How to Connect a Chromebook to an Ethernet LAN

Updated on January 29, 2026, by Jim Mendenhall

Wireless internet is great, but sometimes you might find yourself in a situation where the only Internet connection is a wired one, or you simply need the stability of a wired connection. While most newer Chromebooks do not include an Ethernet LAN port, you can easily add this functionality with a reasonably priced USB Ethernet adapter.

I recently needed to connect one of my Chromebooks to a wired network, so I headed over to Amazon to look for a USB Ethernet adapter. After reading lots of reviews, I settled on a USB 3.0 Gigabit Ethernet model from Plugable. The reviews were good and several people reported that it worked on Chromebooks and other Linux based computers, so I decided to give it a shot.

Using the adapter was really straight forward. I simply plugged it into a free USB port and plugged a network cord into the Ethernet port. After a few seconds, the Chromebook hid the WiFi connection and connected through the Ethernet LAN. When connected to the wired network, the status area displays the message “Connected to Ethernet.” Be aware that your Chromebook might remain connected to your WiFi network, and you may need to disconnect or disable WiFi from the Chromebook settings in order to make sure that you are no longer connected wirelessly.

The adapter also works with Ubuntu, Windows, and Mac OS X, so I hope to get a lot of use out of it in the future. If you’re looking for a good USB to Ethernet adapter, I would recommend this model from Plugable.

USB-C Adapter

When I got the Samsung Chromebook Pro back in 2017, it didn’t come with any old style USB ports. I did some research and found this USB-C Gigabit Ethernet adapter from Anker. The reviews online looked good, and I decided to give it a try. It has worked flawlessly on the Chromebook Pro, providing a reliable Ethernet connection to my network (much faster than using WiFi).

I also tried the adapter on a couple of Windows devices, and it worked fine right out of the box. I’d highly recommend this adapter if you need a network adapter for your Chromebook or Windows devices.

Other Ethernet Adapters Worth Considering

The Plugable and Anker adapters I’ve recommended above have stood the test of time - I’ve been using them since 2015 and 2017 respectively, and they’re both still going strong. That said, there are now more options on the market if you’re shopping around.

USB-A Adapters

USB-C Adapters

All of these adapters are plug-and-play on modern Chromebooks - no drivers needed. Just plug them in and you’re ready to go.