Apple’s Mysterious Network Adapter is for “internal use” only

Earlier this year Apple sent a “Network adapter” at the FCC for approval, as shown in a document unearthed. Let’s find out all the details together.

Apple Network Adapter: Apparently this is for internal use only

Whenever a company designs a device for use in United States which uses radio frequencies such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, must obtain FCC approval. According to documents shared by the FCC, Apple sent the agency a “Network adapter” with the model number A2657with the following description.

A2657 is a network adapter. It features a built-in battery, two gigabit Ethernet ports, USB-C connector and antenna. The device supports IEEE 802.11b / g / n radios, Bluetooth radios and NFC. The network adapter comes with 32GB of memory and 1.5GB of RAM.

The device is intended to be connected to a host computer and to receive power through a USB-A port during normal use.

Documents indicate that the device is running the firmware “19F47”which corresponds to a first internal version of iOS 15.5; this therefore suggests it is powered by Apple silicon. The FCC tested the device by connecting it to an iMac. However, other than that, no other details were provided and Apple requested a nondisclosure agreement valid until November 2022.

The documentation it doesn’t even include device images. The description however contains some telltale signs which indicate that it is unlikely it is an upcoming consumer product. First, the device looks like not support the 802.11ac wireless networking standard.

Second, the device uses 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi band onlywhile most modern commercial routers and consumer Apple devices support both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands.a on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz radio bands.

Finally, the device is “intended to receive power through a USB-A port during normal use”. Apple replaced the USB-A connectivity with USB-C connectivity on all of his MacBooks and iMacs, and the idea that you launch a consumer device with a porta legacy as a primary connector is unrealistic.

Apple officially has completed development of the AirPort product line in 2018 and since then the company sells third party routers. The company has many FCC certified devices that they are intended for for internal use onlyand most likely this repository refers to another device it falls into this category.