The beauty of portable consoles like the Nintendo Switch is that you can take your gaming anywhere. The downside is that even today in 2026, Wi-Fi can be fickle. And while you can’t take an Ethernet connection on the go, the speed gain that the TP-Link UE306 USB A-to-Ethernet Adapter gives you is well worth staying stationary for, and definitely worth the $10 sale price you can snag this adapter for at Amazon for a limited time.

The TP-Link UE306 adapter lets you hook up to a 1Gbps Gigabit RJ45 connection with your Switch, PC or Mac laptop, tablet, or other device with a USB-A port. With the Switch and most Windows devices, it’s purely plug-and-play, running instantly without separate software or drivers to manage. (It’s not compatible with the Switch 2, however.) With more devices skipping the Ethernet port, this $10 workaround is your ticket to lightning-fast, consistent online speed.

See at Amazon

Hardcore Hardwiring

Wi-Fi is fine — until it isn’t. Video calls that stutter, downloads that crawl, online gaming sessions that rubber-band at the worst moment — all of it traces back to wireless congestion or a weak signal that a wired connection eliminates entirely. The TP-Link UE306 adapter adds a full gigabit ethernet port to any USB-A slot, delivering up to 1,000 Mbps without an external power source or a driver installation on supported systems.

Generic Ethernet-to-USB adapters are hardly uncommon, but the TP-Link UE306 has an ace up its sleeve most of the others lack — compatibility with the Nintendo Switch. Plug the UE306 into the Switch dock’s USB port, connect an ethernet cable, and the Switch recognizes it immediately with no driver required — faster downloads from the eShop and a more stable connection for online play than the console’s built-in Wi-Fi reliably provides. For anyone who’s watched a large Switch game download crawl overnight over wireless, the fix costs $10.

Pocket-Sized and Foldable

The UE306 adapter itself is compact enough to lose in a bag pocket — 2.8 × 1.0 × 0.6 inches, with a foldable USB connector that protects the plug when it’s not in use. USB 3.0 handles the full gigabit throughput, and backward compatibility with USB 2.0 and 1.1 means it works on older hardware without issue. TP-Link is a signatory of CISA’s Secure-by-Design pledge, which won’t matter to most buyers, but is worth noting for anyone deploying these in a work or institutional context.

For laptops with a broken or absent ethernet port, traveling workers who need a reliable wired connection in hotel rooms, or Switch owners tired of watching the download bar move at a glacial pace, the TP-Link UE306 does exactly what it promises. At $10 during this limited-time Amazon deal, the only real question is how many you need.

See at Amazon

🕹️ Level up your inbox

Don’t miss the latest reviews, news and tips. Sign up for our free newsletter.