Wavlink USB to 5GbE Adapter Review (WL-NWU340G-A)

Wavlink USB to 5GbE NIC Review- Worth Your Money and Your Data?

Upgrading your network connectivity has grown increasingly easier over the last few years, largely thanks to several different network controller brands in the market that are pioneering the power efficiency and compatibility of their hardware towards more accessible client hardware. What that long sentence means is, no longer are you restricted to PCIe intrusive upgrades for your system to bolster your existing network connectivity, and instead, there are more and more options in the market that allow you to increase your network bandwidth via USB upgrades. Into this, we find the Wavlink USB to 5GbE adaptor, a $30 USB upgrade that adds five times the standard network connectivity to your system than gigabit network adaptors! USB 5G network adaptors aren’t actually a new thing, and some of the first units on the market arrived right the way back in 2019, but these were far less power efficient, utilized quite complicated builds, and ultimately ended up costing simply too much. For some users, with a fraction more money, they could upgrade to 10GbE instead. However, thanks to network adaptors like the Realtek RTL 8157, the price has been brought down substantially alongside the scale. Arriving at prices that rival that of simple legacy 1GbE adaptors. But, is the Wavlink 5GbE USB adaptor actually any good? Can it perform the way it says it can, and ultimately, does it deserve your money and your data? Let’s find out.

Note – Pricing for the Wavlink USB-to-5GbE Adapter is kinda WILD at the moment (as it just got released). The best Pricing I found was £25.39 / $31.52 on AliExpress. (as well as $36.99 on Amazon.com):

Here’s a specifications table for the Wavlink USB to 5GbE Adapter (Model: WL-NWU340G-A):

Specification	Details
Model	WL-NWU340G-A
Price Range	$29.99 – $39.99
Interface	USB-C
Supported Network Speeds	1GbE, 2.5GbE, 5GbE (auto-negotiation)
Controller	Realtek RTL8157 (8mm controller)
Power Usage	1.7W
Compatibility	Windows, macOS (10.8+), Linux (kernel 3.2+), Chrome OS
Driver Requirements	Driver required for Windows, macOS, and Linux
Bus Power	Yes, no external power required
Cooling	Passive cooling (silent operation)
Connector Type	USB-C (no Type-A adapter included)
Dimensions	3.14 x 1.25 x 0.66 inches
Weight	0.88 ounces
Notable Features	Auto-negotiation down to 1GbE and 2.5GbE, plug-and-play
Additional Notes	Realtek drivers required; no USB-A adapter included

Wavlink USB-to-5GbE NIC Review – Quick conclusion

The Wavlink 5GbE USB adaptor is a no-brainer! It allows you to massively scale up your existing network connectivity on your Windows, Mac, or Linux system, but also is going to allow users who host their own network servers to maximize total available bandwidth on their hardware without any wastage between 1GbE and 10GbE. No doubt there are going to be some users who scoff at the idea of a 5G USB upgrade NIC, instead questioning the point and why users don’t just jump up to 10GbE already! To those users, I say that right now, if you want to add a USB-C 10G network adaptor, you have to spend at least $100 or more, are restricted to Thunderbolt and USB4, and may well be overshooting your bandwidth needs anyway. Whereas, a $30 USB 5G upgrade is not only compatible with older generations of USB, but it allows you to utilize leftover bandwidth on a system that, although not enough to support a 10G network, may well have plenty left over to spill into 5G. Ultimately, this adaptor is about eliminating wastage in your network bandwidth in the most affordable and convenient way possible. What few issues, such as the lack of a Type-C to Type-A adaptor or the slight fragility of the build at times, are largely ignored when you remember how cheap this adaptor is to buy and just how beneficial it could be to your connected host system. All that’s left to wait for is the inevitable integration of the Realtek drivers for this adaptor to make their way into most NAS software, and you’re going to have a pretty unbeatable, affordable, and capable network upgrade in your hands.

BUILD QUALITY - 9/10

HARDWARE - 9/10

PERFORMANCE - 10/10

PRICE - 10/10

VALUE - 10/10

9.6

PROS

👍🏻Increases network speed up to 5GbE, 5 times faster than standard gigabit adapters.
👍🏻Affordable price point, typically around $30.
👍🏻USB-C interface with backward compatibility for USB 3.1 and higher.
👍🏻Supports multiple network speeds: 1GbE, 2.5GbE, and 5GbE.
👍🏻Compact, lightweight design with aluminum casing for durability and heat dissipation.
👍🏻Plug-and-play functionality for Windows, macOS, Linux, and Chrome OS.
👍🏻Passive cooling system ensures silent operation without the need for a fan.
👍🏻Bus-powered, eliminating the need for external power sources.

CONS

👎🏻No USB Type-A adapter included in the package, limiting compatibility with older devices.
👎🏻Limited NAS system compatibility as of now, with some platforms requiring manual driver installation.

DEAL WATCH – Is It On Offer Right Now? These Offers are Checked Daily

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Wavlink USB-to-5GbE NIC Review – Design

The Wavlink USB 5GbE adaptor arrives in a modest package. Currently available on AliExpress and Newegg for between $29 and $39, I wasn’t really expecting this adaptor to break the bank in terms of presentation. The retail package simply includes the adaptor itself, a first-time introduction manual, and a 3D barcode to reach the Realtek drivers.

Modest and does not feature any active cooling systems. Arriving in an external casing, there are no additional power requirements, and the only lights on the adaptor are for the network interface port.

This silent adaptor manages to alleviate increased temperature concerns via the use of passive cooling around the entire device. There are vents on either side, and the small metallic areas of the external casing assist in heat dissipation.

The network interface is unsurprisingly a copper 5G Base-T output with support of auto-negotiation down to 1GbE and 2.5GbE when needed.

The USB connection on this device is pre-attached to the adaptor, so no need to bring and lose your own cable. Something that may be a little annoying for some is that the device arrives with fixed USB-C connectivity, with no USB Type-A adaptor included. I tested this device with a spare Type-A to Type-C adaptor that I had, and it worked perfectly fine. Nevertheless, even despite the rather modest price tag, I’m a little disappointed that Wavlink did not include a Type-A adaptor here.

Removing the internal PCB from the external casing reveals a two-sided heatsink-adorned micro board.

Featuring the Realtek RTL8157 8mm controller, this is a fantastically lightweight USB network adaptor. This 5G to USB controller from Realtek has been made available to production companies since Spring 2024, and Wavlink have seemingly beaten most brands to the punch in rolling out their affordable adaptor very, very early.

This 8mm square controller takes up virtually no room on the PCB and occupies a Gen 3×1 line. That means that this controller has around 800 to 1,000MB per second potential bandwidth utility, and it really isn’t going to need all of that, as it can get away with needing only half of that for the 5GbE network connection.

 

Specification	Details
Model	Realtek RTL8157
Interface	USB 3.2 (backward compatible with USB 3.1/3.0)
Supported Network Speeds	1GbE, 2.5GbE, 5GbE (auto-negotiation)
Power Consumption	1.7W
Controller Type	PCIe Gen 3 x1
Maximum Bandwidth	800-1,000MB/s potential bandwidth utility
Form Factor	8mm square controller
Cooling	Passive (no fan required)
Compatibility	Windows, macOS, Linux
Additional Features	Low-power consumption, compact design, compatible with USB-C
Production Availability	Available since Spring 2024

Drivers for this adaptor are available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Some NAS platforms, such as Unraid, have begun adding driver plugins to their application repositories, and if it’s not already featured on the Unraid app center, it almost certainly will be by the time you’re reading this!

Wavlink USB-to-5GbE NIC Review – Performance Tests

For testing this adaptor, I set up a Synology DS923+ with four SATA SSDs in a RAID 0 environment. This NAS was also fitted with a 10GbE copper network connection, and I directly connected to the Synology NAS via a Windows 10 Pro system using the USB to 5GbE Wavlink adaptor.

In practically every test I performed, the adaptor completely saturated the available network connectivity! My first test was utilizing CrystalDiskMark, and I performed a 1GB read, write, and mixed read/write test. This test resulted in full saturation on both read and write, especially given that 5GbE is actually not 500MB per second in reality; brilliant reality is actually a little closer to 570MB at complete saturation with the right file sizes and blocks. Nevertheless, these were still exceptional numbers.

Likewise, I went ahead and tested repeated 1GB test file performance using AJA Speed Test and the same Synology/Windows 10 setup. Again, repeated perfect full saturation between the SSDs on the system and my local PC!

All in all, I really cannot fault the performance here. This adaptor does exactly what it says it’s going to do, and even when I was utilizing sustained 1GB AJA file tests on this NAS using this adaptor for 30 minutes, I didn’t really see any overbearing oversaturation of the controller, the temperatures were fairly predictable and not too high, and overall it was a very reliable piece of kit.

Also, it’s worth highlighting that although Direct NAS connection over USB is still in the early days, the Realtek driver IS available on UnRAID.

Otherwise, currently, only Windows, Mac and Linux drivers are available – so an element of customization will be required to use this on brands such as Synology (recommend keeping an eye on friend of ours Dave Russell HERE on Github), with QNAP support likely officially integrated soon enough.

Wavlink USB-to-5GbE NIC Review – Conclusion

I think you know what I’m going to say! I really don’t think you can question this device for its $30 price tag, given that you have to spend three figures for a Thunderbolt/USB4 10G adaptor, or maybe buy a 2.5G adaptor and save yourself $5… there really is no competition here, and although the Wavlink is a very good product, we also have to acknowledge that chances are we are about to see an absolute sea of similarly priced and near-identical architectured adaptors like this one arriving on the market anytime now. Bottom line, if they are all going to be as reliable as the Wavlink USB 5G adaptor, let them arrive. I could complain about the lack of a USB Type-A adaptor or the rather modest packaging, but for just $30, this thing is an absolute bargain and a reliable network upgrade if ever I saw one!

Wavlink USB-to-5GbE NIC PROS	Wavlink USB-to-5GbE NIC CONS
Increases network speed up to 5GbE, 5 times faster than standard gigabit adapters. Affordable price point, typically around $30. USB-C interface with backward compatibility for USB 3.1 and higher. Supports multiple network speeds: 1GbE, 2.5GbE, and 5GbE. Compact, lightweight design with aluminum casing for durability and heat dissipation. Plug-and-play functionality for Windows, macOS, Linux, and Chrome OS. Passive cooling system ensures silent operation without the need for a fan. Bus-powered, eliminating the need for external power sources.	No USB Type-A adapter included in the package, limiting compatibility with older devices. Limited NAS system compatibility as of now, with some platforms requiring manual driver installation.

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