Thunderbolt to Ethernet networking adapters are very handy especially on newer computers like Macbook Airs and Macbook Pros that don’t have ethernet wired networking ports. They allow you to plug into your laptop’s Thunderbolt port on one end and then provide a legacy ethernet networking port on the other, so you can get connected to the internet at faster speeds than WiFi allows, or in places where there is no Wifi.
Here are some of the best Thunderbolt to Ethernet adapters:
The original Thunderbolt to Ethernet adapter that came out was Apple’s own model. It is just about as simple as it gets: it provides a Thunderbolt plug on one side, and an Ethernet port on the other. This adapter requires a Mac running OS 10.7.4 or later and a computer with a Thunderbolt port, of course.
This Thunderbolt to Ethernet adapter goes from Thunderbolt on your Macbook Air or Macbook Pro running Mac OS 10.8.4 (or PC laptop with Thunderbolt running Windows 7 or higher) to a Gigabit Ethernet port and even gives you an extra USB 3.0 port to boot. This model is available in black.
Need even more ports? Here’s a Thunderbolt to Ethernet solution that provides not only a Gigabit Ethernet and 3 USB 3.0 ports but also an additional Thunderbolt port to hook up other devices like Thunderbolt hard drives, two headphone/microphone jacks, and an HDMI output port to hook up a TV or external computer monitor.
Long Lightning cables can be extremely useful when you need to charge your iPhone or iPad but the port you’re plugging it into is far away– for instance a computer underneath a desk or a wall outlet that’s not directly next to your couch. Even though the Lightning cable that originally came with your iPhone or iPad is only about three feet long, there are third party manufacturers that make MFI certified Lightning cables that are much longer.
Here are some of the longest lighting cables available:
Syncwire – iPhone Charger Lightning Cable – 6.5 ft
Here’s a six and a half foot Lightning cable. That’s more than double the length of the standard Apple Lightning cable that ships with iPads, iPhones and iPod Touches. This Lightning charging and data cable also comes in several different colors including black, silver, gold, rose gold and space gray, matching all of Apple’s various different iPhone colors. It also comes in white if you want to match the original iPhone charging cable or iPad charging cable that came with your Apple device originally.
Apple is transitioning all of their new products to use the new USB-C charging and syncing cables, which is annoying for those of us who have years of USB-A charging bricks from previous iPhones and iPads. But if you’re ready to make the switch, this pack of USB-C to Lightning cables comes with two 10 foot cables and two charging bricks.
Swaggwood Colorful 10 ft Lightning Charging Cables
Who says the longest iPhone charging cables have only come in boring colors? It turns out, there are many super long Lightning cables that come in all sorts of colors, including these 10 foot long Lighting cables that come in a pack of three colors: purple, pink, and yellow.
Apple MFi Certified Lightning to USB Cable 10ft/3m iPhone Charger Cord
Here’s another one of the longest Lighning USB charging cables available. It measures 10 feet in length and comes in black, white and red color options. Like all of the other long Lightning cables featured in this article, this charging cable works with all current iPhone models as well as iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad Mini and iPad Nano/iPad Touch (5th generation) devices.
Anker Powerline+ II 10 Foot Braided Nylon Lightning Cable
Some people prefer to buy braided cables when available because they can be more durable in some circumstances where a charging cable can be subjected to a lot of stress. This long Lightning to USB charging cable is protected by braided nylon from one end to the end. It also comes with a convenient velcro cable tie so you won’t make a mess of your extra long Lightning cable when you’re not using it. This iPhone/iPad charging cable is 10 feet long and comes in a variety of other colors as well.
Do you want to make the experience of charging your iPhone to be more like the experience of going to a nightclub? Well, boy, have we got a solution for you. Here’s a long Lightning cable for iPhone and iPad that glows while it’s charging. It makes your iPhone easy to find in the dark and also makes it clear at a glance whether or not it’s fully plugged in. Charging your cell phone or iPad will never be boring again.
Need an even longer USB to Lightning charging cable? A USB extension cable might work for what your needs: you simply plug your Lightning cable into it, and plug that into your computer or power brick.
Short USB to Lightning cables (or Lightning to USB cables depending on how you look at it) are very useful, particularly when you’re plugging in portable iPhone charger battery packs and you don’t want to use a ridiculously long 3 foot Lightning cable. Thankfully there are several short Lightning to USB cables and cords that can help charge your iPhones and iPads without a long cable.
Here’s a 4 inch (10cm) short Lightning to USB cable that’s ideal to use when you plug your iPhone into a portable charging battery pack. It comes in white and both the Lighting and the USB ports are at right angles, meaning you can twist the cable and plug it into both your iPhone and a battery pack and then stack the two on top of each other with the iPhone sitting on top of the battery.
Here’s another 4 inch (10 centimeter) short Lightning cable, and this one is more traditional, without right angle plugs like the last item in this list.
It’s available in both black and white and is so short it doesn’t even need to be coiled to keep the excess cable neat.
If you’re looking for a very short Lightning cable, it’s hard to get shorter than this Lightning USB keychain stick. The iZapp Lightning to USB keychain can be taken anywhere on your set of keys and comes in six different colors. It measures about 2.7 inches long (6 cm) and is made of flexible rubber. Plus since it’s a keychain stick you can attach it to your keys and never have to worry about losing it.
Here’s another one of the shortest Apple Lightning cables available. When extended it reaches 4 inches in length but it folds and locks into a closed loop for easy transport. It comes in white and can easily be clasped around a keychain to go anywhere in your pocket or be looped around another cord or cable. This can be especially handy if you’re prone to lose small objects.
This is the smallest Lightning cable available: it folds into a black oval about 2 inches long. When it’s fully extended, the Lightning to USB cable is 3 inches long and is flexible to plug in to charge your iPhone or iPad at virtually any angle.
Factors to consider when choosing a short Lighting cable
Length – This one is obvious, but there’s quite a difference between a 1 foot Lightning cable and a 3 foot Lightning cable (which is the normal charging cable length that Apple ships with its devices). What you need will dictate what you’ll get.
Flexibility – Not every short Lightning cable is super flexible. Some of them are but others don’t twist and bend nearly as much. Consider how flexible you will need your short iPhone or iPad charging cable to be.
Color – Short Lightning cables come in all colors so you’ve got a choice to make here. You aren’t just restricted to black or white.
How easy is it to lose? Since you’re looking for a short Lightning charging cable, any cable you might be considering will probably be small. If you’re the sort of person that easily loses small things you may want to consider a cable that hooks on to your keychain, like a few of the models listed in this article do. That way it’s very difficult to lose your iPhone charging cable… well, unless you frequently lose your keys too!
Cat 6 (Category/Level 6) Ethernet cables are by far the best combination of speed/affordability that you can purchase today, with speeds up to ten times faster than Cat 5 Ethernet, while still being less expensive than next generation Category 7 Ethernet cables.
The best short Cat 6 Ethernet Cables available today:
This basic black Cat-6 ethernet cable is five feet long (there is also a sister cable that’s 3 feet long if you need a shorter ethernet cable). It transmit data at a speed of up to 1 Gigabit per second (Category 6) and comes with a one year warranty.
Here’s a ten foot ethernet cable that’s certified for category 6 speed transfers (000BASE-T/1000BASE-TX). It’s black and offers easy pinch disconnectors and has gotten great reviews from Amazon buyers. Some customers also comment that it’s thinner compared to other ethernet cables.
This Cat6 ethernet cable is 25 feet in length (7.6 meters) and comes in black. Like other ethernet cables, you can use it for wired networking including desktop computers, wifi routers, modems, printers, laptops, video surveillance, ethernet switches, and hubs for LANs (local area networks).
Here’s another well-reviewed Cat6 ethernet cable: this one is 50 feet long (15 meters) and comes in black. Like all the other Cat 6 ethernet cables featured in this list, this cable offers a snagless design, which means that the pinch clip used to hook and unlock the cable to ports has a protective cover over the end, preventing it from getting snagged from other cables and breaking.
Here’s a 100 foot Category 6 Ethernet cable that’s garnered nearly 100% five star reviews from Amazon buyers. It features a snagless design and offers a limited lifetime warranty and product support.
Need a Cat 6 cable longer than 100 feet? Here’s a 250 foot Cat 6 ethernet cable. Ethernet cables can reach up to about 300 feet before you start hitting the practical length limits where data transmission is not guaranteed. If you need a cable significantly longer than that, you might want to look into an ethernet switch or hub to daisy chain multiple cables together, end to end.
Multiport USB 3.0 hubs are very useful because they can provide you with several USB ports instead of a single one. You can use them with a laptop or a desktop computer and they’re especially useful when your computer is on the floor for instance, or the ports from your computer are at an awkward angle to keep plugging and unplugging things from. With USB 3.0 hubs you can put the ports where you want them. Some USB ports even have on/off switches to virtually plug and unplug devices like external hard drives without having to physically unplug them.
This tiny USB 3.0 hub is ideal for travel usage or use with laptops. It weighs only a single onuce and doesn’t have a huge long cable so you can easily throw it in a laptop bag or backpack and take it with you wherever you go. Its four USB 3.0 ports are angled outward in distinctive octagonal pattern. Compatible with Macs and PCs and Linux.
Here’s another USB 3.0 hub that is ideal for desk usage. It offers four USB 3.0 ports angled upwards so it’s easy to plug and unplug cables without searching or picking up the device to figure out which way the ports are aligned. It also features an LED light to indicate whether or not it’s powered on. The cable stretches two feet in length, but if you need a longer cable you can always add a USB extender/USB extension cord. Compatible with Macs and PCs and Linux.
Here’s another four port USB 3.0 hub but this one has individual power switches for each port. Why is that useful? It allows you to cut power to any device at the touch of a button, meaning you can virtually “plug in” and “unplug” devices without having to physically plug and unplug them, saving time for devices that you frequently but don’t constantly use, like external hard drives. Compatible with Macs and PCs and Linux.
Need more than four ports on your USB hub? Here’s an extremely well reviewed 7 port USB 3.0 hub that can bus-power, recharge or connect several devices at once. It even plugs into a power outlet to supplement the power provided by your computer. Compatible with Macs and PCs and Linux.
Sometimes you need to plug in a USB device like a keyboard or mouse several feet away from your computer itself. This might be because your computer is on the floor and you want your keyboard on your desk and the original USB cable it came with isn’t long enough. Luckily, USB extension cables and USB cord extenders can help bridge that gap.
Here’s a three foot long (1 meter) USB extension cable. It works with USB 3.0 meaning it’s perfect for keyboards, mice, external hard drives, and other peripherals. It plugs directly into your computer on one end and provides a female USB port to plug your peripheral device into on the other end. If you need more than one USB port at the end though, you may want to consider adding a multiport USB 3.0 hub to the end of your cable.
Here’s the six foot (1.5 meter) version of the same very well reviewed USB extender cable. Like its sister cables, it offers a SuperSpeed USB 3.0 data transfer rate at up to 5 Gbps, 10x faster than USB 2.0. Again, if you need more than one USB port at the end though, you may want to consider adding a multiport USB 3.0 hub to the end of your cable.
Need an even longer USB extension cable? Here’s a 16 foot USB 3.0 extension cord. And if that’s not enough, there’s a 32 foot version you can pick up instead. But this is really stretching the maximum length of USB cables. If you need a longer USB extension cable, check out the next option in this list.
USB cables do have a maximum length limit but if you really need a USB cable that reaches longer than about 30 feet, you’re in luck. You can use this USB to Cat5 or Cat6 ethernet converter device to extend your USB cable up to 150 feet. How does it work? It temporarily converts the “middle section” of your USB cable from normal USB to ethernet– the wired networking cable type. So on one end you’ll have a USB transmitter which you can plug your USB mouse or keyboard or other device into, then you’ll plug in a Cat-6 ethernet cable which you’ll need to buy separately, and then you’ll plug in the ethernet to USB receiver, which you can plug into your computer’s normal USB port.
Firewire ports and cables come in three flavors: Full-sized Firewire 400, Mini-sized Firewire 400, and Firewire 800 (which is newer and offers faster transfer speeds). Luckily, all three of these are interoperable but in order to transfer one format to the other, you’ll need firewire converters.
Here are the best Firewire 400 to 800/Firewire 800 to 400 and Firewire Mini converters:
FireWire 400 to 800 Adapter
If you already have a Firewire cable but it’s the wrong type, this is a useful dongle adapter. This Firewire 400 to 800 adapter will connect two Firewire devices, either a Firewire 400 hard drive to a computer that has a Firewire 800 port (or the other way around), or a Firewire 400 hard drive to a Firewire 800 hard drive that will be plugged into a computer (daisy-chained). To be honest, if you need to connect two Firewire hard drives together though, we’d recommend a Firewire 400 to Firewire 800 adapter that has a cable though, otherwise they would have to be lined up right next to each other, with just this tiny adapter separating them.
Here’s a Firewire 400 to 800 (6 pin to 9 pin) adapter cable that you can use to connect either two Firewire devices with the two different types of ports, or a Firewire device with a computer. The cable is 6 feet long, though there is also a 10 foot variant if you need a longer cable.
If you need to connect a full-sized Firewire 400 device (6 pin) to a Firewire Mini (4 pin) device, this Firewire adapter cable can help you bridge that gap. It is 6 feet long and male to male, like all the other adapters on this page.
Need to plug a Firewire 800 device (like a computer) into a device with Firewire Mini (4 pin)? Don’t worry, there’s a cable for that scenario as well. This is a Firewire 800 to Firewire 400 Mini converter cable that reaches 3 feet long.
Thunderbolt is the latest high speed protocol and almost all of Apple’s Macbook laptops today support it (and some PCs do as well). But there are still plenty of legacy devices out there that use Firewire cables (also known as IEEE 1394 cables). If you have a newer computer and need to connect to an old Firewire 400 or Firewire 800 device, a Thunderbolt to Firewire adapter is what you’ll need to bridge that gap.
Here are our picks for the best thunderbolt to firewire adapters:
If all you need is a single Firewire port, then this Apple made Thunderbolt to Firewire adapter could be just the ticket for you. It plugs directly into the Thunderbolt port on your Macbook laptop or Mac Pro and offers a Firewire 800 port in exchange. (If you need to plug in a Firewire 400 port, you’ll also need to pick up a Firewire 400 to Firewire 800 port adapter in addition to the Apple Thunderbolt to Firewire Adapter.)
If you need a Thunderbolt to Firewire solution that also offers additional connectivity, the Akitio Thunder Dock could be a good solution. It plugs into a single Thunderbolt port but offers in the following new input ports: 1 Firewire 800 port, 2 USB 3.0 ports, two eSata ports, and an additional Thunderbolt port to daisy chain an additional Thunderbolt device to. That’s a lot of ports!
If you want even more ports out of your Thunderbolt to Firewire hub, and you don’t care about eSata, here’s another option. It plugs into the Thunderbolt port on your computer and offers five USB 3.0 ports, a headphone jack and a microphone port, a Firewire 800 port, an additional Thunderbolt port, an HDMI output port to connect an external monitor to, and an ethernet port for wired networking. If you’re looking to build out the base station for a Macbook laptop, this is an excellent choice.
With more and more devices charging via USB ports these days– like phones, tablets, and more– it’s handy to have extra USB ports around the house. Wall plug USB power adapters can be quite handy to solve this problem, providing USB ports directly plugged into your power outlets no matter where they are– no computer needed.
Example uses for USB outlet power adapters:
For instance, you might want to charge your iPhone or iPad in the kitchen with a charging brick dedicated just to that location so you don’t have to move it. Or, you might want a travel charging adapter that uses only one outlet but provides you with many USB ports so multiple devices can charge at once.
This power strip plugs into a single wall power outlet and provides you with both a replacement plug for the one you’re losing and a total of four USB ports on the bottom of the device. While this USB power strip is available in white, a similar adapter is also available in black.
If you have an iPhone you’ll probably recognize this power adapter. While it’s designed to look like a standard iPhone USB wall charger, it will actually work with any USB charging device– including Android phones, tablets, or other devices. It also has a bonus: each plug features two USB ports, so you can charge two devices at once. This kit includes two USB wall chargers for iPhones or Android phones or any other device that charges via USB outlets. With two plugs it’s easy to throw one in a purse or backpack and leave the other strategically plugged in next to your nightstand or elsewhere around your house or office.
Here’s another 6-port USB wall charging station that provides power to all your devices at once. This one is especially handy if you prefer to have your devices charging on a table or desk instead of tethered to the wall (it has a 4 and a half foot power cable). Compatible with iPhones, Android devices, many cameras and anything else that charges via USB power.
This white USB power adapter features six USB ports plugged into a power strip with a cord that measures 5 feet long (1.5 meters). The cable is long enough to reach from a power outlet to rest on a desk for instance. It also features an on/off switch to save power when not in use. It provides 5 volts of power to each device.
Compatible with most USB charging devices, like iPhones, tablets, digital cameras, and computer accessories, this is perfect for traveling or using in the office.
Need more than 6 USB ports at a time? If you’ve got a bunch of devices that charge via USB like cell phones, tablets, cameras, and other items, this USB wall charging station might be perfect. It has 8 USB sockets and has an approximately 6-inch power cable and features a display that shows the status of each socket (charging or not).
Some devices are more power-hungry than others. For instance, if you’ve ever tried to charge an iPad or other tablet using a normal USB cell phone charger, you’ve probably noticed that it takes approximately forever to charge. That’s because cell phone chargers and many other USB chargers are only capable of providing about 7.5 watts of power. This super-charged Anker USB wall charger provides 24 watts of power to each outlet meaning you can charge two iPads or similarly power hungry devices at the same time at full speed.
Do you constantly find yourself searching for a USB charging brick but never able to find one when you need to charge your phone? Installing this wall outlet with 2 USB charging ports built-in might be the perfect solution for you. With a screwdriver, you can replace an existing wall outlet in your home to replace it with this wall outlet plate with USB charging ports built-in.
Factors to consider when choosing a USB wall charging outlet
Power cord length – Some USB power chargers plug directly into the wall and others have a long or a short power cord so your devices don’t have to be plugged in directly to the wall. Some use cases may obviously call for one type versus the other.
Voltage – If you’re planning to charge iPads or other devices that are especially power-hungry you may want to opt for a high voltage charger like the black Anker brick charger mentioned above, which can provide full charging power and charge your devices faster. Note that this won’t change the speed that your cell phones or other normal devices charge because they won’t suck up as much power as tablets will.
Number of outlets – Some people only have one or two devices but others have many that often need to be charged at once. How many USB devices you anticipate needing to charge will obviously be an important factor in choosing which USB charging station you pick.
Color – Several of the USB charging bricks and USB power stations in this article come in multiple colors with the most common being black versions and white versions. In certain cases, you may prefer white charging outlets if they blend in with your decor, and in other cases, you may want dark-colored ones that won’t be distracting in a darker environment.
USB Type C adapters (or USB-C adapters) are extremely useful in a variety of scenarios. Some newer laptops like the new Macbook and Chromebook Pixel only have USB C ports instead of the “normal” USB Type A ports that everyone is used to by now. USB Type C ports will become more and more common in the future as computers become thinner because Type C is a fraction of the height and width of legacy USB Type A ports.
Example uses for USB Type C to Type A Adapters
You might have a laptop like the new Macbook that only has a single USB type C port, but you want to plug in a USB external hard drive that only has a USB type A plug, so you need a USB-C adapter to help bridge that gap.
This USB adapter plugs into your computer’s USB Type C port and provides you with a normal size USB Type A female port for you to plug accessories into. It features a sleek silver finish and does not require additional software or drivers to work. It functions on both Macs and PCs and works with USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 devices.
This might look a lot like the USB Type C to Type A adapter above, but it features one additional perk: in addition to offering a normal sized USB port to plug peripheral devices like hard drives or mice into, it also offers a USB C port. Why might you want an extra USB type C port? Well, if you have one of the increasing numbers of laptops that uses USB-C for charging, you can use it to charge your laptop even while you have a USB type A peripheral plugged in. Neat!
Sometimes you need more than just a single USB 3.0 port, and for those times this device can come in handy. It plugs into your computer’s skinny little USB C port and provides you in exchange with three normal, full size USB Type A ports and even an ethernet port for wired networking that might come in handy too.
