If you’re looking for a new laptop, you might find that it doesn’t have an Ethernet port. It’s becoming more normal and there’s a good reason to wind it up. Laptops are getting thinner and thinner. RJ45 connector is very large and therefore not suitable for modern laptops.
The RJ45 connector (named after the Ethernet port) has not undergone any physical change since 1991. It was introduced for equipment communications and Internet connection. Although changes have been introduced in some aspects, the physical part of the connection has not changed.
Huge connector which is very annoying
The first thing we need to know is the physical dimensions of the RJ45 port female, which is present in laptops and motherboards, among others. This connector has a height of 13.1 mm and nail width of 16.26mm. Although it may seem compact, the truth is that it creates problems for laptop manufacturers.
If you look at the specs of the laptop “normal”, not intended for games, usually have a 20mm thick. Of course, the RJ45 connector by height enters, but it must be taken into account that it has connection pins and requires a structure that makes it taller. That would take a laptop, just for that connector, to about 25mm.
For this reason, it disappears from laptops in favor of other connectors. This connector is replaced by ports USB-C They have Ethernet compatibility. This connector has standard measurements of 8.8mm wide and an height of only 3 millimeters.
You’re not wrong to think that laptops have other connectors, such as USB-A, HDMI, or DisplayPort. Well, the USB-A female is 14.5mm wide and 7.2mm high. The female connector of the hdmi To a width of 14 mm and a height of 6 mm. Finally, the female Display Port he has one width of is 16.1 mm and nail 4.76mm height.
We see how most connectors are between two and three times “smaller” than the RJ45 connector. This makes it more compatible with the requirements of laptop manufacturers.
Note that the Ethernet port is common in gaming laptops. These tend to be thicker (around 30mm) due to the CPU and graphics card heatsink. Leave enough room to include this type of connection port
If my laptop does not have an Ethernet port, what should I do?
It’s not really a big deal, we’ll just need an adapter. We have a large number of solutions available on Amazon today. We’ve chosen solutions for everyone, but these days it’s rare to see a laptop without a USB-C port. The most interesting options are:
- UGREEN adapter (15.99 dollars): This is a simple adapter for USB-C connectors. This converter offers us support for Gigabit Ethernet connectivity and is compatible with Windows, MacOS and Raspberry Pi
- TP-Link UE300 ($12.99): This brand surely sounds familiar to you, as it’s a leading manufacturer of routers and other networking devices. It’s a simple solution based on a USB-A connector, in case your laptop doesn’t have a USB-C port
- Ciin adapter (7.28 dollars): Another alternative we have is this rather elegant adapter. It features a USB-C to Gigabit Ethernet port. You have to be careful, because they also sell a 100 Mbps Ethernet adapter
- Baseus adapter (8.78 dollars): We have this rather attractively designed adapter as a budget solution. This adapter is based on a USB-A connector in order to have a Gigabit Ethernet port
- Anker Ethernet 2.5G (39.99 dollars): Perhaps you are looking for something more powerful and adapted to new times. This USB-C adapter is based on a 2.5G Ethernet port, to have the highest possible internet connection speed
- UGREEN USB-C Hub (45.99 dollars): Why just add a simple Ethernet port? This hub adds several USB ports, an HDMI, a card reader and also a Gigabit Ethernet port
