Wired Ethernet Adapter

tvBilly · Nov 25, 2012

I just tried an experiment, and much to my surprise and delight, it worked.

I hooked up an Apple USB to Ethernet adapter (which I use with my original MacBook Air) to the N10 via a micro USB to OTG USB adapter, turned off the N10's WiFi, and the N10 connected just fine via the adapter to my wired Ethernet.

There is no extra software or driver needed on the N10. There are no N10 settings whatsoever for wired Ethernet that I could find, and my DHCP server on the wired Ethernet just gave the N10 its IP and gateway and DNS automatically. Turn off the N10 WiFi and connect the wired Ethernet, and it works just as expected. Unplug the wired connection and turn on the N10 WiFi, and the WiFi connection works just as expected.

No interference at all with StickMountPro which I have installed, (though StickMount isn't working reliably for me at all on the N10).

For those of you who don't happen to have an extra Apple USB to Ethernet adapter hanging around, there is a MUCH MUCH cheaper adapter available from BobjGear which is reported to work great with the Nexus10 (and many other Android tablets as well). The BobjGear store on Amazon has it here for about $17. The main BobjGear web site mentions that it works with the N10, as does a message BobJ left on another forum, even though the Amazon ad doesn't appear to be updated to reflect that it works with the N10 yet. If you don't already have a micro USB to OTG adapter, BobjGear sells them too, also cheaply, along with hdmi adapters, and you can get them for a buck off if you buy at the same time as the Ethernet adapter. Note that not only am I not a BobjGear shill, I haven't even purchased any BobjGear stuff since I already had everything I needed, but $17 is less than (Apple's) $29...

punzada · Nov 26, 2012

Wow very cool find, definitely a niche use case but something I would certainly throw in my bag of tricks.

leyvatron · Nov 26, 2012

I see what you did.... Edit: cool to have when places don't have WiFi.

Sent from my Nexus 10 using xda premium

tvBilly · Nov 26, 2012

leyvatron said:
I see what you did.... Edit: cool to have when places don't have WiFi.

Not sure what I did

, but that's exactly when I plan on using it (and why I was investigating it in the first place). I have a need to run a shell terminal into a device that's on the LAN, but the LAN isn't available wirelessly. Not sure I can think of any other time I'm going to need it, but as was mentioned by punzada, it's nice to have in your bag of tricks. (And since I already had the Apple adapter and OTG adapter, it didn't cost me a dime).

I have yet to check out how well things go when I set my Galaxy Nexus phone to wireless tether and connect to it from the N10. I expect to use this mode way more than direct Ethernet connect. My GN has been providing me 35Mb/s downloads via NYC Verizon LTE, and I expect it to work the same for my N10 as it does for my AirBook. The N10 has much better WiFi than the AirBook.

Next I need to figure out why my NFC doesn't seem to work properly...

Astriaal · Mar 12, 2013

Has anyone tried using the Startech usb -> ethernet adapter with their N10?

http://ca.startech.com/Networking-I...gabit-Ethernet-NIC-Network-Adapter~USB21000S2

I'm using SentinelRom 4.00 (CyanogenMod 10.1, 4.2.2 base ) and well, I get nothing, no network connection at all.

I've tested the adapter on an actual computer ( both Mac & Win ) so I know it's not the adapter itself that isn't working.

What I don't understand is why some brands of this type of adapter would work over the others - I would think that they'd be more or less identical.

However, I know this post is from half a year ago practically so I'm not sure if it's the OS itself that has changed or if it's something with the particular custom ROM I'm using.

3DSammy · Mar 13, 2013

Astriaal,
If you have access to the router logs, I would check if that device is even seeing your N 10.
Possiblities to investigate:
1) The router may have MAC filtering turned on where it will only issue an IP through DHCP for devices on a list. In most cases a device has different MAC values for WiFi versus their Ethernet connection.
2) Your N10/Router may not have compatible DHCP settings so you are not getting an IP address from the router
3) You forgot to turn off the N10 WiFi before trying to connect through the Ethernet adapter as described in the first post.
4) You require an OTG microUSB to USB cable rather than a regular microUSB to USB cable. OTG cables have circuitry in their connection plugs. Your N10 charging cable does not have the OTG circuitry. See this quote "Works with all tablets and docking stations having a full-sized USB port. Also works with Micro-USB-OTG and Mini-USB-OTG by adding BobjGear OTG Adapter cable. Also Ultrabooks, Macbook, Windows, Linux, Mac, ChromeOS." From a compatible Android Ethernet adapter: http://www.amazon.com/BobjGear-Ethernet-Ultrabooks-ChromeOS-Included/dp/B007RTACDM

Good Luck

chaosdefinesorder · Mar 15, 2013

tvBilly said:
There is no extra software or driver needed on the N10. There are no N10 settings whatsoever for wired Ethernet that I could find

What ROM are you running? This is extremely interesting if you are completely stock/locked, slightly less helpful (in my case) if unlocked, rooted and custom ROM...

Couldn't see this info mentioned...

tvBilly · Mar 15, 2013

Stock ROM. Unlocked and rooted.

Ken401 · Mar 15, 2013

chaosdefinesorder said:
What ROM are you running? This is extremely interesting if you are completely stock/locked, slightly less helpful (in my case) if unlocked, rooted and custom ROM...

Couldn't see this info mentioned...

I used this function on my stock/locked Xoom. I would expect the same from my N10. It seems not all adapters work though. I was using an old Netgear USB adapter.

Deleted member 2890117 · Apr 4, 2013

just found this thread via search

nice to hear that usb -> ethernet adapteres seem to work on the n10.

do you guys have any experience with battery usage with those adapters.

or is there any (custom made) solution for charging and using an adapter at the same time? This would be awesome as some kind of dock.
could using a powered usb hub work? i guess not since usb hubs do not power the host.

edit:
little more searching lead to this: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009YPYORM/?tag=stackoverfl08-20
people in the comments say that custom kernel with enabled otg charging mode has to be used ? are there any experiences ?

3DSammy · Apr 4, 2013

jmueck said:
... is there any (custom made) solution for charging and using an adapter at the same time? ...

Although my USB Ethernet adapter has not arrived yet, I intend to use my pogo plug charger and the OTG cable/Ethernet adapter at the same time. I have tested Pogo plug charging while using an OTG/SD card reader. Concurrent Pogo charging while accessing OTG attached storage was a non issue, so I do not expect the Ethernet adapter to be any differently.

I did take a chance on which USB Ethernet adapter to purchase, going with the only Gigabit Ethernet USB adapter I could find. The ones on Amazon are only "Fast" Ethernet (100 Mbit/s). Anpou USB 2.0 Gigabit Ethernet Adapter

The one thing I've noticed is that removing an OTG connected device has caused the N10 to reboot. I attribute that issue to not unmounting the USB SD Card reader before detaching (Settings->Storage->Unmount USB. Scroll to the bottom for that setting). Although I have had one instance of a reboot just by attaching the USB SD card reader.

Considering I just received the OTG cable I am not ready to blame the custom ROM. I need to investigate further including asking questions in the ROM's thread. Right now I am using the custom ROM SentinelROM v4.10 and the KTManta kernel.

I suspect that all OTG ready ROM's can do what this one can. When my Ethernet adapter arrives I will post on how things worked out.

Deleted member 2890117 · Apr 5, 2013

3DSammy said:
When my Ethernet adapter arrives I will post on how things worked out.

thanks a lot. would be awesome if that works out. using usb tethering as a virtual network connection kind of sucks

3DSammy · Apr 5, 2013

1st round TKO

Well that was a bust. My Ethernet adapter arrived yesterday but they did not ship what was advertised. As in my post above I ordered a Gigabit USB adapter and I received a Fast Ethernet adapter. The invoice says one thing and the adapter and its packaging another. The SKU number on the invoice, their web site and the packaging all matched so it is likely they do not have a Gigabit Ethernet adapter. Obviously I have contacted the retailer asking for a full refund.

The adapter could be easily taken out of the packaging so I gave it a try and here is what I found (All tablet testing was performed with a proven OTG microUSB to USB connector):
1) It works as a 100Mbps Ethernet adapter with my laptop. Interesting that it was not recognized by Win8 but it would auto-connect under Ubuntu 13.04. Speeds were what you would expect. As I was only trying to prove that the adapter functioned, I did not try to install the MS-Windows software that came with the adapter (mini-CD).

2) When connected to my Nexus 10 the router's front panel light turned on for the port it was attached to but it did not flash in anyway which usually shows network traffic or obtaining a DHCP IP address. At no time did the router show the adapters MAC as a connected device or was there any related log activity to show a DHCP request. This was consistent for all test with all ROM combinations including stock. I obtained the MAC address during the initial laptop funtionality test.

3) I eventually tried three ROMS (rooted Stock, SentinelROM with KTManta and finally rasbeanjelly). Then after much goggling I found this comment on XDA: A Chinese device Model No:KY-RD9700 doesn't work, which of course is what I was shipped.

I have not given up on a USB Gigabit Ethernet Adapter:
1) I contacted the supplier about this order and ask for a refund based on false advertising. Results are pending
2) After checking around I found the main issue is that the stock kernel only supports Ethernet for specific chip sets. If you have an unsupported chip set you can try to add support to a custom ROM assuming your have the skills. This whole thread is interesting but this post is good for how someone added support for their unsupported adapter.
3) I found that the chip "ASIX AX88178 Controller" is supported out-of-the-box for "Driverless operation with all Chromebooks, some Android Tablets (including ASUS Transformer Prime / Infinity tablets), and Linux 3.3+". Of course JellyBean has a Linux 3.4.x Kernel.

There are two popular out of the box supported USB Ethernet adapters:
1) 10/100Mbps "BobjGear USB to RJ45 Compact Fast Ethernet Adapter made for Android Tablets". This products success has been mentioned by a number of people.
2) 10/100/1000Mbps "Plugable USB 2.0 to 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN Network Adapter (ASIX AX88178 Chipset)". This one was mainly mentioned as working by Asus Transformer users.

I just ordered #2 above.

Should arrive late next week and will write an update at that time.

One last piece of advise which may be of value:
"Make sure you plug everything into the adapter/OTG cable BEFORE plugging it into your N7. While using a mouse/keyboard/hub I noticed if you plug the OTG cable in first and then a peripheral, the N7 won't recognize it."

tvBilly · Apr 5, 2013

Outstanding detective work; it'll be interesting to see if any of the gigabit ethernet adapters will work, and if one does, what kind of data rates you get. I get 100Mb/s out of my Apple (10/100) adapter, but who knows how close to the USB 480Mb/s limit a gigabit adapter can get.

One thing I never figured out was how to manually set the N10's IP/Netmask/Gateway. A DHCP server on the LAN does the trick, but there's one place I work that doesn't have a DHCP server, and relies on manually set IP info. There's probably some Linux command or .conf file that can do it, but I don't know it...

DefinityX · Apr 6, 2013

3DSammy said:
Well that was a bust. My Ethernet adapter arrived yesterday but they did not ship what was advertised. As in my post above I ordered a Gigabit USB adapter and I received a Fast Ethernet adapter. The invoice says one thing and the adapter and its packaging another. The SKU number on the invoice, their web site and the packaging all matched so it is likely they do not have a Gigabit Ethernet adapter. Obviously I have contacted the retailer asking for a full refund.

The adapter could be easily taken out of the packaging so I gave it a try and here is what I found (All tablet testing was performed with a proven OTG microUSB to USB connector):
1) It works as a 100Mbps Ethernet adapter with my laptop. Interesting that it was not recognized by Win8 but it would auto-connect under Ubuntu 13.04. Speeds were what you would expect. As I was only trying to prove that the adapter functioned, I did not try to install the MS-Windows software that came with the adapter (mini-CD).

2) When connected to my Nexus 10 the router's front panel light turned on for the port it was attached to but it did not flash in anyway which usually shows network traffic or obtaining a DHCP IP address. At no time did the router show the adapters MAC as a connected device or was there any related log activity to show a DHCP request. This was consistent for all test with all ROM combinations including stock. I obtained the MAC address during the initial laptop funtionality test.

3) I eventually tried three ROMS (rooted Stock, SentinelROM with KTManta and finally rasbeanjelly). Then after much goggling I found this comment on XDA: A Chinese device Model No:KY-RD9700 doesn't work, which of course is what I was shipped.

I have not given up on a USB Gigabit Ethernet Adapter:
1) I contacted the supplier about this order and ask for a refund based on false advertising. Results are pending
2) After checking around I found the main issue is that the stock kernel only supports Ethernet for specific chip sets. If you have an unsupported chip set you can try to add support to a custom ROM assuming your have the skills. This whole thread is interesting but this post is good for how someone added support for their unsupported adapter.
3) I found that the chip "ASIX AX88178 Controller" is supported out-of-the-box for "Driverless operation with all Chromebooks, some Android Tablets (including ASUS Transformer Prime / Infinity tablets), and Linux 3.3+". Of course JellyBean has a Linux 3.4.x Kernel.

There are two popular out of the box supported USB Ethernet adapters:
1) 10/100Mbps "BobjGear USB to RJ45 Compact Fast Ethernet Adapter made for Android Tablets". This products success has been mentioned by a number of people.
2) 10/100/1000Mbps "Plugable USB 2.0 to 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN Network Adapter (ASIX AX88178 Chipset)". This one was mainly mentioned as working by Asus Transformer users.

I just ordered #2 above.

Should arrive late next week and will write an update at that time.

One last piece of advise which may be of value:
"Make sure you plug everything into the adapter/OTG cable BEFORE plugging it into your N7. While using a mouse/keyboard/hub I noticed if you plug the OTG cable in first and then a peripheral, the N7 won't recognize it."

This post just got me to subscribe to a thread that I was otherwise just casually checking in on... Great job! Thanks for the legwork!

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

3DSammy · Apr 6, 2013

Manually setting static IP/netmask/gateway commands

tvBilly said:
... One thing I never figured out was how to manually set the N10's IP/Netmask/Gateway. ...

Well here is what I read during my investigations. You will need to be rooted and have busybox installed. Using Script Manager (no ads) paid version you can execute scripts from widgets without opening the console. I suspect there other other ways to get bash scripts run from the home screen without buying Script Manager.

Command lines all run in a terminal/console session.
Setting the IP/netmask/Gateway:
> ifconfig eth0 <IP address> netmask <IP mask>
> route add default gw <gateway address> eth0

These next two commands can also be done through the settings panel or at least in theory.
Turn Ethernet on:
> ifconfig eth0 up

Turn Ethernet off:
> ifconfig eth0 down

Check the Ethernet assigned IP:
> ifconfig eth0

List network devices:
> ls /sys/class/net
Note: wlan0 is WiFi just like on every Linux WiFi capable computer. During my failed attempts with the bad Ethernet adapter this command never listed a "eth0" no matter which ROM I used. Hopefully "eth0" auto-magically appears when a working OTG/Ethernet adapter is attached.

You may need to have previously set up your router with a static IP that is assigned to your Ethernet adapter's MAC value or know an unused IP for that network. Be aware that I have not tried this myself. I also do not know if you need to connect the OTG/Ethernet adapter before issuing any of the commands. I suspect that "eth0" is only available AFTER you make the physical connection.

One thing I did not mention in my last post was that when you see someone that found a working cheap Ethernet adapter from China, be cautious. The reason is that the manufacturers do not consistently use the same chip set in every production run. So a specific brand works for one person but not another. It can be a crap shoot.

The exception is the "BobjGear" adapter where that manufacturer guarantees that they use Android compliant chip sets in their Ethernet Adapters. Other than that you need to be able to verify which chip set is used against those that stock Android supports out-of-the-box OR have the talent to add the right drivers to a custom ROM. I have no idea just yet if JellyBean (4.2.2) custom ROM developers remove or alter the stock Ethernet adapter support for any reason.

I hope the commands work for you.

tvBilly · Apr 6, 2013

Thanks for the info, and the pointers to the Nexus 7 thread about it; I'll try the static commands out next week when I get to a LAN that doesn't have a DHCP server. I already have the paid script manager app.

Did you (or anyone) ever find out if the gigabit ethernet adapter here works? It uses the ASIX AX88178 Controller.

3DSammy · Apr 6, 2013

tvBilly said:
... Did you (or anyone) ever find out if the gigabit ethernet adapter here works? It uses the ASIX AX88178 Controller.

That's the one I just ordered and have not received yet. Likely get it next Friday or so.

3DSammy · Apr 10, 2013

Finally a working Gigabit Ethernet USB Adapter

Just a quick note, my "Plugable USB 2.0 to 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN Network Adapter (ASIX AX88178 Chipset)" arrived two days early and it worked without issue with a rooted Stock v4.2.2. ROM. I do not think you even have to be rooted but I never tested that.

DHCP was automatic AFTER you turn off WiFi through the Settings panel. At no time was there any indication in either Notifications or the Settings panel that the Ethernet cable was even attached. But all the same it worked like a champ and resolved my CIFS share, HD video playback issues (720p, 1080i and 1080p).

The custom ROM I was using did not work at all, even the adapter lights did not turned on. I had to restore my rooted stock nanadroid backup to get it to work. I will write a more thorough commentary after a lot more testing but if you wanted a Gigabit Ethernet adapter for your Nexus 10 then at least it works for me.

tvBilly · Apr 10, 2013

Sounds like it's working exactly the same as my 10/100 adapter. I'm using a stock rooted (4.2.2) ROM as well, and have never tried a 3rd party ROM on my N10, just on my GN (running the current version of "Shiny"). I still haven't had a chance to try the linux commands to manually set the IP/MASK/GATEWAY yet (thanks again for the info).

Interested to hear what throughput you get. Hopefully it's closer to the USB 2.0 limit (480Mb/s) than the 100Mb/s I get from my current adapter.

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