If you have a laptop that does not have an Ethernet port, you may be wondering how you can connect it to a wired network. At least that’s what I was thinking when I found out that my new laptop didn’t have one.
I brought home my brand new laptop yesterday and tried plugging in the ethernet cable as I usually use cable rather than Wifi. That’s when I realized this laptop didn’t have an ethernet port!
It was unexpected, and I was clueless as my previous laptop had an Ethernet port. I did some digging around to find a workaround and found that you could use a USB-to-Ethernet adapter, which I’ll talk about in this article.
I’ll also give you a quick rundown of why new laptops don’t have ethernet ports and what are the benefits of using ethernet.
Why Doesn’t My New Laptop Have An Ethernet Port?
I found that thickness was the sole reason why my new laptop doesn’t have an Ethernet port. Unlike the USB port, the Ethernet port has a bit of height. I measured the thickness of my latest HP laptop and saw that it was thinner than the height of the Ethernet port.
Many new laptop models do not have Ethernet ports because they are designed to be more portable and lightweight, and the addition of an Ethernet port would increase the size and weight of the device.
Plus, many newer laptops are designed to be used with Wifi, which is becoming increasingly common and reliable.
Also Read: Is 300 Mbps good for Gaming?
Speed used to be one of the major reasons for having an Ethernet port in older laptops as users could achieve 100 megabits per second. But, the latest laptops come with WiFi 6 now, which could facilitate up to 9.6 Gbps maximum speed.
How Can You Connect An Ethernet Cable To A Laptop Without An Ethernet Port?
I found 03 ways to connect the Ethernet cable to a laptop without having an Ethernet port on it.
These methods involve using an USB-to-Ethernet adapter, which is a device that allows a laptop or any other device that does not have a built-in Ethernet port, or has a faulty or damaged Ethernet port to connect through the USB port.
USB-to-Ethernet adapters are cheap, you can easily get a good one for less than $20 on Amazon or any of the other online stores.
These adapters usually have a USB plug on one end and an Ethernet jack on the other, and may also include an LED indicator to show network activity.
Before we dive in, make sure you know what type of usb port your laptop has.
Ethernet Adaptor For USB Type C
If your laptop has USB type C USB ports, you may follow the below steps to connect your Ethernet cable to your laptop without an Ethernet port on it.
- Get a Adaptor that converts Ethernet to the USB type C
- Connect the Ethernet cable to the Ethernet port on the Adaptor
- Connect the Adaptor to the USB type C port
- You will see a notification on the computer regarding the established connection.
Ethernet Adaptor For USB Type A
If your laptop has USB type A USB ports, you may follow the below steps to connect your Ethernet cable to your laptop without an Ethernet port on it.
- Get a Adaptor that converts the Ethernet to the USB type A
- Connect the Ethernet cable to the Ethernet port on the Adaptor
- Connect the adaptor to the USB type A port
- You will see a notification on the computer regarding the established connection.
Note: I saw that there are some laptop models that have both USB type C and USB type A ports. In such cases, you must use an Ethernet adaptor for USB type C as it is faster than USB type A.
A USB Hub With Ethernet Port
Similarly, you could use a USB hub that has an ethernet port.
- Connect the Ethernet cable to the USB Hub
- Connect the USB hub to the USB port of the laptop
Note: I saw that most of the USB Hub extensions come with the USB Type A. If you have USB Type C ports on your lap, you will have to use a USB type C adaptor for that.
- You will see a notification on the computer regarding the established connection.
Use these ONLY if you don’t have a lot of USB ports on your laptop. The reason is I experienced a bit of slowness in the internet speed with these hubs.
What Are The Benefits Of Using The Ethernet Port?
Speed is not the only advantage of using an Ethernet port. Although WiFi may take care of speed, an Ethernet port is still essential.
Here are some of the pros of using ethernet over wifi:
Power Saving
When you turn on WiFi, it keeps connecting to the saved network and keeps looking for the networks. As a laptop user, power efficiency is not a thing for you with the laptop.
Also Read: PSU buzzing while gaming
I checked this by working on my computer without and with WiFi on. My new HP laptop survived 06 hours with Ethernet, and it could stay only up to 4 hours and 55 minutes with WiFi on.
Security
Security is one of the main benefits you get in 2022 with the Ethernet cable. I found out there were over 16 million WiFi breaches in 2022 at the end of November. The hackers use WiFi connections of your computers or devices to steal your information.
Although we don’t have Ethernet ports on smartphones or tablets, we have been fortunate with our laptops. You get a more secure internet connection if you were to use an Ethernet cable instead of wifi.
No Setting Up Required.
It takes far less time to establish an internet connection with the Ethernet cable. After plugging in the router and connecting the Ethernet cable, I could establish the internet connection within 14 seconds.
But, it took 28 seconds for the process with wifi as it was necessary to enter the password and navigate the OS.
Stable Connection Even If You Are 300 Ft Away
Although users think the range we can connect with an Ethernet cable is small, it is not.
There are Ethernet cables as long as 300ft. Even a strong WiFi connection will not give you a stable connection that far apart.
I found a 20ft Ethernet cable and a 5ft Ethernet cable to check the speed. Turns out there wasn’t any effect on the speed after measuring.
Also Read: How do I extend my wifi signal to another building 400 feet away?
Wi-Fi Adaptor Issues
I found out that there are some laptop models that come with the WiFi adapter issue, such as Dell XPS and HP 2000 series. On such occasions, the users have been advised by online assistance to connect with an Ethernet cable.
Gets Priority Through Ethernet
When there are a bunch of users connected to the same WiFi, the connectivity will be shared among them equally. But, when you have the Ethernet cable, you can always get the priority!
Conclusion
In conclusion, simply use a USB-to-Ethernet adapter to connect an Ethernet cable to a laptop without an Ethernet port. These are cheap and can be found in almost all computer shops.
Most Newer laptops won’t probably have ethernet cables but there are a lot of pros of using ethernet instead of Wifi, including stable and faster connection and most importantly – MORE SECURITY.