To make laptops more slimmer and aesthetically appealing, most modern laptops don’t have an ethernet port, mentioned as an RJ-45 port in the specs sheet. If you also own a modern laptop without an Ethernet port but wanted to connect an Ethernet cable to it, this article will definitely be going to help you out.
Here you will get a solution using which you will be able to connect the ethernet cable to a laptop that doesn’t even have an ethernet port.
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Why Do you Need an Ethernet port on Laptop when you have Wifi?
Wifi is all good. You can connect to the internet wirelessly and can give funny names to wifi routers but what about inconsistent connection, latency & poor speed? Wifi works pretty well when you don’t have much distance from the router and there are no hurdles in between.
Here is why you need an ethernet port on your Laptop for connecting an ethernet cable.
1. High-Speed Internet Connection
CAT8 cable, when connected to an ethernet port, is capable to give you a consistent speed of up to 40Gbps. This is not possible with wifi connection yet. If you wanted a high-speed, consistent data transfer rate for streaming, and video conferencing or any other usage, an Ethernet connection is the only way and for that, you need an Ethernet port on laptop otherwise, you will see laggy streaming, buffering in video conferencing which is not desirable.
2. Weak Wifi Signal or No Signal
An ethernet port is also preferred when your laptop is not in the wifi range. A weak wifi signal means poor internet speed which is more irritating than having no internet connection at all. Simply connect the ethernet cable to the laptop and you can have a high-speed internet connection anywhere without thinking about wifi range or signal, hurdles or inconsistent data transfer speed.
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3. For Accessing Heavy Files from NAS
An Ethernet port is also required if you want to connect the NAS. NAS or Network Attached Storage is used in many offices, apartments, and homes and for seamless data transfer of heavy files, the Ethernet port is what you need. Many content creators, and YouTubers who edit videos and create music use NAS for backup and quick access to heavy files. If your laptop doesn’t have an ethernet port, and you deal with heavy data, it will take a lot of time to copy and paste heavy files over wifi.
4. Low Latency Gaming
Imagine the gameplay where you are killed by the enemy even after firing bullets. Gamers know the pain of having high ping while gaming. For the best gaming performance, gamers need a low-latency internet connection and there is nothing better than an Ethernet cable connection. For that, you definitely need an ethernet port on the laptop.
These are a few reasons why you need an Ethernet port on your laptop even after having Wifi. If your laptop doesn’t have an ethernet port, don’t worry, and let’s equip an ethernet port on your laptop.
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How to Connect Ethernet Cable to Laptop Without Ethernet Port
If your laptop doesn’t have an ethernet port and you wanted to connect the ethernet cable to it, you just need an Ethernet adapter. You can simply connect the Ethernet adapter to USB Type-A or USB Type-C port and insert the CAT cable into that adapter. With an Ethernet adapter, you will enjoy all the benefits of an Ethernet port without any compromises.
There are different types of ethernet adapters available in the market. Let’s talk more about it.
1. USB Type-C to Ethernet Adapter
USB Type-C is becoming a universal port for connection and every modern laptop has at least 2 Type-C ports. If your laptop has enough Type-C ports, you can get a USB Type-C to Ethernet adapter. You just need to plug in that adapter to the USB Type-C port of your laptop and at the other end, connect the ethernet cable.
Once it is connected, you have the working ethernet port on the laptop. Although there are a lot of USB Type-C to Ethernet adapters available but here is the best ethernet adapter you can get for Macbooks, Windows, Chromebook and even for iPad.
- Aluminium Build
- Braided-nylon cable
- Stable connection speeds of up to 1Gbps
- Comes with Signal Indicator
- Super portable & lightweight
- Compatible with macOS, iPadOS, Windows & ChromeOS
- 18-Month Warranty
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2. USB 3.0 Type-A to Ethernet Adapter
Along with USB Type-C, most laptop, except Macbooks, also comes with USB 3.0 Type-A port. If you have other devices to connect to the USB Type-C port, you can use the idle USB 3.0 Type-A port for connecting the Ethernet adapter. For that, you can get the below-mentioned USB 3.0 to Ethernet adapter from UGreen.
- Data Transfer Speed upto 1000Mbps (USB 3.0 only)
- No need to install any driver
- Compatible with macOS, Windows, ChromeOS & Nintendo Switch & Switch OLED version
- Portable and lightweight
3. 8-in-1 USB Type-C Hub with Ethernet Port
For those who are using Macbooks or laptops with limited USB Type-C ports, you can consider this 8-in-1 USB Type-C hub which also comes with an Ethernet port. Along with an Ethernet port, this Anker USB Type-C hub also comes with HDMI, USB 3.2 Type-A, SDCard Slot and more USB Type-C ports.
- Comes with USB Type-C Power Delivery Ports, HDMI supporting 4K@60hz, SDCard Slot, USB 3.2 Type-A storage ports, Ethernet Port
- Data Transfer speed upto 10Gbps via USB Type-C and USB Type-A ports (for external HDD, SSDs, Flash Drives)
- Fast & Consistent Ethernet connection with up to 1Gbps
- 18 Months Warranty
- Compatible with Macbook, Dell XPS & other Windows laptops
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Laptop doesn’t have Ethernet Port: To Summarise
That is how you can connect an ethernet cable to Laptop if it doesn’t have an ethernet port. To make laptops slimmer & portable, manufacturers moved to Wifi and completely removed the RJ-45 Ethernet port but we still need it for high-speed internet connection and low-latency gaming, streaming and a lot of other tasks.
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USB to Ethernet adapter is the best and cheapest way to connect to the internet without an ethernet port on the laptop. We have also recommended the best USB to Ethernet adapters so that you can get a fast, reliable Ethernet port on your laptop.