Stefan Mileschin

QNAP has introduced its USB 3.0 to 5 GbE network adapter, releasing the accessory for PCs and QNAP NASes to allow them to add support for faster Ethernet networking speeds. The QNA-UC5G1T adapter is small and portable, so it is easy to carry around or place near a NAS that needs more than one NBASE-T Ethernet port.

The QNAP QNA-UC5G1T adapter is based on Aquantia’s single-port AQtion AQC111C 5G controller, which is paired with a PCIe-to-USB 3.0 bridge. Aquantia's silicon supports an RJ-45 interface as well as various BASE-T/NBASE-T standards, including 100M, 1G, 2.5G and 5G using standard copper Cat5e/Cat6 cabling that is widely used in homes and offices. The dongle itself spots a USB-C port, but it can easily driven by a USB-A host port as well.

QNAP’s USB 3.0 to 5GBASE-T adapter was designed for a variety of purposes. For laptop users it can enable compatibility with modern NBASE-T networks used by various enterprises. The adapter can also be used to add a 5GBASE-T port (or more) to a QNAP NAS that does not have it. QNAP bundles both USB-C to USB-A and USB-C to USB-C cables with the adapter so that it can be used with a variety of devices.

When it comes to device compatibility, the QNA-UC5G1T can work with PCs running Windows 7/8/10, modern versions of macOS (manual driver installations are required), as well as Linux (core 3.10, 3.12, 3.2, 4.2, and 4.4). The adapter also works with QNAP’s NASes running QTS 4.3.6 or later.

The QNA-UC5G1T network adapter is now available from retailers, though retail pricing seems to be up in the air. QNAP strangely hasn't announced an MSRP for the adapter, and going by current retail listings, a single Amazon.com vendor has it for $212. I don't expect this will be the long-term price, but we'll have to see where the price settles at once more retailers start selling the adapter.

https://www.anandtech.com/show/14381...-5-gbe-adapter