Mixed results with Plugable USB3-E1000 USB 3.0 Gigabit Ethernet adapter

USB Network Adapters USB3-E1000
1

I just received my Plugable USB3-E1000 USB 3.0 Gigabit Ethernet adapter. I have mixed results on my older laptop which I hope someone can explain. Using Ookla speedtest.net service with the ethernet insert directly into computer’s ethernet port, I get 94 MB/s download and upload on my old Acer 4200 laptop. When I plug in the Plugable USB3-E1000 USB 3.0 Gigabit Ethernet adapter in the laptop’s USB 2.0 port, my download speed drops to 76 MB/s, but my upload speed is now at 246 MB/s. My internet service is 250 MB/s for both download and upload. I was hoping that this adapter would increase my download speed on my older laptop, but it is actually slower with the Plugable adapter. My newer laptop gets 250 MB/s download/upload without any adapter, so I am confident that my internet service is solid. Just wondering why this adapter has such a difference between the download and upload speed tests and if I can change anything to get my full 250 MB/s download speed. All computers running Windows 10. Thanks for any help.

2

Hello George,

Thanks for contacting us. Sorry to hear about this issue.

We’ve written a very detailed blog post about issues like this, and I generally recommend taking a look at this first:
http://plugable.com/2015/12/10/gettin…

I also recommend disabling any 3rd party firewall or antivirus solution and see if that helps when you run a speed test. Sometimes, especially on older systems, that can severely affect transfer rates, though because you are getting better speeds when using the built in Ethernet port I don’t expect this to be the issue, but it’s worth a try.

What kind of speeds do you get using our adapter connected to your newer laptop? We can use that as a baseline for the adapter itself.

Thanks,
Josh

3

Thanks for the reply. I did read that blog post before buying the adapter, so I was aware of the many issues that may be involved with this tech.

As to testing, my internet service is 250 Mbps down/250 Mbps up…

Here are the speeds of the adapter on my newer laptop (originally Win7 Pro):
Direct connect via ethernet port: 249 Mbps down/253 Mbps up
Via adapter on USB2 port: 152 Mbps down/254 Mbps up (best of 4 trials)
No USB3 ports, but does have a Gigabit ethernet card.

I also have a third laptop (originally Win8.0 Home):
Direct connect via ethernet port: 92 Mbps down/98 Mbps up
Via adapter on USB3 port: 110 Mbps down/256 Mbs up (best of 3 trails)
Has USB3.0 ports, but limited FE (100 Mbps) ethernet card.

I just don’t understand how the adapter download speed is about half the upload speed on either USB2.0 or USB3.0 ports. From what I read in the article, even USB2.0 should be able to run at 300 Mbps both ways. Can’t complain about the upload speed with the adapter, but download speed was reduced in 2 of 3 laptops and therefore not much benefit to me. Only slight download speed improvement in third laptop but not enough to sacrifice the USB3.0 port for the adapter only.

4

Hi George,

Sorry for my delayed reply!

We could certainly try sending you a pretested replacement adapter to make sure nothing is wrong on the hardware side. I will contact you directly via email and request a little information.

Thanks!
Josh

5

I would certainly be open to trying a pretested replacement adapter. It would be good to know if the original adapter was faulty, or if I am just seeing the limits of my computers’ hardware. Thanks.