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How to Enable Ethernet on macOS [Clover/OpenCore]
This guide covers the implementation of Ethernet on macOS using Clover and OpenCore. By following this guide, you'll be able to enable Ethernet on macOS using Clover or OpenCore Bootloader.
Overview
Unlike other hardware on Non-Apple computers, Ethernet also does not work natively unless you're lucky enough to have a compatible Ethernet chip that is natively supported by macOS. Most of these are from Broadcom, Intel, and Aquantia. However, even when you have such compatible Ethernet hardware, you still need to tweak the configuration to make the drivers load. But with the help of third-party kexts (drivers) available from the community members, it is possible to enable the Ethernet function effortlessly. The particular Ethernet device can be enabled using the third-party kext.
Intel I225-V Ethernet
Since the release of 400 series Motherboards (Comet Lake), the manufacturers have been shipping the Motherboards with Intel I225-V chip. This chip is usually found on High-End Motherboards. This chip is also being used by some AMD Ryzen Motherboards. The chip is capable of 2.5Gb/s, however, it does not work as expected. To fix this, you need to spoof the Device ID and use Apple's I225LM driver. This can be easily achieved by utilizing
Aquantia Ethernet
Apple has been using Aquantia for a long time. With the release of High Sierra, 10.13.2, there is an included driver for Aquantia AQtion AQC-107s based 10GbE network cards. Others like AQC-107, AQN-107, etc require a kext patch. However, the kext patch is depreciated now and with the release of OpenCore v0.8.0, you can use the Quirk
macOS Ventura
Since the release of macOS Ventura, a few of the Ethernet devices completely stopped working including built-in and PCIe based such as AQuantia. Upon investigating we came to find that, you'll need to enable the VT-d function on your System. Note that some systems may require memory mapping.
Compatibility
Refer to the thread linked below for more information on Ethernet compatibility.
elitemacx86.com
Requirements
STEP 1: Obtain Ethernet Information
The very first step is to determine your Ethernet vendor and obtain the model and Device ID which will be required further to match the available driver and then use it to enable Ethernet. To obtain the model and Device ID, follow the steps below.
There are numerous ways to obtain the model and Device ID of your Ethernet device. All the possible methods have been described below.
Method #1: Using the Manufacturer's website
You can use your manufacturer's website to find out the Ethernet model based on your Motherboard. However, a disadvantage of this method is if you're unaware of your Motherboard model, this can be difficult. Moreover, some of the manufacturers may not provide the model information and you can have absolutely very little information when it comes to OEM Systems.
Method #2: Using Device Manager
You can use this method and is useful if you're in the process of preparing EFI to boot into OS X/macOS. However, this method requires a copy of Windows installed along with the Ethernet Driver.
Method #3: Using AIDAx64
Method #4: Using Hackintool
If you have already installed OS X/macOS, this is the best method to obtain the hardware information followed by AIDA. However, you need to make sure there's no spoofing or the Devive ID will be reported differently than the original one.
Under the Subclass name, look for "Ethernet Controller" to find the network type. Under Vendor Name you can find the Vendor name and under Device Name, you can find your Ethernet model. Under the Vendor and Device column, you can find the Vendor ID and Device ID respectively.
Once you have obtained the Ethernet Device ID, note it down or take a picture for further use.
STEP 2: Find Compatible Kext
Once you have obtained the Ethernet information, the next step is to find a compatible kext and depending on your Bootloader, inject the kext using Clover or OpenCore. To find the compatible Kext, follow the steps below.
1. Visit the Ethernet Compatibility List and look for the Vendor ID and Device ID of your Ethernet device.
2. Once you have determined the corresponding kext, note down the kext name for further use.
STEP 3: Add Required Kext
The next step is to add the required kext to enable the Ethernet.
1. Download the kext as per STEP 2 from the downloads section of this forum.
2. Mount your ESP.
For Clover:
If you're using Clover, copy the kext to
For OpenCore:
If you're using OpenCore, copy the kext to
STEP 4: Restart your System
After performing all the above steps, restart your system for the applied changes to take effect.
This guide covers the implementation of Ethernet on macOS using Clover and OpenCore. By following this guide, you'll be able to enable Ethernet on macOS using Clover or OpenCore Bootloader.
Overview
Unlike other hardware on Non-Apple computers, Ethernet also does not work natively unless you're lucky enough to have a compatible Ethernet chip that is natively supported by macOS. Most of these are from Broadcom, Intel, and Aquantia. However, even when you have such compatible Ethernet hardware, you still need to tweak the configuration to make the drivers load. But with the help of third-party kexts (drivers) available from the community members, it is possible to enable the Ethernet function effortlessly. The particular Ethernet device can be enabled using the third-party kext.
Intel I225-V Ethernet
Since the release of 400 series Motherboards (Comet Lake), the manufacturers have been shipping the Motherboards with Intel I225-V chip. This chip is usually found on High-End Motherboards. This chip is also being used by some AMD Ryzen Motherboards. The chip is capable of 2.5Gb/s, however, it does not work as expected. To fix this, you need to spoof the Device ID and use Apple's I225LM driver. This can be easily achieved by utilizing
FakePCIID and FakePCIID_Intel_I225-V and spoofing the device-id to F2150000. But with this approach, the speed was limited to 1Gb/s only or the Ethernet would not work. Since Big Sur 11.6.6, Apple introduced some new device id in its AppleIntelI210Ethernet driver. With this implementation of Apple, 15F2 and 15F3 was available as device-id. But then Apple also introduced Driver Kit extensions which included com.apple.DriverKit-AppleEthernetE1000 and this implementation prevented the Ethernet from working and still required the FakePCIID method. However, by disabling Apple's DEXT driver which enables the loading of AppleIntelI210Ethernet driver instead of com.apple.DriverKit-AppleEthernetE1000. However, on some of the Motherboards, this doesn't work as expected.Aquantia Ethernet
Apple has been using Aquantia for a long time. With the release of High Sierra, 10.13.2, there is an included driver for Aquantia AQtion AQC-107s based 10GbE network cards. Others like AQC-107, AQN-107, etc require a kext patch. However, the kext patch is depreciated now and with the release of OpenCore v0.8.0, you can use the Quirk
ForceAquantiaEthernet for the same purpose. Note that this Quirk requires the VT-d function to work. Some systems may require memory mapping.macOS Ventura
Since the release of macOS Ventura, a few of the Ethernet devices completely stopped working including built-in and PCIe based such as AQuantia. Upon investigating we came to find that, you'll need to enable the VT-d function on your System. Note that some systems may require memory mapping.
Compatibility
Refer to the thread linked below for more information on Ethernet compatibility.
Ethernet Compatibility List for macOS
Ethernet Compatibility List for macOS AQuantia ASUS XG-C100C TP-Link TX401 GIGABYTE GC-AQC113C Myri10G Drivers and Tools Supported models: 10G-PCIE-8A-xx, 10G-PCIE2-8B-xx, 10G-PCIE2-8C-xx and 10G-PCIE3-8E-xx Manufacturer Model Chipset Speed 10.6.x 10.7.x 10.8.x 10.9.x 10.10.x 10.11.x...
elitemacx86.com
Requirements
| Supported Vendors | Realtek, Intel, Atheros, Broadcom, Marvell |
| Kexts | Original Ethernet kexts in S/L/E |
| macOS Version | OS X 10.7 Lion and Later |
STEP 1: Obtain Ethernet Information
The very first step is to determine your Ethernet vendor and obtain the model and Device ID which will be required further to match the available driver and then use it to enable Ethernet. To obtain the model and Device ID, follow the steps below.
There are numerous ways to obtain the model and Device ID of your Ethernet device. All the possible methods have been described below.
Method #1: Using the Manufacturer's website
You can use your manufacturer's website to find out the Ethernet model based on your Motherboard. However, a disadvantage of this method is if you're unaware of your Motherboard model, this can be difficult. Moreover, some of the manufacturers may not provide the model information and you can have absolutely very little information when it comes to OEM Systems.
Method #2: Using Device Manager
You can use this method and is useful if you're in the process of preparing EFI to boot into OS X/macOS. However, this method requires a copy of Windows installed along with the Ethernet Driver.
Method #3: Using AIDAx64
Method #4: Using Hackintool
If you have already installed OS X/macOS, this is the best method to obtain the hardware information followed by AIDA. However, you need to make sure there's no spoofing or the Devive ID will be reported differently than the original one.
Under the Subclass name, look for "Ethernet Controller" to find the network type. Under Vendor Name you can find the Vendor name and under Device Name, you can find your Ethernet model. Under the Vendor and Device column, you can find the Vendor ID and Device ID respectively.
Once you have obtained the Ethernet Device ID, note it down or take a picture for further use.
STEP 2: Find Compatible Kext
Once you have obtained the Ethernet information, the next step is to find a compatible kext and depending on your Bootloader, inject the kext using Clover or OpenCore. To find the compatible Kext, follow the steps below.
1. Visit the Ethernet Compatibility List and look for the Vendor ID and Device ID of your Ethernet device.
2. Once you have determined the corresponding kext, note down the kext name for further use.
STEP 3: Add Required Kext
The next step is to add the required kext to enable the Ethernet.
1. Download the kext as per STEP 2 from the downloads section of this forum.
2. Mount your ESP.
For Clover:
If you're using Clover, copy the kext to
EFI/Clover/Kext/OthersFor OpenCore:
If you're using OpenCore, copy the kext to
EFI/OC/Kexts. You'll also need to add the kext entry in the Kernel section of your config.plist.NOTES:
|
STEP 4: Restart your System
After performing all the above steps, restart your system for the applied changes to take effect.
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