Editorial, 23 Aug 2026. Specs from maker pages and recent street reports. We have not burned these units in. Affiliate tags are not live.
A USB-to-RJ45 console cable that is not an ethernet dongle
Cisco-style console is USB to serial over RJ45, with an FTDI chip. Skip USB-C ethernet adapters and no-name Prolific lots.
The RJ45 on a switch labeled Console is a serial port, not ethernet. Hang this next to the StarTech 12U with the 12-port panel. The HDMI KVM is for BIOS. This cable is for IOS, RouterOS, and a switch that will not take an IP.
The short list
| Cable | What it is | Street, 23 Aug 2026 | Buy if |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cable Matters 202065-6 | USB-A 2.0 male to RJ45 8P/8C male, 6 ft rollover. Chipset FTDI FT232RQ (maker QSG). 250 Kbps. Bus-powered. Cisco-standard pin-out. Windows / macOS / Linux. ASIN B078PVJ5ZQ. UPC 818707023136. | Cable Matters catalog $17.99, sale $17.49. Amazon listing $17.49, in stock, sold by Cable Matters, ships from Amazon. | Default. The closet laptop still has USB-A, or you keep a USB-A dongle in the drawer. |
| Cable Matters 201065-6 | USB-C 2.0 male to RJ45 male, same 6 ft FTDI rollover recipe. Chipset FTDI FT232RQ. 250 Kbps. Thunderbolt 3 port compatible per maker. ASIN B078PT5N24. UPC 818707023143. Product ID 201065-6. | Cable Matters catalog $19.99, sale $17.99. Amazon listing $17.99, in stock, sold by Cable Matters, ships from Amazon. Newegg listing $42.99 — do not make that the buy. | The laptop is USB-C only. Same chip, other plug. |
| StarTech ICUSBROLLOVR | USB-A 2.0 male to RJ45 male, 6 ft / 1.8 m. Chipset Prolific PL2303GC (maker datasheet). 460.8 Kbps. 28 AWG. 2-year warranty. UPC 065030880459. ASIN B07PN72J97. | StarTech.com $33.81, in stock. Newegg $38.04, in stock. Aztek $36.59. No B&H listing this pass. | You want StarTech paper and will install the Prolific driver. Not the FTDI default. |
Skip
Skip USB-C to ethernet adapters — those are NICs, not console. Skip no-name Amazon “Cisco console” lots that do not name FTDI; many are Prolific clones that drop off Windows 11. Skip a DB9 adapter plus a separate rollover lead; one cable is the whole kit. Skip Cable Matters 180010-CAT6 (that is the 12-port panel). Skip StarTech CABSHELFV1U (that is the 1U shelf). Used eBay lots are out.
Sources
Cable Matters 202065-6 maker page (USB-A 2.0 to RJ45, FTDI UART, 6 ft, 250 Kbps, Product ID 202065-6). Cable Matters 202065 QSG (chipset FTDI FT232RQ; 201065 USB-C / 202065 USB-A). Cable Matters catalog $17.99 / sale $17.49 this fetch. Amazon B078PVJ5ZQ ($17.49, in stock, sold by Cable Matters, ships from Amazon, UPC 818707023136). Cable Matters 201065-6 maker page (USB-C, FTDI, Product ID 201065-6). Catalog $19.99 / sale $17.99. Amazon B078PT5N24 ($17.99, in stock, UPC 818707023143). Newegg USB-C listing $42.99. StarTech ICUSBROLLOVR maker page ($33.81, in stock). StarTech ICUSBROLLOVR datasheet (Prolific PL2303GC, 460.8 Kbps, UPC 065030880459, 2-year). Newegg ICUSBROLLOVR ($38.04, in stock).