QNAP Launches QNA-UC5G1T: A USB 3.0 to 5 GbE Network Adapter
by Anton Shilov on May 23, 2019 10:00 AM EST
QNAP has introduced its USB 3.0 to 5 GbE adapter that can add support for a faster-than-GbE network standard to a PC or a QNAP NAS. The QNA-UC5G1T adapter is small and sleek, so it is easy to carry around or place near a NAS that needs more than one NBASE-T Ethernet ports.
The QNAP QNA-UC5G1T adapter is based on Aquantia’s single-port AQtion AQC111C 5G controller paired with a PCIe-to-USB 3.0 bridge compatible with a USB Type-C connector. The said Aquantia silicon supports an RJ-45 interface as well as various BASE-T/NBASE-T standards (including 100M, 1G, 2.5G and 5G) using contemporary copper Cat5e/Cat6 cabling that is widely used in homes and offices. The dongle is powered using a USB 3.0 interface.
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. Besides, the adapter can be used to add a 5GBASE-T port (or more) to a NAS that does not have it. The manufacturer bundles USB-C to USB-A and USB-C to USB-C cables to ensure physical compatibility with a variety of devices.
When it comes to compatibility on the logical level, 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). Besides, the adapter can work with QNAP’s NAS featuring QTS 4.3.6 (or later).
QNAP said that its QNA-UC5G1T is now available from various resellers, but never mentioned its MSRP. At press time, only one seller at Amazon.com offered the adapter for $212, but eventually pricing of the device will likely drop.
Related Reading:
- Club 3D Launches 2.5 GbE USB Type-A & USB Type-C Dongles
- Buffalo Unveils New 10GBase-T Network Card with 2.5G+5G
- QNAP Announces TS-332X Three-Bay NAS with 10 GbE
- Aquantia Launch AQtion 5G/2.5G/1G Multi-Gigabit Ethernet Cards (NICs) for PCIe
Source: QNAP
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UpSpin - Thursday, May 23, 2019 - link
75 Euro in Germany, according to the German QNAP press release.abufrejoval - Thursday, May 23, 2019 - link
€75 would be a steal (ähem, quite an appropriate price)! Been waiting for this for what seems like an eternity... not seeing this on alternate.de quite yet...But I am somewhat astounded overall that they use this NBase-T->PCIe x1->PCIe x1->USB 3.1 setup here: Aquantia is supposed to offer a single chip solution for this on I guess a larger process node called the ACQ111U (5Gbit) or ACQ112U (2.5Gbit)...
So did those turn out to be too power hungry to be practical? Is that why we never saw actual products?
Are these smaller ACQ111/112C chips so much more power efficient (or cheaper) that even adding another chip for the PCIe to USB leg works out?
MrSpadge - Thursday, May 23, 2019 - link
The power consumption of Aquantia chips doesn't scale all that much with process node, as a major fraction of the total power is for the analog part, including output drivers. These don't scale with process node.name99 - Thursday, May 23, 2019 - link
Yeah, $212 seems remarkably high.FWIW Apple (you know, the supposed ogre that always charges far too much for everything) charges $100 to upgrade a mac mini from 1Gb to 10Gb ethernet. Which suggests that the basic chips required are not THAT expensive.
Of course an adaptor also needs the USB3 side, but still, suggests the dollar price is substantially out of wack. 75 euros seems much more plausible.
nucc1 - Friday, May 24, 2019 - link
Yea, right after you have paid $5000 for the rest of the machine. I can see how this is a valid comparison.DanNeely - Friday, May 24, 2019 - link
Your sarcasm contains why it's relevant. Apple charges huge margins on every other upgrade; why wouldn't they also do the same for 10gbe.CharonPDX - Friday, May 24, 2019 - link
It's a $100 upgrade on an $800 machine. But thanks for playing.Skeptical123 - Saturday, May 25, 2019 - link
Keep in mind the mac min 10GbE upgrade presumable uses PCIe, which is the norm, not a special USB 3.0 adapter chip(s). You can get 10GbE nics well south of $100 but good luck finding say similar thunderbolt to 10GbE for under $150. I looked for USB 3.0 to 10GbE which is what this device is and could not find any listed on Amazon. Which means this is a specialty product that is the first (or one of the first) to market which more than justifies a cost premium.name99 - Sunday, May 26, 2019 - link
Since USB3.0 maxes out at 5Gbps, it should not surprise anyone that people are selling 5G ethernet adaptors, not 10G...The beautifully named 3.1 Gen2 gives us 10Gbps but then you hit the clusterfsck that is implied by the name... You can kinda assume that high-end consumers will be using some generation of Thunderbolt or USB-C; you can't rely on anyone having 3.1 Gen2. And who wants the hassle of selling a product where 90% of the reviewers say "I tried it on my computer and I only get 4Gbps. Total scam!"
bug77 - Thursday, May 23, 2019 - link
What?