You Can Turn A USB Port Into An Ethernet Connection With A $15 Gadget

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While Wi-Fi and wireless internet connections are convenient for giving you some distance, like when you want to work in another room away from the modem and router, they can also sometimes introduce speed and reliability issues, for example, by introducing high-latency and connection issues in online games, especially competitive ones. You can set up a Wi-Fi mesh network or range extenders to improve reliability. But wired Ethernet is the way to go to eliminate these problems completely with its 40GbE and 100GbE options and speeds up to 100 gigabits per second (Gbps). But that's hard to do if your device doesn't have an Ethernet port. Except there's a small $15 device on Amazon from Ugreen that can turn your USB port into an Ethernet or LAN port.

By plugging the adapter into an available USB port on your device, you can turn it into an Ethernet port with gigabit speeds. It works with laptops, tablets, Mac Mini, TV boxes, and even the Nintendo Switch (regular and OLED models). Its plug-and-play support works with most devices, so you should be able to plug it in and use it seamlessly with no need to install drivers. Many users have reported in the reviews that it's affordable, reliable, and works as intended, with a nice speed boost versus wireless.

There are two main reasons why you'd want something like this. First, to benefit from the wired connectivity boost over wireless when there's no Ethernet or LAN port on your device: faster speeds, better reliability, and lower latency connections. Second, because your device is older and supports a slower LAN standard, it doesn't offer the gigabit LAN speeds. The first scenario is probably more common because faster gigabit speeds became normalized around 2010.

Ultimately, this USB-to-Ethernet adapter lets you unlock better internet support on devices that don't normally support LAN connections. And $15 is a small price to pay to unlock that access. The Nintendo Switch is the perfect example of a device you could use this adapter with, as well as laptops and tablets that only include USB-C or USB-A ports. You can then use the faster connection for streaming movies and media, playing games, or even browsing modern websites more reliably. Overall, USB to Ethernet adapters work well according to users who own them. You can also reliably set up a wired network connection in your home without installing or running Ethernet cables.