Ethernet over USB
using a USB connection to transfer Ethernet data
Ethernet over USB is the use of a USB link as a part of an Ethernet network, resulting in an Ethernet connection over USB (instead of e.g. PCI or PCIe).
Protocols
There are numerous protocols for Ethernet-style networking over USB. The use of these protocols is to allow application-independent exchange of data with USB devices, instead of specialized protocols such as video or MTP (Media Transfer Protocol). Even though the USB is not a physical Ethernet, the networking stacks of all major operating systems are set up to transport IEEE 802.3 frames, without needing a particular underlying transport.
The main industry protocols are Remote NDIS (RNDIS, a Microsoft vendor protocol), Ethernet Control Model (ECM), Ethernet Emulation Model (EEM), and Network Control Model (NCM). The latter three are part of the larger Communications Device Class (CDC) group of protocols of the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF). They are available for download from the USB-IF (see below). The RNDIS specification is available from Microsoft's website. Regarding de facto standards, some standards, such as ECM, specify the use of USB resources that early systems did not have. However, minor modifications of the standard subsets make practical implementations possible on such platforms.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Ethernet over USB” as using a USB connection to transfer Ethernet data. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
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The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as using a USB connection to transfer Ethernet data. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 2, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5403364. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
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This entry incorporates text from “Ethernet over USB” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.