Is There a Thunderbolt 2 to USB Dongle/Adapter? Or an Ethernet to USB Dongle/Adapter?

[Alvin777]

Hello, currently my USB ports on the iMac won't work w/ my USB external drives (flash or hardisk type storage), does a Thunderbolt 2 to USB dongle/adapter exist? If yes, what's a decent brand (it can be a good chinese brand) that'll be cost-effective?

If that hasn't been invented yet, is there an ethernet to USB dongle/adapter?

Thank you. Godspeed, stay safe.

 

[Juicy Box]

What iMac do you have?

Hello, currently my USB ports on the iMac won't work w/ my USB external drives (flash or hardisk type storage),

Are you saying that your USB ports on your iMac won't work at all, or are you saying that your external drives will not work when you plug them into your USB ports?

Before you start buying stuff to fix your problem, I suggest that you post a description of what you are trying to do, someone on here might be able to help.

does a Thunderbolt 2 to USB dongle/adapter exist?

I recommend a TB2 dock.

I have used TB1/2 and TB3 docks, both with USB, on multiple Macs with only TB1.

You can occasionally find a good deal for them on eBay. If you go with a TB3 dock, that requires Apple's TB2/TB3 bidirectional adapter, which is expensive ($50 new), you might be able to find a TB2 dock for that much.

If that hasn't been invented yet, is there an ethernet to USB dongle/adapter?

There are USB to Ethernet adapters, but I don't think any Ethernet to USB adapters.

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

If that hasn't been invented yet, is there an ethernet to USB dongle/adapter?

Thank you. Godspeed, stay safe.

Yes, they often come in the form of a wifi router with USB port. You can stick your USB drive to that port and configurate it as a Network Accessible Storage (NAS). Connect your iMac to that router, wired or wireless and you can access the drive via your network.

 

[Fishrrman]

Tell us about the USB drives that "won't work".

What happens when you plug them in?
Do you get an alert message?
Or... absolutely nothing?

Do those drives work with OTHER computers?

There used to be a thunderbolt-to-USB adapter, I think the maker was Kanex.
Long gone from the [new] market.
They may turn up on ebay now and then.

I've never heard of a USB adapter that plugs into the ethernet port.
My guess is no such device is even possible.

Have you tried a "serial management reset"?

 

[Alvin777]

Yes, they often come in the form of a wifi router with USB port. You can stick your USB drive to that port and configurate it as a Network Accessible Storage (NAS). Connect your iMac to that router, wired or wireless and you can access the drive via your network.

What iMac do you have?


Are you saying that your USB ports on your iMac won't work at all, or are you saying that your external drives will not work when you plug them into your USB ports?

Before you start buying stuff to fix your problem, I suggest that you post a description of what you are trying to do, someone on here might be able to help.


I recommend a TB2 dock.

I have used TB1/2 and TB3 docks, both with USB, on multiple Macs with only TB1.

You can occasionally find a good deal for them on eBay. If you go with a TB3 dock, that requires Apple's TB2/TB3 bidirectional adapter, which is expensive ($50 new), you might be able to find a TB2 dock for that much.


There are USB to Ethernet adapters, but I don't think any Ethernet to USB adapters.

Hi. It seems to be macOS Monterey related, on older Macs (maybe not Big Sur), like High Sierra, the USB's fine but I do need to back up my current Monterey drive (hasn't been backed up since last year when this issue started after upgrading to Monterey) so I can install an OS before Big Sur & Monterey (I think that was Catalina or even just go back to High Sierra), iCloud+ for just a month seems to the best & most cost-effective solution (it'll be slow most likely, not having a gigabit internet) since there's no Thunderbolt to USB adapter that exists.

The external drive not mounting (even images like .dmg) in Monterey is in this thread:

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...es.2331283/page-4?post=31365916#post-31365916

Thank you for the replies.

 

[Marche90]

I would suggest a second-hand Elgato Thunderbolt 2 dock. I had one and they're very good. They have USB 3 support plus a few useful extra ports.