Apple Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter - Best Overall
Hotel and conference WiFi is still terrible in 2026, and a wired connection bails me out every trip. This first-party Apple adapter pulls full gigabit speeds, never needs drivers, and survives years of bag tossing. Mine has lasted nine years now and shows no sign of giving up.
Check price on Amazon →I'm still rocking a 2013 MacBook Pro for travel writing, and the right dongles keep it relevant a decade later.
My 2013 MacBook Pro Retina has outlasted three newer laptops in my house, mostly because I refuse to retire a machine that still types beautifully and runs my writing apps without complaint. The catch is that every modern accessory expects USB-C or Thunderbolt 3, while the 2013 model has Thunderbolt 2 and USB 3.0. Dongles bridge that gap, and after years of trying cheap ones that died or never worked, I have settled on a small set of reliable adapters.
I evaluated each dongle on actual data throughput, build quality, and whether it played nicely with the Mac after sleep cycles. Here is what I now keep in my travel bag.
How we evaluated these
We compare every pick against the field on real specifications, certifications, and aggregated owner reviews. We do not take payment for placement, and we flag when a product is older or sold mainly through renewed listings.
The shortlist
| Pick | Best for | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter - Best Overall | Check price | ||
| Anker USB-A to HDMI Adapter - Best for Extra Display | Check price | ||
| Sabrent Thunderbolt 2 to USB-C Adapter - Best for Modern Drives | Check price | ||
| Anker USB 3.0 SD Card Reader - Best for Photographers | Check price | ||
| Apple Mini DisplayPort to HDMI Adapter - Best for Presentations | Check price |
Each pick, examined
Apple Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter - Best Overall
Hotel and conference WiFi is still terrible in 2026, and a wired connection bails me out every trip. This first-party Apple adapter pulls full gigabit speeds, never needs drivers, and survives years of bag tossing. Mine has lasted nine years now and shows no sign of giving up.
Anker USB-A to HDMI Adapter - Best for Extra Display
The 2013 MacBook Pro has limited display outputs, but Anker's USB display adapter (using DisplayLink drivers) extends to a third screen reliably. Resolution maxes at 1080p which is fine for spreadsheets and reference docs. The driver is stable on macOS Catalina and below; newer macOS versions through patchers may need DisplayLink's latest beta.
Sabrent Thunderbolt 2 to USB-C Adapter - Best for Modern Drives
When my external SSDs all switched to USB-C, this adapter saved me from buying new drives. It delivers Thunderbolt 2 speeds to USB-C devices and lets me chain a modern external SSD to the old Mac at faster-than-USB-3 throughput. Watch the cable length; the short stub keeps things tidy on a desk.
Anker USB 3.0 SD Card Reader - Best for Photographers
The Anker SD reader hits real USB 3.0 speeds, which matters when offloading 64 GB of camera card per shoot. The small form factor tucks into a side pocket of my camera bag, and it includes a microSD slot for drone footage cards. Construction is solid and I have never had a card hang on this reader.
Apple Mini DisplayPort to HDMI Adapter - Best for Presentations
When I give talks, having a dead-simple Mini DisplayPort to HDMI cable in my bag means I can plug into any conference projector. Apple's first-party adapter has the best handshake reliability I've found; cheaper ones occasionally fail to detect the projector and force a reboot mid-talk.
Questions answered
Not directly because the ports are Thunderbolt 2 and USB 3.0; you need a Thunderbolt-to-USB-C adapter to use most modern accessories.
Officially Apple stopped supporting most 2013 models after macOS Big Sur, but OpenCore Legacy Patcher keeps them on newer macOS for users who want to push it.
