Like the iPhone before it, the iPad was designed as a wireless-first device. As such, it offers support for fast WI-Fi and Cellular connectivity. But did you know the USB-C port on your iPad also supports Ethernet for fast wired connectivity?

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Why Might You Want to Do This?

Wired networking offers a number of benefits that can improve the experience for tasks like making video calls or downloading large games or files.

• A wired connection is a more stable connection that is less susceptible to interference from other wireless devices around you.
• Wired connections generally offer faster download and upload speeds as there are fewer environmental variables vs. Wi-Fi (distance from access point, network congestion, etc.).
• Wired connections offer more security than a Wi-Fi connection that is more vulnerable to wireless packet sniffers.
  

What You Need

USB-C iPads

• A USB-C to Ethernet adapter

or

• A dock or docking station, like a Thunderbolt dock, that supports Ethernet
  

Lightning iPads

The Ethernet setup for a Lightning iPad will require two adapters. First, you’ll need a Lightning to USB-A adapter. Your best bet is to go with the one Apple makes. Next, you’ll need a USB-A to Ethernet adapter. Apple used to make one, but now it no longer sells it. I haven’t personally tried this, but Best Buy makes an adapter that’s worth considering. I’ve never had bad luck with their accessories.

How It Works

Plug the adapter into your iPad, then connect the Ethernet cable. iPadOS will automatically connect to the wired network. You can confirm this is working by opening the Settings app. You should see a new Ethernet option in the Settings list underneath the Wi-Fi option.

The speed of your connection is somewhat dependent on the type of port your iPad has, as well as the speeds supported by your adapter. IPads that have ports with more bandwidth may offer faster speeds. For example, one user reported experiencing speeds about 2.5 GBPS down when using an iPad with a Thunderbolt Port in conjunction with a Thunderbolt 10 GbE adapter. On the flip side, most Lightning iPads only support USB-2.0 speeds, which would drastically limit potential Ethernet throughput.

Drawbacks

Unlike other operating systems, iPadOS doesn’t provide a way to tell the system to prioritize one connection type over another. So while when you plug in Ethernet, the device does make it the primary connection, that’s not necessarily guaranteed.

You’re also somewhat beholden to the quality of the adapter you choose. A poor-quality adapter may cause a poor or unstable connection.

And, of course, even with all of the benefits I mentioned above, dealing with wires is still kind of a hassle. Especially for a computer that just begs you to walk around with it.

Conclusion

Using Ethernet with your iPad is a great option to have whenever you want the fastest and most stable internet connection you can on your computer. It requires using at least one adapter, but often it’s worth the slight hassle to accomplish your task that much faster.