realtek-rtl-8153-driver-osx-info.md

Realtek 8153

Download

Current version: 1.0.19 1.0.15 (as of 2018-12-10)

https://www.realtek.com/en/component/zoo/category/network-interface-controllers-10-100-1000m-gigabit-ethernet-usb-3-0-software

http://www.realtek.com.tw/downloads/downloadsView.aspx?Langid=1&PNid=13&PFid=56&Level=5&Conn=4&DownTypeID=3&GetDown=false

Realtek GBE USB

• Gigabit ethernet
• USB hub

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Gather Info

• Launch System Preferences -> Network
• See USB 10/100/1000 LAN
• https://i.imgur.com/Bm7D0Ld.png (mirror)
• https://i.imgur.com/wcMZFh8.png (mirror)

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• Launch System Information(also known as System Profiler) -> Hardware -> USB
• https://i.imgur.com/NJi9yC4.png (mirror)

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• Launch System Information(also known as System Profiler) -> Software -> Extensions
• https://i.imgur.com/64QCxxS.png (mirror)

---

• Launch a terminal/shell
• ioreg -p IOUSB -w0
• ioreg -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

Reload OSX driver (kext)

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.AppleRTL815XEthernet
• com.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 and use the native driver

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

So it sounds like there is no way to enable Jumbo Frames for Apple Silicon macs (M1 or newer) for any Realtek USB chip?

I am specifically looking to enable Jumbo Frames on a Realtek rtl8156 (2.5G) on an Apple Silicon M1 system with macOS Sequoia, macOS 15.2. More details:

Details

System report:

USB 10/100/1G/2.5G LAN:

  Product ID:	0x8156
  Vendor ID:	0x0bda  (Realtek Semiconductor Corp.)
  Version:	31.00
  Serial Number:	<REDACTED>
  Speed:	Up to 5 Gb/s
  Manufacturer:	Realtek
  Location ID:	0x01200000 / 1
  Current Available (mA):	900
  Current Required (mA):	256
  Extra Operating Current (mA):	0

ifconfig

en8: flags=8863<UP,BROADCAST,SMART,RUNNING,SIMPLEX,MULTICAST> mtu 1500
	options=404<VLAN_MTU,CHANNEL_IO>
	ether <REDACTED>
	inet6 <REDACTED>%en8 prefixlen 64 secured scopeid 0x8 
	inet 192.168.1.65 netmask 0xffffff00 broadcast 192.168.1.255
	nd6 options=201<PERFORMNUD,DAD>
	media: autoselect (2500Base-T <full-duplex>)
	status: active

Module loaded

kextstat | grep -i realtek
  236    0 0xfffffe00076c9e10 0x28f4     0x28f4     com.apple.driver.usb.realtek8153patcher (5.0.0) E0198392-94C4-33DB-803E-82BD7CA32BA5 <66 5 4 3 1>

Attempts to increase MTU

networksetup command

sudo networksetup -setMTU en8 1600
Error - 1600 is not in the valid MTU range of 1280-1504
** Error: The parameters were not valid.

ifconfig command

sudo sudo ifconfig en8 mtu 1600
ifconfig: ioctl (set mtu): Invalid argument

From the macOS UI
Doesn't let me go over 1504, if I enter a larger number and press ok it just closes. I check the number afterwards and it goes back to 1500.

Drivers

As other have noted, there is a driver on Realtek's site, but it is for Intel Macs, and not Apple Silicon.

Why I want Jumbo Frames

While it would be nice to have less CPU usage on the mac, the bigger problem is my NAS (network attached storage) box. The NAS's CPU get loaded a lot more than other system where they can use a 9000 MTU (Jumbo Frames). My NAS "box" isn't just a NAS, so either I have to allocate less CPU which means transfers are slow to/from my mac, or allow other process to slow down on this box.

I suspect that a lot of the compatibility details in this Gist's comments are now out of date. I recently bought a 1Gb Ethernet to USB-C adapter that listed Mac compatibility, and it has the Realtek 8153 chip (version 30), and it does not work at all on either my M1 MacBook Air or my M3 Max MacBook Pro, both running macOS Sequoia 15.3.1.

I have all the listed kext's already installed and running (seemingly they come out of the box with macOS) and the device shows up in System Information and is listed as an available adapter in the System Preferences > Network services list but refuses to connect.

I will not be turning off SIP just for the sake of trying to install the drivers listed for this chipset ( https://www.realtek.com/Download/List?cate_id=585 ) so I am just gonna declare these devices incompatible with macOS. And one of these is an employer-issued laptop so any proposed solution that requires toggling SIP is completely infeasible as well.

Its interesting to see the comments mentioning the OWC Thunderbolt docks, because I have been using their Thunderbolt 4 dock for some years now and in the past the Ethernet worked just fine. It was only within the past several months, I guess a few OS updates ago or more recently, that I noticed these docks' Ethernet adapters stopped working. And similarly now I am having trouble with these other Ethernet adapters as well. However, the older OWC Thunderbolt 3 dock seems to be using some kind of other Ethernet connection and still works. Also, the Ugreen 2.5Gb USB-C adapter described here which uses the Realtek 8156 works fine on both laptops.

Thanks for all the helpful comments from everyone here.

I suspect that's a problem with your machine or with that specific adapter, and not the RTL8153 in general. I have several of them being used on machines running the latest Sequoia without any issue.

Might possibly be worth mentioning here that the https://www.amazon.com/Ethernet-Adapter-Network-Converter-Connection/dp/B0DGQMMR1K/ref=sr_1_3 "WisdPi USB 5Gbps Ethernet Adapter, Ultra Speed USB 3.2 to RJ45 LAN Network Converter, USB Type A/C Realtek RTL8157 Wired LAN Network Connection 5G, 2.5G, 1G, 100Mbps for Windows, Mac OS, Linux and More" is based on RTL8157 which appears to actually be USB3.1 10gbps capable and thus (to my knowledge as a first) actually gets the full speed of 5gbps (on a 10gbps usb3 port, and yeah, it supports both native drivers and NCM). AFAICT this is now effectively the best usb ethernet adapter out there (or you can search for something else based on rtl8157 - like https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DBY23BL9 which is currently cheaper and probably more or less the same thing...). [Though do note this is actually only useful if you have other 5gbps ethernet capable gear, most stuff is only 1gbps or 2.5gbps capable]

Wavlink 2.5G adapter works out of the box at 2.5Gbps. Realtek RTL 8156. Costs 9 USD. NCM.

https://www.wavlink.com/en_us/product/WL-NWU330GC.html

[ ID] Interval Transfer Bitrate
[ 6] 0.00-10.01 sec 2.69 GBytes 2.31 Gbits/sec sender
[ 6] 0.00-10.01 sec 2.68 GBytes 2.30 Gbits/sec receiver

I have a UGREEN 2.5G NIC (model CM275 same as @ThePhoenix576) and it stops working after a few minutes of saturation at 2.5gig. Plugged in through CalDigit TS3 Plus.

Running macOS Sequoia (15.3.2)

USB 10/100/1G/2.5G LAN:

  Bus:	USB
  Vendor Name:	Realtek
  Product Name:	USB 10/100/1G/2.5G LAN
  Vendor ID:	0x0bda
  Product ID:	0x8156
  USB Link Speed:	Up to 5 Gb/s
  Driver:	com.apple.driver.usb.cdc.ncm
  BSD Device Name:	en6
  MAC Address:	2c:16:db:xx:xx:xx
  AVB Support:	No
  Maximum Link Speed:	2.5 Gb/s

Edit:

I tried the WAVLINK linked by @zenczykowski. (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DBY23BL9) model number is WL-NWU340G Rev.a

Here is the details on that:

USB 10/100/1G/2.5G/5G LAN:

  Bus:	USB
  Vendor Name:	Realtek
  Product Name:	USB 10/100/1G/2.5G/5G LAN
  Vendor ID:	0x0bda
  Product ID:	0x8157
  USB Link Speed:	Up to 10 Gb/s
  Driver:	com.apple.driver.usb.cdc.ncm
  BSD Device Name:	en14
  MAC Address:	80:3f:5d:fe:19:6a
  AVB Support:	No
  Maximum Link Speed:	2.5 Gb/s

Having the same issues, which I think are either related to my Thunderbolt dock, or the ethernet switch.

patch

Hi I did this and it Work on my macbook pro M4 on Mac OS 15.4.1, but I turn off the laptop and now it don't work, it shows the patch extension up but the ethernet adapter on network disconnected again. Any possible solution?

for anyone interested I switch to using this adapter instead https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CD1FDKT1

• UGREEN USB C to Ethernet Adapter 2.5G, Ethernet Adapter for Laptop, Aluminum, Type C (Thunderbolt 4/3 Compatible) to RJ45 Network Internet, Compatible for NAS, MacBook Air/Pro, XPS, iPhone 15 Pro/Max

it uses the RTL8156BG chip, I have had no issues with it on any of my Mac computers. Considering the very small difference in price I would consider these types of adapters to be a "solution" for the issues of macOS compatibility on the older adapters described here.

I also keep another older adapter around https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BL37K1QH this one also works flawlessly on all of my systems, including my Android phone, though only at 10/100 speeds. This has been useful to verify that Ethernet adapters are indeed functional on the system in question.

Are there any updates here? Both the 8156 and 8153 chipsets downgrade from 1Gbps to 100Mbps after resume from sleep on macOS 15.5 for me. Has anyone tried these chipsets with the new macOS 26? Hopefully Apple will notice and fix this at some point.

I am still trying to make a RTL8157 (5Gbit) chip work on my MacBook Pro M1 Max with MacOS 15.5 Sequoia.
I tried so many adapters based on the RTL8153B chip (2.5Gbit) but nothing worked.
I also noticed that installin the official Realtek drivers does not install any Network Extension. To my knowledge, that is what is needed for these devices to be mapped correctly by the Kernel.