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1326 Review
52 Karma

Review on πŸ’» Belkin USB-C to Ethernet Adapter + Charge: 60W Passthrough Power, 1000 Mbps Ethernet Speeds - MacBook Pro Ethernet Adapter (INC001btBK) by Shane Schobinger

Revainrating 1 out of 5

Can't recommend - too many design and function flaws

*************** This adapter was barely ok due to some design issues - short cable, strong pulling USB-C port , significant heat build-up that threatens the electronics, and an RJ45 port. Do not snag/block the Ethernet cable's protected spade lugs, which will fall out of the connector and disconnect devices from the Internet. For these reasons alone, we have decided to return the adapter. But we wanted to see if, like other adapters, the basic functionality of internet pass-through or power pass-through hasn't changed in the week since the adapter was purchased. We are disappointed that we can no longer go online. with the adapter directly from the same modem despite using the same phone settings as before and the same RJ45 cable. Who makes these adapters? We've bought over a dozen for our machines and only ONE works to date. Save yourself disappointments. But based on our experience we don't know which adapter/hub is reliable.****************************FIRST CHECK*** ** ****** * ************* This will allow us to firmly connect our Macbook USB-C to the internet and charge it at the same time. Most other docks we've tried ONLY do one or the other. So we're glad we can download updates or other large files without worrying about our battery dying before the software transfer is complete. The big issue we found with this hub is that it doesn't support secure RJ45 Ethernet cables. . These are the ones that have a little rubber cap over a tab that you push down to insert/remove the cable from the port. These protective tabs are designed to prevent the tabs from catching on something and breaking. This happened to us many times before we invested in safe cables. But the connector on this hub is designed to snap securely into place with a CLICK of a loose tab. Otherwise, the slightest movement will cut your internet connection as the end of the cable slips out of the port. We cannot understand why the development team made this port the way it is. It seems like you'll have to take the risk of ripping off the connecting tab to keep it securely in place. Or use a secure tab and risk the cable easily slipping out of the port and disrupting your internet connection. Why trade the reliability risks of wireless networks for the unnecessary stability risks of wired networks? Another issue to be aware of is that a short connection cable (you'll see it in the ad, of course) will result in the bulky connector putting dangerous strain on the USB-C port. . Either the port or the connector of a USB-C hub can fail over time. This is easily solved by using a long cable (1m?) between the hub and the USB-C insert to allow the hub's mass to rest firmly on the table. Many of us no longer leave our laptops on the table. Instead, we raise them to eye level for more comfortable working, which means everything connected to the connector dangles. Again, why didn't the design team anticipate this apparent design flaw? The problem that we feel is inevitable with many of these plastic hubs is that they get very hot. And this little hub is no exception. Gets hot and uncomfortable to hold. If you're going to be using this for hours, you might want to invest in a fan JUST for the hub. We don't know how all that extra heat affects the longevity of the hub, but when we spoke to Apple Support about the heat generated by another hub, we were told that heat is the enemy of compact laptops (which don't have large fans have and plenty of room to move air). ). Therefore, we don't feel comfortable using this hub for more than a few minutes. Given the three issues above, we're not sure we'll keep this hub. Too many serious future bugs to justify investing in such a critical component (when you need a fixed connection instead of Wi-Fi to do serious work for many hours). We're still on the hunt for a reliable USB-C hub that at least makes it possible to transfer power and hard internet without too much heat. However, to end on a positive note about this port, it offers at least 100Mbps internet throughput and a standard 29W power supply (Macbook) and plugs into a laptop without much fuss (plug-n-play). But minus 3 stars for product design flaws.

Pros
  • Power supplies
Cons
  • Expensive