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iPad Pro Adapter to provide power + data through USB-C port to iPad Pro 3d/4th gen

A

AndrewDC

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 28, 2020
7
1
After more than an hour of internet searching I have not been able to figure out whether there is an adapter (or combination of dongles) that would allow me to provide both power and a wired ethernet connection to an iPad Pro through its USB-C port. In a perfect world, there would be one device that receives a PoE RJ-45 jack, and outputs both the power and the data to a USB-C jack that can then connect to the iPad.

Redpark makes this sort of adapter for devices with lightning ports: https://hecklerdesign.com/gigabit-poe-adapter-for-ipad/

But I haven't found anything similar for iPad Pros with their USB-C port. There are plenty of USB-C hubs, and plenty of ethernet-to-USB-C adapters, but I would like to wall-mount an iPod and have it continuously powered and connected to a LAN. Because USB-C reportedly is capable of gigabit speeds, this would be a big advantage over the Redpark product (and competitors), that are limited by the slower speed of the lightning port (200 mbps or slower).

Thanks in advance if you have any ideas about this.

Andrew
 
Last edited by a moderator:
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AndrewDC said:
Thanks for the reply. I saw this when I was researching my own question, but I could not be certain that anyone actually had been able to use it the way I would like to.
Click to expand...

I haven't used it but Anker is a solider producer of excellent products - I have many of them. What about it concerns you?
 
sparksd said:
What about it concerns you?
Click to expand...

I looked at the questions and answers posted on Amazon, and a number of people said that it does not supply both power and data through a single cable. Also, I can't tell whether the Anker hub can be powered via PoE, which would be my preference because I will be running an ethernet cable to the iPad Pro anyway, and it would be great not to have run a cable for a power supply as well.
 
AndrewDC said:
I looked at the questions and answers posted on Amazon, and a number of people said that it does not supply both power and data through a single cable. Also, I can't tell whether the Anker hub can be powered via PoE, which would be my preference because I will be running an ethernet cable to the iPad Pro anyway, and it would be great not to have run a cable for a power supply as well.
Click to expand...
How does this one look?
www.amazon.com

Anker USB C Hub Adapter, 5-in-1 USB C Adapter with 4K USB C to HDMI, Ethernet Port, 3 USB 3.0 Ports, for MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, XPS, Pixelbook, and More

Model Number：A8338
www.amazon.com
 
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AutomaticApple said:
How does this one look?
www.amazon.com

Anker USB C Hub Adapter, 5-in-1 USB C Adapter with 4K USB C to HDMI, Ethernet Port, 3 USB 3.0 Ports, for MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, XPS, Pixelbook, and More

Model Number：A8338
www.amazon.com
Click to expand...

Thank you for the suggestion. Anker, the manufacturer, is quite active on Amazon answering questions, and I see from the Q&A for this device that it is intended only to pass data between devices, not to provide power. In one of the answers, Anker states that there might be a trickle of power moving through the hub, but it would not be enough to charge a device.
 
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What you need is the OEM Apple USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter + an Anker USB-A to Gigabit Ethernet adapter (link). Then you can plug in the original USB-C power cable to the AV multiport adapter.

I have confirmed, the above Anker adapter will work with iPadOS/iOS.
 
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Are you saying you want power from the Ethernet cable to power the iPad Pro? If so you won't find that AFAIK. Good luck tho.

EDIT:

sparksd linked something that gets part of the way there.
 
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sparksd said:
I think the adapter I linked to above does just that.
Click to expand...

Interesting. I didn't see your second link. It also claims 25 Watts, which is sufficient. The older PoE would be 13 W.

However, it doesn't actually provide Ethernet via USB-C, just power, so you'd still need a separate Ethernet adapter.
 
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Thanks a lot for the replies and suggestions guys. Sorry for the delayed response, I was busy pulling cables through the walls of my 1940 house.

sparksd said:
This may do it -

https://www.amazon.com/GAT-USBC-Convert-Converts-Divided-Gigabit/dp/B07D199JQP
Click to expand...

This PoE Texas adapter is exactly the idea I had in mind. The trouble is that, if you look at the specs shown on Amazon and on PoE Texas' website, the adapter only outputs data at 100mbps. When I saw that, I thought it was a misprint, but the company said they have speedtested the adapter and it comes out around 95mbps. So, that kind of eliminates the value of the iPad Pro's USB-C port. Keep in mind, the parallel product that Redpark makes for iPad 7s (non pro) with Lightning jacks is speed rated at 225 mbps.

BeatCrazy said:
What you need is the OEM Apple USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter + an Anker USB-A to Gigabit Ethernet adapter (link). Then you can plug in the original USB-C power cable to the AV multiport adapter.

I have confirmed, the above Anker adapter will work with iPadOS/iOS.
Click to expand...

This sounds great. Any chance you have done a speed test to see what the data throughput looks like with this rig?

Thanks again everyone.
 
AndrewDC said:
This sounds great. Any chance you have done a speed test to see what the data throughput looks like with this rig?

Thanks again everyone.
Click to expand...

I usually get 600-800Mbps with this arrangement. I have 1Gbps service, and can get up to 930Mbps on my iMac/Ethernet. Not sure why the iPad can't go higher. There may be other variables because I test them in different rooms, with different switches/cables/etc.
 
BeatCrazy said:
I usually get 600-800Mbps with this arrangement. I have 1Gbps service, and can get up to 930Mbps on my iMac/Ethernet. Not sure why the iPad can't go higher. There may be other variables because I test them in different rooms, with different switches/cables/etc.
Click to expand...

Wouldn't just a USB-C with GB Ethernet & power pass-through work for this application?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Q6YS7W2

What I like about this one is the detachable cable so you can use a longer one if desired.
 
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BeatCrazy said:
I usually get 600-800Mbps with this arrangement. I have 1Gbps service, and can get up to 930Mbps on my iMac/Ethernet. Not sure why the iPad can't go higher. There may be other variables because I test them in different rooms, with different switches/cables/etc.
Click to expand...
Thanks, BeatCrazy, this sounds like a great, proven, solution. Thank you for posting it.

sparksd said:
Wouldn't just a USB-C with GB Ethernet & power pass-through work for this application?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Q6YS7W2
Click to expand...
Sparksd, that looks like an interesting hub. I just sent an email to the manufacturer asking if it would work for my application, and will report back when I get a response. I agree with you that it is preferable to have a detachable cord, especially if the adapters with fixed cords are not long enough to suit.
 
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Maybe I am missing something but what's the issue here? USB C can deliver ethernet with no loss, as well as data, power and display out, contrary to usb A... So any power delivery USB C hub that has a ethernet port will work. I have 2 and they both delivered 1GB ethernet to an ipad pro 11. My hubs are PD3.0 as my HP laptop only works with PD3.0 but the ipad pro (and macs) charge with PD2.0 too...
 
Digitalguy said:
Maybe I am missing something but what's the issue here? USB C can deliver ethernet with no loss, as well as data, power and display out, contrary to usb A... So any power delivery USB C hub that has a ethernet port will work. I have 2 and they both delivered 1GB ethernet to an ipad pro 11. My hubs are PD3.0 as my HP laptop only works with PD3.0 but the ipad pro (and macs) charge with PD2.0 too...
Click to expand...

Right. That's where this discussion ended up the last few posts.
 
Digitalguy said:
Maybe I am missing something but what's the issue here? USB C can deliver ethernet with no loss, as well as data, power and display out, contrary to usb A... So any power delivery USB C hub that has a ethernet port will work. I have 2 and they both delivered 1GB ethernet to an ipad pro 11. My hubs are PD3.0 as my HP laptop only works with PD3.0 but the ipad pro (and macs) charge with PD2.0 too...
Click to expand...
The issue is that the OP wants the iPad Pro to be powered by Ethernet.
 
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