Sonnet Technologies Solo5G USB 3 to 5 Gigabit Ethernet Adapter

Faster Transfers Across Existing Cabling

Have you installed a new NBASE-T™ ready 10 Gigabit Ethernet switch recently, but don’t have Cat 6a cabling required to support 10Gb? Or your corporate Ethernet switch has been upgraded with support for multi-Gigabit Ethernet and you want to economically deliver faster network performance to every desk? Maybe you just have a computer without enough PCIe card slots or Thunderbolt™ ports to add an adapter. How would you like to quadruple your computer’s network connection speeds over existing Cat 5e Ethernet wiring?

Sonnet has what you need—the Solo5G™, an inexpensive USB 3 to 5GbE adapter that adds an RJ45 port with superfast 5 Gigabit network connectivity to Mac®, Windows®, and Linux® computers with USB-A, USB-C, or Thunderbolt 3 ports.

Newer Standard, Faster Speeds

Featuring NBASE-T technology (also known as multi-Gigabit Ethernet), Sonnet's compact Solo5G Ethernet adapter supports 5 Gb/s and 2.5 Gb/s link speeds (5GBASE-T and 2.5 GBASE-T, respectively) over common Cat 5e cabling when used with a compatible multi-Gigabit Ethernet switch or 10 Gigabit Ethernet switch with NBASE-T support. Models from Buffalo, Cisco, Netgear, QNAP, TRENDnet and others are available now.

Connected to the right switch, you can get great performance gains—from 250 to 400 percent the speed of Gigabit Ethernet—without rewiring! In case you’re connecting to a switch without NBASE-T support, the Solo5G also supports 1 Gb/s and 100 Mb/s link speeds.

Little. Bus-powered.

The Solo5G measures just 1.5 inches wide by 3.25 inches deep by 0.7 inches tall, and fits easily into a pocket in your backpack or equipment bag. Enabling truly portable use, the Sonnet adapter is powered by your computer’s USB or Thunderbolt 3 port, connecting via one of the included 0.5-meter USB-C to USB-C or USB-A to USB-C cables.

Simple Driver Installation, Simple Configuration

To enable your system to support the Solo5G, simply download the macOS®, Windows, or Linux driver from Sonnet and run the installer. To adjust the Solo5G’s settings, just connect the adapter between your computer and the network switch (or directly to multi gigabit-enabled storage), and then configure the settings through the macOS Network control panel, Windows Device Manager, or Linux command line (or graphical utility).

Efficient and Silent

The Solo5G adapter supports the Energy-Efficient Ethernet (IEEE 802.3az) standard, which reduces the adapter’s power demands on your computer. The adapter runs cool enough that it doesn’t need a fan, allowing silent operation.

Safe and Secure

The Solo5G incorporates encryption in hardware, protecting the adapter against malicious firmware modification that could enable covert computer access. Any unauthorized attempt to modify the firmware renders the adapter inoperable. This security feature prevents the Solo5G adapter from being reprogrammed, except by a manufacturer’s update using a secure encryption key.

Compatibility

Mac Compatibility

- Thunderbolt 3 Port - All Macs except M1 Macs

- USB-C Port - All Macs

- USB 3.1 Type A Port - All Macs except iMacs

- USB 3.1 Type A Port on a Hub - All Macs

- macOS 10.13.6+

- macOS Big Sur compatible

Windows Compatibility

- Windows computer with USB-A or USB-C ports

- Windows computer with Thunderbolt 3 ports

- Windows 10 (64-bit Edition Version 1809 or greater)

Linux Compatibility

- Linux computer with USB-A or USB-C ports

- Linux computer with Thunderbolt 3 ports

- Linux Kernel 5.0+

VMWare Compatibility

ESXi Native Fling Driver

Hardware

Warranty

2-year

Form Factor

USB 3 adapter

External Connectors

- One USB-C port

- One RJ45 socket

5GbE Controller

Marvell AQC111U

Network Support

5GBASE-T, 2.5GBASE-T, 1000BASE-T, 100BASE-TX (100 meters using Cat5e [or better] cabling)

Packets

Maximum packet size: 16352 bytes (jumbo frames); 9000 bytes under macOS

Data Rates Supported

5 Gb/s, 2.5 Gb/s, 1 Gb/s, 100 Mb/s

Maximum Transfer Rate

400 MB/s

Advanced Features

- Flow control support

- MSI, MSI-X, and legacy INTx PCIe interrupts

- Energy-Efficient Ethernet (IEEE 802.3az)

- IEEE 802.1Q VLAN tagging

- IEEE 802.1p Quality of Service (QoS)

- Wake-on-LAN support

Stateless Offloads

- IPv4, IPv6/TCP, and IPv6/UDP checksum offload

- LSO (Large Send Offload)

- LRO (Large Receive Offload)

- RSS (Receive-Side Scaling)

Dimensions (WxDxH)

1.5 x 3.25 x 0.7 in. (38 x 83 x 18 mm)

Weight

0.15 lbs. (0.07 kg)

Compliance

- RoHS 3 (Directive 2015/863)

- IEC62368-1 and IEC62368-2

- Solo5G USB 3 to 5 Gigabit Ethernet Adapter
- 0.5-meter USB-C to USB-C cable
- 0.5-meter USB-A to USB-C cable
- Documentation