So Instead you dig out your MacBook and hook it up to the hotel's Ethernet cable, and use internet sharing to generate your own wireless network.

Wait… The newest MacBooks Air don't have Ethernet ports. But don't worry: you can pick up the $60 mySpot from Kanex, a little dongle which takes an Ethernet connector and turns its sweet network payload into a wireless cloud, ready for all your iDevices and your non-Ethernet MacBook Air.

Wi-Fi – The Hidden Business Cost Of iPad And iPhone Deployment

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Wi-Fi costs need to be part of mobile/BYOD budgeting
Wi-Fi costs need to be part of mobile/BYOD budgeting

There’s an unforeseen cost for companies as workers become more mobile and trends like BYOD become ever more common. It isn’t the cost of a mobile management solution, deploying iOS apps, or even supporting iPads and iPhones that users want to use to connect to the work email and other business resources.

What is this hidden cost? Wi-Fi.

DIY $30 Wireless Adapter For Nikon D4

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With a $30 XBox accessory, you can add Wi-Fi to your $6,000 camera
With a $30 XBox accessory, you can add Wi-Fi to your $6,000 camera

If you have already paid $6,000 for a new Nikon D4, you are either rich enough not to care that adding Wi-Fi costs another $900, or your bank account is now so wiped out that you can’t even afford to charge the battery. If you fall into either camp, though, you might still want to try out his great DIY project which adds Wi-Fi to your supercamera for just $30.