--- title: Transfer files over an ethernet patch cable | daily.dev description: Two computers can be connected directly with a plain Ethernet patch cable, configured with static IPv6 addresses, and used to transfer large files with socat... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/transfer-files-over-an-ethernet-patch-cable-d63khzb7h twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Transfer files over an ethernet patch cable | daily.dev og:description: Two computers can be connected directly with a plain Ethernet patch cable, configured with static IPv6 addresses, and used to transfer large files with socat... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/transfer-files-over-an-ethernet-patch-cable-d63khzb7h og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/d63khZb7h.png og:image:alt: Transfer files over an ethernet patch cable og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Transfer files over an ethernet patch cable **[Lobsters](https://daily.dev/sources/lobsters)** · 3 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary Two computers can be connected directly with a plain Ethernet patch cable, configured with static IPv6 addresses, and used to transfer large files with socat and dd at around 900 Mbit/s. This point-to-point setup avoids the double-transfer penalty of cloud storage, the flakiness of WiFi, and the cable/connector limitations of USB, making it a practical option for moving files larger than 10 GB between machines a few meters apart. Raw link-layer frames without a TCP/IP stack are also noted as a simple way to move data to and from microcontrollers. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### How do I transfer a large file between two computers using a direct ethernet cable connection? Connect the two machines with a plain ethernet patch cable, assign each a static IPv6 address on the same interface (e.g. fd42:dead:beef::1/48 and ::2/48) with ip address add and ip link set up, then use socat to pipe the file: TCP6-LISTEN on the receiver piped through dd, and TCP6-CONNECT from the sender reading the file. _Anyone moving multi-gigabyte files between machines can compare this direct-cable approach against cloud or USB transfer on daily.dev._ ### How fast is a direct ethernet cable file transfer compared to cloud storage or USB drives? A plain patch cable and standard ethernet jack reliably hits around 900 Mbit/s, roughly 6.7 GB per minute, which beats typical USB flash drives and cloud storage. Cloud transfers are slowed by internet speed limits, provider throttling, and having to send the file over the network twice; USB is bottlenecked by cable and connector quality, with a gigabit-capable USB cable/peripheral pair costing around $2300. _Developers weighing transfer methods for large files can track practical networking comparisons like this one on daily.dev._ ## Community take How the wider developer community reacted, aggregated from 1 discussion and 20 comments across lobsters (as of 2026-08-31). **TL;DR:** Commenters largely agree the direct-cable trick works but many point out that macOS, Linux, and Windows already do zero-config peer-to-peer networking via link-local addresses and mDNS, and that alternatives like Thunderbolt or USB-C adapters can be faster or just as convenient. **Sentiment:** 30% positive · 45% mixed · 25% skeptical **The case for** - Some note this is exactly how they install OpenWRT safely, isolating a new router before trusting it on the LAN. - Several point out that modern OSes (macOS, Linux, Windows) can already auto-negotiate link-local IPv6 and discover peers via mDNS without manual configuration. **The pushback** - Some argue the approach is dated given Thunderbolt now offers 40-80 Gbps and affordable NVMe enclosures beat gigabit ethernet speeds. - A sub-thread disputes whether Linux's mDNS/zero-config support is genuinely user-visible (e.g. in file managers) versus merely theoretically possible for distros to enable. - One commenter calls the claimed price comparison for fast peripherals overblown, citing cheap TB4 NVMe enclosures. **By community** - lobsters (mixed): Practical praise for the technique is mixed with pushback that OS-level zero-config networking and faster interconnects like Thunderbolt already solve this problem. **Hottest debate:** Whether existing OS zero-config networking (mDNS/link-local) genuinely delivers the same user-visible convenience as macOS's, sparking a lengthy back-and-forth about Linux distro integration. **Open questions** - Which Linux distros actually ship systemd.dnssd service definitions to make mDNS discovery visible in file managers? - How well would peer-to-peer or ad-hoc Wi-Fi perform for the same kind of direct transfer? **Highlights** > macOS has been able to do this for decades without any configuration. The peers assign themselves distinct link-local IP addresses and discover each other by mDNS. > — [snej on lobsters · 7 points, 1 comments](https://lobste.rs/s/mgwfjc/transfer_files_over_ethernet_patch_cable#c_ezgvca) > And where's the user-visible application layer? I can't open Nautilus on my desktop and see other machines. > — [mort on lobsters · 1 points, 1 comments](https://lobste.rs/s/mgwfjc/transfer_files_over_ethernet_patch_cable#c_jp0llf) > That's kind of the problem. When people say "macOS does this automatically without any configuration", they don't mean "macOS allows you to register a system service which does this and it's hypothetically possible for a macOS distribution vendor to do that automatically". The two are very different. > — [mort on lobsters · 1 points, 1 comments](https://lobste.rs/s/mgwfjc/transfer_files_over_ethernet_patch_cable#c_p8jx6o) > I mean yes, but this seems a decade or two late to the party. Many modern devices have Thunderbolt and can transfer 40 Gbps (or 80). > I have only single cable and peripheral pair that actually reaches gigabit speeds, which has an MSRP of ~2300$. This is absolutely overblown. A TB4 nvme enclosure can be had for under $100. > — [sammko on lobsters · 2 points, 2 comments](https://lobste.rs/s/mgwfjc/transfer_files_over_ethernet_patch_cable#c_5dlfhp) > In Linux 7.2, there’s a new thunderbolt_stream driver, which will give you a /dev/tbstream device so you can also just `cat` on both ends of two devices connected by a thunderbolt cable (or maybe usb? I haven’t looked a the details of what exact hardware is supported) > — [mcpherrinm on lobsters · 3 points, 1 comments](https://lobste.rs/s/mgwfjc/transfer_files_over_ethernet_patch_cable#c_nl3gzb) **Source threads** - [lobsters](https://lobste.rs/s/mgwfjc/transfer_files_over_ethernet_patch_cable) · 30 points · 20 comments ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Swapping two cheap Ethernet cables doubled network speeds overnight](https://daily.dev/posts/swapping-two-cheap-ethernet-cables-doubled-network-speeds-overnight-urqxpwezh) · XDA Developers · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [I connected my NAS directly to my PC with 10 gigabit Ethernet, and skipped upgrading the rest of my network](https://daily.dev/posts/i-connected-my-nas-directly-to-my-pc-with-10-gigabit-ethernet-and-skipped-upgrading-the-rest-of-my--qcevsg5ow) · XDA Developers · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Raspberry Pi RP2040 or RP2350 Bit-Bangs 100 Mbit/s Ethernet](https://daily.dev/posts/raspberry-pi-rp2040-or-rp2350-bit-bangs-100-mbit-s-ethernet-0lvia4unn) · Hacker News · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [10Gb/s Ethernet: what I actually did to get it working in my home](https://daily.dev/posts/10gb-s-ethernet-what-i-actually-did-to-get-it-working-in-my-home-rshzrtjaw) · Hacker News · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#linux](https://daily.dev/tags/linux), [#networking](https://daily.dev/tags/networking), [#sysadmin](https://daily.dev/tags/sysadmin) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/transfer-files-over-an-ethernet-patch-cable-d63khzb7h) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Transfer files over an ethernet patch cable","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/transfer-files-over-an-ethernet-patch-cable-d63khzb7h","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/transfer-files-over-an-ethernet-patch-cable-d63khzb7h"},"datePublished":"2026-08-30T20:41:09.567Z","dateModified":"2026-08-31T03:42:09.855Z","description":"Two computers can be connected directly with a plain Ethernet patch cable, configured with static IPv6 addresses, and used to transfer large files with socat...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--OHB84bZF--/f_auto/v1722860399/public/Placeholder%2010","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--OHB84bZF--/f_auto/v1722860399/public/Placeholder%2010","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"Lobsters","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Lobsters","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--tl8v_Fku--/f_auto,t_logo/v1698841318/logos/lobste.jpg","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/lobsters"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/transfer-files-over-an-ethernet-patch-cable-d63khzb7h","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":0},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"linux,networking,sysadmin","timeRequired":"PT3M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Lobsters","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/lobsters"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Transfer files over an ethernet patch cable"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/transfer-files-over-an-ethernet-patch-cable-d63khzb7h#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"How do I transfer a large file between two computers using a direct ethernet cable connection?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Connect the two machines with a plain ethernet patch cable, assign each a static IPv6 address on the same interface (e.g. fd42:dead:beef::1/48 and ::2/48) with ip address add and ip link set up, then use socat to pipe the file: TCP6-LISTEN on the receiver piped through dd, and TCP6-CONNECT from the sender reading the file. 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