Current version: 1.0.19 1.0.15 (as of 2018-12-10)
Realtek GBE USB
- Gigabit ethernet
- USB hub
- Launch
System Preferences->Network - See
USB 10/100/1000 LAN - https://i.imgur.com/Bm7D0Ld.png (mirror)
- https://i.imgur.com/wcMZFh8.png (mirror)
- Launch
System Information(also known asSystem Profiler) ->Hardware->USB - https://i.imgur.com/NJi9yC4.png (mirror)
- Launch
System Information(also known asSystem Profiler) ->Software->Extensions - https://i.imgur.com/64QCxxS.png (mirror)
- Launch a terminal/shell
ioreg -p IOUSB -w0ioreg -p IOUSB -w0 -l: For more info
+-o Root <class IORegistryEntry, id 0x100000100, retain 14>
+-o Root Hub Simulation Simulation@14000000 <class AppleUSBRootHubDevice, id 0x1000002fa, registered, matched, active, busy 0 (6 ms), retain 13>
+-o USB2.0 Hub @14100000 <class AppleUSBDevice, id 0x1000002fb, registered, matched, active, busy 0 (43 ms), retain 14>
+-o Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad@14400000 <class AppleUSBDevice, id 0x1000002ff, registered, matched, active, busy 0 (96 ms), retain 22>
+-o USB3.0 Hub @14500000 <class AppleUSBDevice, id 0x100000363, registered, matched, active, busy 0 (54 ms), retain 15>
| +-o USB 10/100/1000 LAN@14540000 <class AppleUSBDevice, id 0x100000418, registered, matched, active, busy 0 (73 ms), retain 18>
+-o Bluetooth USB Host Controller@14300000 <class AppleUSBDevice, id 0x1000003d8, registered, matched, active, busy 0 (58 ms), retain 24>
Terminal output snippet from `ioreg -p IOUSB -w0 -l`
+-o USB3.0 Hub @14500000 <class AppleUSBDevice, id 0x100000363, registered, matched, active, busy 0 (54 ms), retain 15>
| | {
| | "sessionID" = 2480892594
| | "iManufacturer" = 1
| | "bNumConfigurations" = 1
| | "idProduct" = 2066
| | "bcdDevice" = 37009
| | "Bus Power Available" = 900
| | "USB Address" = 5
| | "bMaxPacketSize0" = 9
| | "iProduct" = 2
| | "iSerialNumber" = 0
| | "bDeviceClass" = 9
| | "Built-In" = No
| | "locationID" = 340787200
| | "bDeviceSubClass" = 0
| | "bcdUSB" = 768
| | "USB Product Name" = "USB3.0 Hub "
| | "PortNum" = 5
| | "non-removable" = "no"
| | "IOCFPlugInTypes" = {"9dc7b780-9ec0-11d4-a54f-000a27052861"="IOUSBFamily.kext/Contents/PlugIns/IOUSBLib.bundle"}
| | "bDeviceProtocol" = 3
| | "IOUserClientClass" = "IOUSBDeviceUserClientV2"
| | "IOPowerManagement" = {"DevicePowerState"=0,"CurrentPowerState"=3,"CapabilityFlags"=65536,"MaxPowerState"=4,"DriverPowerState"=3}
| | "Device Speed" = 3
| | "USB Vendor Name" = "VIA Labs, Inc. "
| | "idVendor" = 8457
| | "IOGeneralInterest" = "IOCommand is not serializable"
| | "IOClassNameOverride" = "IOUSBDevice"
| | }
| |
| +-o USB 10/100/1000 LAN@14540000 <class AppleUSBDevice, id 0x100000418, registered, matched, active, busy 0 (73 ms), retain 18>
| {
| "sessionID" = 3379212797
| "iManufacturer" = 1
| "bNumConfigurations" = 2
| "idProduct" = 33107
| "bcdDevice" = 12288
| "Bus Power Available" = 900
| "USB Address" = 8
| "bMaxPacketSize0" = 9
| "iProduct" = 2
| "iSerialNumber" = 3
| "bDeviceClass" = 0
| "Built-In" = No
| "locationID" = 341049344
| "bDeviceSubClass" = 0
| "bcdUSB" = 768
| "USB Product Name" = "USB 10/100/1000 LAN"
| "PortNum" = 4
| "non-removable" = "no"
| "IOCFPlugInTypes" = {"9dc7b780-9ec0-11d4-a54f-000a27052861"="IOUSBFamily.kext/Contents/PlugIns/IOUSBLib.bundle"}
| "bDeviceProtocol" = 0
| "IOUserClientClass" = "IOUSBDeviceUserClientV2"
| "IOPowerManagement" = {"ChildrenPowerState"=4,"DevicePowerState"=0,"CurrentPowerState"=4,"CapabilityFlags"=32768,"MaxPowerState"=4,"DriverPowerState"=4}
| "Device Speed" = 3
| "USB Vendor Name" = "Realtek"
| "idVendor" = 3034
| "IOGeneralInterest" = "IOCommand is not serializable"
| "USB Serial Number" = "002427FE48F6"
| "IOClassNameOverride" = "IOUSBDevice"
| }
|
- Launch a terminal/shell
ifconfig
en4: flags=8863<UP,BROADCAST,SMART,RUNNING,SIMPLEX,MULTICAST> mtu 1500
options=2b<RXCSUM,TXCSUM,VLAN_HWTAGGING,TSO4>
ether 00:24:27:fe:48:f6
inet 192.168.1.135 netmask 0xffffff00 broadcast 192.168.1.255
media: autoselect (1000baseT <full-duplex,flow-control>)
status: active
The driver is located at
/System/Library/Extensions/IONetworkingFamily.kext/Contents/PlugIns/AppleRTL815X*.kext/Library/Extensions/AppleRTL815X*.kext
Here are the namespaces:
com.realtek.driver.AppleRTL815XEthernetcom.realtek.driver.AppleRTL815XComposite
See http://osxdaily.com/2015/06/24/load-unload-kernel-extensions-mac-os-x/
With normal operation with only the network cable plugged in, I only see com.realtek.driver.AppleRTL815XEthernet loaded.
# Unload
sudo kextunload /Library/Extensions/AppleRTL815XEthernet109.kext
sudo kextunload /Library/Extensions/AppleRTL815XComposite109.kext
# Load
sudo kextload /Library/Extensions/AppleRTL815XEthernet109.kext
sudo kextload /Library/Extensions/AppleRTL815XComposite109.kext
# Find if loaded
kextstat | grep com.realtek.driver.AppleRTL815XEthernet
kextstat | grep com.realtek.driver.AppleRTL815XComposite
Perhaps clear the Kernel cache
sudo rm -rf /System/Library/Caches/com.apple.kext.caches
I got a new USB ethernet adapter because the old one had lots of issues (hence the gist in the first place). But it still uses the same Realtek 8153 chip although am using the native driver though now, AppleUSBECM.kext
In terms of my previous issues, I remember that when I clicked the little lock in the browser to view the cert, it would crash my computer. But the disconnects that required a restart were the bigger issue. (personal reference link)
I'm currently running macOS Mojave 10.14
Bit of update as of March 2024 and macOS Sonoma 14.3.1. Look like this is still an issue. Considering business like OWC still sell Thunderbolt dock with the 8156 chipset without any warning about limited capability of the Gigabit port for Mac users, it's a bit frustrating to say the least.
After a bit a of research and trial and error, I found it is possible to achieve gigabit speed on MacOS with the Realtek 8156 chipset, but with a huge caveat, as far as my finding shows : (tl;dr) You need to install the Realtek driver with SIP disabled and keep SIP disabled.
Since this most sources on the Internet point to this Gist, I share below is my process and findings, in case it can help anyone. For my part, I'll most likely be returning the OWC dock and look for a better alternative, as the lack of warning/information from OWC left a bitter taste in my mouth...
As many pointed out, by default, MacOS will use the
com.apple.DriverKit.AppleUserECMdriver for any Ethernet port passed through USB using the Realtek 8156 chipset. This Apple supplied driver limits the overall speed of Ethernet connection through USB/Thundnerbolt to ~400 Mbps for some reason. The overall solution is to install the official driver from Realtek. However, it hasn't been updated since 2020 and does not appear to be compatible with Apple's new extension privacy feature introduced in Big Sur (11.0). This is why when googling this issue, you'll find a lot of people claiming installing the driver fix the issue, only to realized the comments are probably from 2021.These are the steps I used on my Intel MacBook Air to get the driver to load, by disabling SIP :
csrutil disablecom.realtek.driver.AppleRTL815XEthernetextension is loaded from terminal :sudo kmutil showloaded | grep -i realtek. You should see something similar:$ kmutil showloaded | grep -i realtek No variant specified, falling back to release 203 0 0xffffff7f96289000 0xffc 0xffc com.realtek.driver.AppleRTL815XComposite (1.0.22) BA984F53-C67B-31DB-82FA-9146A9680FCA <74 7 6 3 1> 204 0 0xffffff8001dbc000 0x7ff4 0x7ff4 com.apple.driver.usb.realtek8153patcher (5.0.0) 1C97FD90-1304-3956-B4D6-272E31074AF6 <30 7 6 3 1> 205 0 0xffffff7f96235000 0x51ff8 0x51ff8 com.realtek.driver.AppleRTL815XEthernet (1.0.22) E7B07C4A-4CF4-3B58-9027-B592E4A041F3 <119 54 30 7 6 3 1>com.realtek.driver.AppleRTL815XEthernetunder "Driver":At this point, everything should be good as you're actually using the Realtek driver and you should be able to run a speed test with ~Gigabit speed, even after a couple of reboots :
However, remember SIP is currently disabled on you Mac!. To re-enable it :
csrutil disableAnd now, you're back to square one. macOS will revert back to the
com.apple.DriverKit.AppleUserECMdriver.I tried manually loading the kext located in
/Library/Extensions/using the Terminal (https://developer.apple.com/documentation/apple-silicon/installing-a-custom-kernel-extension), however the following error is displayed.Same message with :
You might even get a System Preference warning telling you the extension is out of date
Which is expected under SIP and macOS Sonoma. Disabling SIP and running the same command again does allow the kext to be loaded, and after a confirmation from System Preferences and a reboot, the driver is correctly loaded again. However, SIP is still disabled, so enabling it once again brings you back to square one.
Note that System Information does show the extensions as being present under
Software -> Extensions -> AppleRTL815XEthernet110when SIP is disabled, but still won't use it as a driver :I believe at this point the driver *is* "installed", but somehow SIP prevent it from being used.
Side note, while @LeuschkeTressa comment was useful to understand the issue, it didn't solve the issue either (and appears to be for another issue altogether).
The most important piece of documentation from Apple can be found here: https://support.apple.com/en-ca/guide/deployment/depa5fb8376f/web
tl;dr Whatever you do, any extension must be approved from System Preference and won't ever be applied until reboot.
I didn't try to Change security settings on the startup disk, since I don't own an Apple Silicon Mac. However, this doesn't sound like a valid solution since you're lowering the security features of your Mac. As Apple mention themselves :
So until Apple themselves fix this or Realtek release updated drivers, stay away from 8153 chipset.
References