SABRENT USB-C to 5G Ethernet Adapter – 5GbE Optimized, USB 3.1 Gen 1+ Required, Clear Compatibility, Aluminum Body, Plug-and-Play for Data-Capable USB-C Devices (NT-C5GA)

The Sabrent 5G Ethernet adapter performs exactly as advertised. The listing clearly states that full 5Gbps speeds require a USB 3.1 Gen 1+ port, CAT6a+ cabling, and a router or switch with true 5GbE support. In my environment, the adapter negotiated down to 2.5Gbps because my router only supports a 2.5G LAN port. That’s a limitation of my setup, not the product. The hardware itself is impressive. The aluminum enclosure is solid, well‑machined, and provides excellent heat dissipation under sustained load. Thermals remained stable throughout testing, with no throttling or instability. Build quality is on par with higher‑end networking gear, and the adapter feels engineered for long‑term reliability. One technical note: the unit may ship with a newer Realtek chipset revision than older reviews mention. In my case, the updated driver required a bit of cleanup due to a legacy network component already on my system. This wasn’t Sabrent’s fault, but it’s worth being aware of if you have older networking drivers installed. Overall, the adapter delivers on its promises. I’m giving it a full 5 stars for hardware quality, thermal performance, and accurate documentation. If your network supports 5GbE, this adapter should reach its full potential. Just make sure your infrastructure is ready to take advantage of it. This review accurately reflects my experience with the product while giving it the credit it deserves. A solid 5‑star device.

Works as expected out of the box on Windows 11. However, if you're on Linux or BSD you'll need to make sure that you're running a somewhat recent version of the r8152 driver. This device uses an r8157 chipset which is supported properly only in newer versions of the driver. I tried to find release notes for the driver to identify when support was actually added but those don't seem to exist anywhere. Even the upcoming Ubuntu release beta - 25.04 Plucky Puffin - only includes version 1.12.13 of the r8152 kernel module. This is fine for other adapters in the family, including 2.5G adapters, but won't recognize or properly initialize the R8157 chip. If the newer driver versions aren't available, a fallback driver will be used that results in very flaky behavior. Connections are negotiated at 705 mb/s, for instance, and actual throughput is inconsistent, fluctiating dramatically over time. Thankfully this can be fixed by finding an updated package for the r8152 kernel module th at works with your distro and installing it. For ubuntu I used the "awesometic/realtek-r8152-dkms" package on github via the PPM method they recommend in the readme. With the latest driver version installed - 2.19.2 when I'm writing this review - the device set itself up properly, negotiated a 5G-BASE-T conneciton, and worked as expected.

I have 2gb fiber, so i picked this up for my windows laptop (HP Omen) When i plugged it in, it seem to auto install properly, however, i was getting 15mb down, 500 up. I went to the sabrent website to try and find a driver, but the link was a dead link (as other reviewers mentioned). So i was about to pack it up and send it back, then i saw on another product someone mentioned in a review they needed to do a windows update. so i tried it. Sure enough, windows update found an updated Realtek driver and installed it Now i get ~ 2100/2100 like I expected. So if you get really bad throughput when you plug it in, go to windows update. you will need the updated driver. Now it works perfectly and super fast.

Last night it was working great, full 5Gbs speed in both directions. It was working so well I was going to get up in the morning and write. Rave review. So many of these products are just rebadged mainland junk, so it was great to have something that worked. This morning my computer literally would not boot if this thing was connected. My switch didn’t light up so it wasn’t even going so far as to bring up the hardware. Once I did get it up and running—without the busted adapter plugged in—as soon as I plugged it back in my mouse and keyboard froze. This device didn’t just fail, it failed so hard that it broke USB on my entire computer if it was plugged in. When it was working I was very pleased but the fact that a device can go so far as to prevent enumeration on an entire set of USB ports means the hardware is defective. And this was *FOUR HOURS LATER*. Yes, four. I went to bed late last night, slept like crap, and when I got back up my computer wouldn’t start. All because of this network plug. I know how to troubleshoot this stuff. Really. I could, in theory, write the driver myself. I know how USB works. I know my hardware and the kernel running on it. That is to say, I know when something isn’t just broken but super broken. It’s disappointing. The Sabrent name used to stand for quality. I have several pieces of Sabrent hardware and I’ve always praised them. Well, not any more. I don’t have the time to monkey around with some support goon on the phone, and it’s past the Amazon return window so this thing that cost me over $30 goes into the trash.

Great device works with Linux, Mac, and Windows. Like any 10baseT 10gig device it gets warm. Great value and I have come to trust Sabrent’s products.

This does work through USB c port. I get 8gbs up and down. The box does get fairly warm.

This USB4 to 10GbE adapter delivers amazing performance — I’m getting full 10-gig speeds with no drops or interruptions. Setup was instant and driver-free, and it works perfectly with my laptop and dock. The build quality feels premium and sturdy. It does get a bit warm during use, but that seems normal for a high-speed adapter and hasn’t caused any issues. Overall, an excellent choice for anyone needing reliable, ultra-fast wired connectivity!

Downloaded the latest driver before plugging in the adapter, went to switch over the ethernet cable and nothing happened, no internet on my device. Started troubleshooting the issue and couldn't figure it out. Everything worked as it should minus the ethernet to adapter. As I sat there bewildered, it started working. I don't know, but I can confirm I have 5G internet and I am getting ~4.6G through the adapter which was expected. Do recommend, just I guess be patient at first?