Ethernet Cards for TX2

I have an application where I want internet access on my TX2 but I also need to access a separate no-internet network with several sensors attached. Are there any recommendations for ethernet network cards that are compatible with the TX2? I would prefer to have 4 ethernet ports, but a dual nic would also work. Is there a specific controller chip that is compatible? I am not sure what to search for on the internet to isolate compatible cards from online stores.

I am looking more for 1 Gig or 10 Gig network cards.

I have no specific recommendation, but the chipset for the native onboard ethernet is Realtek. As a side effect, if you get a Realtek chipset card, you will probably be able to just plug it in and configure without needing any other drivers. That chipset is also inexpensive, and if it isn’t what you want, then not so much lost.

@linuxdev do you know of any Realtek cards that I could try? I am looking at Newegg right now, and I see they have 4 ethernet cards. Does that mean they are all guaranteed to work?

I couldn’t guarantee any of them, but the odds are about 99+% of success with Realtek chipsets, IMHO. Any of the other cards which are listed as compatible with Linux will also probably work, although you might need to build the driver module yourself (not difficult, but some people do not like doing so).

There have been some Intel cards I’ve heard of people having trouble with, but I do not know which ones. Those cards may require a newer kernel than is available, but if you know of a specific model, then you will probably find a Google search of that model and “developer.nvidia.com” and “jetson” and get hits to see about compatibility specifically with Jetsons.

Do you have a specific search URL for the models you have in mind? Or can you post the exact models you are looking at?

Would either of these work?

I suspect both would work as both are listed as a RealTek chipset (I haven’t used the specific card so I can’t make an absolute guarantee). If I were looking for similar NICs which were not too expensive I wouldn’t hesitate to try the two models you listed.

One review made me decide to add more. A review by one person on the less expensive single port model lists this in the review:

Cons: not a realtek RTL8111 chipset (its an Agere ET-1310)

If for some reason the manufacturer substituted a chipset and it isn’t really a RealTek, then it might not work out of the box. If it really is a RealTek chipset, then it should “just work”. The Agere ET-1310 chipset does require a different driver, although it is still supported (if such a substitution exists, then I would expect a requirement to add a driver, whereas RealTek won’t require any driver addition).

More In Depth:

I did find this specification page from the manufacturer for that less expensive single port model:
https://www.sybausa.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=133&search=SD-PEX24009

I then went to the downloads and looked at the “drivers” for Linux. This confirms it uses the RealTek r8168 driver, and this happens to be installed by default on Jetsons and most every PC distribution of Linux. It is my belief that this should “just work” (you wouldn’t have to download or install any software).

The more expensive model with dual ports has this manufacturer’s web page:
https://www.sybausa.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=131&search=SD-PEX24033

This latter model also has a driver download listed to be exactly the same RealTek r8168 driver as that of the single port model, and thus should also “just work”.

Caveats:

Keep in mind that you might still need to tell the operating system to use the card (which does not involve installing any new software), but for the most part, if these cards are plugged in to a router with a DHCP server (which is basically what a router is), then they should do as expected (some routers won’t give a DHCP address unless the MAC address of the network card is known, but that is a router issue and by default most routers just reply with an address). Perhaps with no configuration requirement at all (just run “ifconfig” to see what addresses are shown, and look for the specific ethernet card).