Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter

• In the Box - Apple Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter with built-in Thunderbolt cable
• Compatibility - Mac OS X v10.7.4 or later, MacBook Air with Thunderbolt, MacBook Pro with Retina display

Granted, this product is nice but I'd advise anyone to think twice about their needs before purchasing. I realized after I got it that a MacBook Air can only take one thunderbolt adapter. And the reason I usually need an adapter is because I'm at a conference podium where the wifi isn't usable. You can't use both this and a display port adapter at the same time so I had to also get a USB adapter.

This adapter is super fast so I plan to keep it for any time I need to do big transfers. But definitely consider your needs a bit more carefully than I did.

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i found the thunderbolt to gigabit ethernet adapter practical when needed, works okay for what it is, although it's a bit over priced.

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I have a MacBook Air that I needed to connect to a wired network *and* use my Thunderbolt RAID. I thought I was out of luck. Turns out you can plug this adaptor into the end of your Thunderbolt daisy chain so you get both Ethernet and Thunderbolt connection at the same time! It doesn't have to be directly connected to your Mac. Just make sure your Thunderbolt drive has two plugs so you can daisy chain it.

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I use this cable with my 15" MacBook Pro with Retina display, which has two Thunderbolt ports. I am in a University setting where I get pervasive wireless coverage, but I prefer the hard-wired connection's speed, the constant connectivity, and the ability to access networked drives. It is expensive but I very happy with its performance.

Things I really like about this connector:

1. It makes a fast connection. The speed of the data transfer through the connector is a bit hard to gauge in a 'normal' setting since I get almost 100 Mbps on my connection (thus I am not sure I would notice if the connection was slowed some due to the connector).

2. The connector is easy to use and mostly unobtrusive (see below). I am able to plug it in and nearly instantaneously have an internet connection. In addition, my internet connection is up and running as soon as I wake my computer up, which is not always the case with my wireless connection. I am particularly pleased with this re-connection speed.

I do wish they would have used a slightly more flexible cable though. The cable that connects the computer side (the Thunderbolt connection) and the internet connection (the ethernet connection) side is fairly stiff and it unfortunately does not bend out of the way of other cables very easily. It does not interfere with the power cord at all (that connector is quite small), but if I plug in another thunderbolt connector in the real estate on the left side of my desk gets crowded.

A couple other things I have noticed, but that have not yet caused me any problems. The ethernet connection side gets warm during use, though not hot. Also, as other reviewers have pointed out, there is some wiggle room in my Thunderbolt port. I do not think this is this cable's fault I notice the same behavior with the Apple Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter MB572Z/B. The cable has not yet fallen out, nor has my connection dropped so I do not consider this a significant problem.

All in all, the cable works and works well. If you need a hard connection to the internet and have a Thunderbolt port on your Mac, this cable is a fine choice to fit that need!

I am running the 2011 Macbook Air which has a Thunderbolt port. It's running OS X v10.7.4 which is the latest and required. I also did a software update check and it found the update required for the Thunderbolt adapter to work. Pretty easy setup.

But who bought this to use on the Mac side anyways!

Here's how it went down on Windows 8 32bit Consumer preview. The same will apply to Windows 7 32bit users also. In order for the device to be found, you must have it plugged into the Thunderbolt port, then turn on your computer. I found no matter what I did, unless it booted with it plugged in, it would not work. The drivers will not auto install nor are they available from Windows Update. You must download them from Broadcom. Google "broadcom driver windows netxtreme desktop" and it is the first link since it cannot be posted here.

I used the Windows 7 drivers and they worked for Windows 8. Just go into device manager and update the driver that way, selecting the file you just downloaded.

Very simple process. Remember to have it plugged in before you boot into Windows. Also an FYI, the adapter gets surprisingly very warm to the touch.