Tested Cable Creations USB 3 0 Gigabit Ethernet adapter CD0026

It took awhile before ultaportables took off in the consumer market, but popular products such as the Macbook Air and the Yoga ensured that laptops started depending on Wi-Fi rather than on a wired connection. Even mid-range laptops today, which are not classified as ultraportables due to its weight and form factor, may not come with an Ethernet port, which adds width to a products dimensions. With the Surface Pro 4 and similar hybrid tablets such as the Samsung Galaxy Book reaching users hands, accessories, including those for wired connectivity, are booming. After all, Wireless AC is fine for browsing and media streaming, but if youre connecting to a FreeBSD or Linux server using your ultraportable or hybrid, then an Ethernet adapter would certainly be a better option over Wi-Fi (and more secure to boot).

Although you can purchase "official" networking accessories from Apple and Microsoft, you can also opt for cross -platform "non-branded" accessories. Networking accessories from lesser known brands are similar to buying generic over-the-counter pharmaceuticals. They dont have nice packaging and the benefit of advertising, but they use the same chipset and materials as more well-known brands such as Linksys or TP-Link. The Cable Creations USB 3.0 1000 Mbps Ethernet adapter, for example, uses the RTL8153 chipset, which is pretty standard in built-in or external adapters. In fact, the drivers for macOS for the accessory can be downloaded directly from http://ift.tt/1eXVO8r.

Although the product page for the Cable Creation CD0026 doesnt provide much details, the accessory actually works across all modern Windows versions, macOS, and Linux.

Additional steps may be required for Linux depending on your Linux distribution, but the CD0026 is plug and play for Windows 10 on the Surface Pro 4. Moreover, advanced Unix users are provided with a makefile for building the driver if needed. Just visit the Realtek download site and search for rtl8153. You probably wont need to, however, since Realtek chipsets have been supported in the Linux kernel for years now.

For macOS users, a zip with a PKG file is provided from the aforementioned Realtek support page. The software package is immediately recognized by Apple Installer. If needed, a script for uninstalling the Unix driver is also included.

The Cable Creations USB 3.0 CD0026 provides a faster throughput than the older Apple USB 2.1 Ethernet adapter for Macbooks.