Sonnet Solo 10G Thunderbolt 3 to 10 Gigabit Ethernet Adapter with NBASE-T Support

Solo 10G 10GBASE-T Thunderbolt 3 to 10 Gigabit Ethernet Adapter with NBASE-T Support

In recent years content creation and output have quickly moved from HD to 4K and beyond, making 10Gb Ethernet the new data transfer standard for post-production shared storage workgroups and other bandwidth intensive workflows. Very affordable 10Gb Ethernet switches with RJ45 (copper) have significantly reduced the cost of setting up a 10GbE infrastructure, resulting in very rapid adoption. Even the new iMac Pro™ includes 10Gb Ethernet as its standard network interface. Now, for computers with a Thunderbolt™ 3 port, there is an equally affordable Thunderbolt to 10Gb Ethernet adapter—Sonnet’s Solo 10G™ Thunderbolt 3 Edition adapter, a powerfully simple solution for adding blazing-fast 10GBASE-T 10GbE network connectivity to any Mac® or Windows®1 computer with Thunderbolt 3 ports.

The Solo 10G adapter is equipped with a single RJ45 socket, enabling it to connect to 10GbE infrastructure via inexpensive CAT 6 or CAT 6A copper cabling at distances up to 55 or 100 meters, respectively. Oh, and it’s priced at a level that seemed impossible even a year ago. 

Replaceable Captive Cable

Through the use of a captive cable, the Solo 10G adapter’s Thunderbolt connector remains firmly connected to it at all times. Should the cable ever break, it can easily be replaced with an approved replacement cable available from Sonnet or a Sonnet-authorized reseller. 

Safe and Secure

As a networked conduit into your computer, the Sonnet Solo 10G was designed with essential security features. Incorporating encryption in hardware, the Sonnet adapter is protected against malicious modification of its firmware. Any unauthorized attempt at firmware modification to facilitate surreptitious computer access would render the adapter inoperable. This secure design prevents the Solo 10G adapter firmware from being reprogrammed except by a manufacturer’s update using a secure encryption key.

Pocketable, Bus-Powered, and Silent

Unlike the vast majority of 10GbE adapters, the Solo 10G is pocketable—measuring a mere 3.1 inches wide by 4.5 inches deep by 1.1 inches tall—and bus-powered to enable truly portable use without a power adapter. Using the latest technologies and wrapping them in a rugged aluminum case, Sonnet designed a cool-running adapter that doesn’t need a fan, allowing silent and energy-efficient operation.

Simple Setup

How simple? Connect the Solo 10G adapter to your computer, connect the adapter to the network switch or directly to 10GbE-enabled storage, and configure the adapter’s settings through the macOS® Network control panel or Windows Device Manager.

NBASE-T Support for Faster Transfers Across Existing Cabling

Does your facility have CAT 5e wiring installed already? You can still get a great performance gain—from 250 to 500 percent over Gigabit Ethernet speed—without rewiring! The Solo 10G adapter supports the NBASE-T™ industry-standard of 2.5/5 Gb link speeds, which enables greater than Gigabit Ethernet speeds over CAT 5e (or better) cabling when used with an NBASE-T compatible (multi-Gigabit) switch or router. This capability allows you to deploy the same adapter across an organization for users supported by different Ethernet cabling infrastructures.

Advanced Features, Intelligent Operation

The Solo 10G Thunderbolt 3 Edition adapter attains its high throughput performance and low host-CPU utilization through functions such as flow control, 64-bit address support for systems using more than 4GB of physical memory; and stateless offloads such as TCP, UDP and IPv4 checksum offloading. These processes enable your computer to perform better while large files transfers or high I/O operations take place. This Sonnet adapter supports Energy-Efficient Ethernet (IEEE 802.3az), which reduces the adapter’s power demands on your computer.

AVB Support

Audio Video Bridging (IEEE 802.1Qav, AVB) support makes the adapter perfect for use in pro audio and video applications where synchronization of data streams is critical.2

Key Features

• Adds 10GBASE-T 10GbE Connectivity — Adds an RJ45 10 Gigabit Ethernet port to your computer with Thunderbolt 3 ports

• Cost-Effective — Low-cost adapter connects to 10GbE infrastructure via inexpensive CAT 6 or CAT 6A cables at distances up to 55 or 100 meters, respectively

• 40Gbps Thunderbolt 3 Interface — Connects to any Thunderbolt 3 computer port, or at the end of a Thunderbolt 3 device daisy chain 

• Supports NBASE-T Standard — 5 Gb/s and 2.5 Gb/s speeds supported over inexpensive CAT 5e (or better) cabling at distances up to 100 meters when used with a multi-Gigabit switch or router

• Advanced Features — Audio Video Bridging (IEEE 802.1Qav, AVB) and Energy-Efficient Ethernet (IEEE 802.3az) supported

• Easy Setup — Configured through macOS Network control panel or Windows Device Manager

• Small and Silent — Adapter is pocketable and uses no fan, perfect for use in noise-sensitive environments

• Bus-Powered, Energy Efficient — Powered through its Thunderbolt connection, the Solo 10G requires no power adapter

• Rugged Construction — Aluminum enclosure withstands heavy use

• Thunderbolt Certified for Mac & Windows

Technical Specifications

• Part No.: SOLO10G-TB3

• Warranty: 1-year

• Form Factor: Thunderbolt 3 adapter

• External Connectors: One RJ45 socket

• 10GbE Controller: Aquantia AQC-107S

• Network Support:

10GBASE-T

- 100 meters using CAT 6A cabling

- 55 meters using CAT 6CAT 6 cabling

5GBASE-T, 2.5GBASE-T4, 1000BASE-T4, 100BASE-TX

- 100 meters using CAT 5e (or better) cabling

• Packets: Maximum packet size: 16352 bytes (jumbo frames), 9000 bytes under macOS®

• Data Rates Supported: 10 Gb/s, 5 Gb/s, 2.5 Gb/s, 1 Gb/s, 100 Mb/s

• Advanced Features

- Flow control support

- MSI (Message Signaled Interrupts)

- RSS (Receive-Side Scaling)

- Interrupt coalescing

- Multicast filtering

- Energy-Efficient Ethernet (IEEE 802.3az)

- AVB (IEEE 802.1Qav, Audio Video Bridging)

- 64-bit address support for systems using more than 4GB of physical memory

• Stateless Offloads

- TCP, UDP and IPv4 checksum offloading

- TSO (TCP Segmentation Offload, AKA Large Send Offload)

- LRO (Large Receive Offload)

- RSS (Receiver Side Scaling)

• Operating Temperature: 0ºC to 35ºC (32ºF to 95ºF)

• Dimensions (WxDxH): 3.1 x 4.5 x 1.1 in. (79.5 x 114 x 27.2 mm)

• Weight: 0.54 lbs. (0.24 kg)

• RoHS Compliant: Yes

• Package Contents:

- Solo 10G Thunderbolt 3 Edition, 10GBASE-T/NBASE-T Ethernet Thunderbolt 3 Adapter with captive 0.5-meter Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps) cable

- Documentation

Mac Compatibility

• Mac with Thunderbolt 3 ports

• macOS High Sierra (10.13.4+)

Windows Compatibility

• Computer with a Thunderbolt 3 port

• Windows 10 (64-bit Edition Version 1709 or greater)

Technical Notes

sup>1 Windows computers require the latest BIOS and Thunderbolt drivers to support this product. Check with your computer manufacturer for update information.

2Switch/router must support AVB to support this feature.

310GBASE-SR, 10GBASE-LR, or 10GBASE-T SFP+ transceiver(s) required, sold separately.

42.5G/5G speeds are supported when used with NBASE-T compatible (multi-Gigabit) switches.

5Products with NBASE-T support 5Gb/s and lower speeds over CAT 5e (and better) cables.

6All products listed here are macOS High Sierra compatible. Sonnet recommends macOS 10.13.4+ when connecting via SMB protocol.