Chromebook 516 GE - Ethernet cable won't latch

Eleison23

Model Number: CBG516-1H

Part Number: NX.KCWAA.001

Greetings, I purchased this Chromebook around May, and I've found that the Ethernet latching tab appears to be defective.

I've tried 3 different Ethernet cables with distinct types of plugs, and none of them will securely latch into the jack. The jack is, of course, designed as a "space-saver" whereby the latch is hinged and smaller than the plug, until you push the plug in, and the jack springs wider to accommodate the full-sized plug and then latch it.

It's a little tough to keep the cable connected. I frequently set aside the Chromebook on another desk, at least a few times a day, and so just moving it around a little causes the plug to wriggle out enough to activate my WiFi (why does WiFi insist on turning on when the Ethernet disconnects? Wasting my battery.)

Has anyone else noticed this as an issue with 516 GE? How long has 516 GE been manufactured? Did I simply receive a fresh alpha-test version that's plagued with hardware issues, or is Acer's whole line problematic like this?

[Edited the thread to add model name to the title]

Puraw

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/692428/516-ge-ethernet-cable-wont-latch

Consider getting an USB-A to Ethernet or USB-C to Ethernet adapter:

Eleison23

I'm sorry, but this answer is unacceptable. I purchased a device with a certain number of ports. I expect to receive functionality for every single port I paid for. As you may know, USB ports are at a premium on most notebooks, and there are only 2xC and 1xA on mine. I use all of them. I have many working Ethernet cables, they all have crisp and springy latch tabs, and I have 1GbE switch and network here, and there is absolutely no call to spend money and put a dongle which blocks a port up.

(Errata: I wrote "latching tab" in my OP but I meant to write "latching ridge" — the ridge is the bit on the jack whilst the tab is on the plug.)

the hardware works, do you understand this? The Ethernet connection is fine, the pins and eletrical connections are all in perfect order, and my connection is great while the device is immobile. Why should I replace a perfectly working, perfectly acceptable device because it has a minor annoyance? Do you know how slow and inefficient USB-A is?

Thanks for the suggestion. Do you have any Amazon affiliate links for us.

Absolutely if the Ethernet broke entirely and was unfixable, then I would need to purchase a dongle. That would be the first item on the shopping list, of course. Well, my WiFi works really great, so it wouldn't be an urgent purpose. I also have USB tethering available, so if I want to use mobile data, I could do that too.

All I want is to repair the latch tab on this machine so that it clings nicely to the plug ridge. Or figure out which type of Ethernet cable would be compatible with this. That should be a straightforward and simple job.

StevenGen

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/692428/516-ge-ethernet-cable-wont-latch

I suggest that you send or take your Chromebook CBG516-1H to Acer Tech Support in your area and get them to fix the RJ45 port before the warranty runs out on your laptop in May 2024, as a broken Ethernet port is covered under warranty, if this port will not secure the RJ45 plug into the left side Ethernet (RJ-45) port of your laptop. Yes the "The jack is, of course, designed as a "space-saver" whereby the latch is hinged and smaller than the plug, until you push the plug in, and the jack springs wider to accommodate the full-sized plug and then latch it" but you need to spring the center latch of the RJ45 port open before inserting the plug, as doing it any other way, you will not be able to insert the RJ45 plug into the port or you will damage that latch and the port pins or plug, and that is probably what happened. Be aware that Acer will consider all the above before repairing your laptop as its very rare for an RJ45 side port to be faulty, I've never ever come across that ever on any PC.

Also and with your Wi-Fi, the Wi-Fi connects automatically because you haven't turned the Wi-Fi off and its active, turn the Wi-Fi off from within Win-11 Settings > Wi-Fi so that it doesn't come on when the Ethernet disconnects. Your best solution is to get Acer to either replace the side RJ45 plug with a new one or replace the mainboard which that is what Acer does, as they don't do micro soldering and/or change circuitries or ports on faulty mainboards.

Eleison23

turn the Wi-Fi off from within Win-11 Settings

What are "Win-11 Settings"? I am afraid I am confused by this reply. I assure you that the WiFi was off. In fact, I am mistaken about it self-activating, because having tested it just now, it appears that it stays off when I disconnect Ethernet, but that the icon in the ChromeOS corner screen looks like a WiFi reception icon with no reception, to signify no network connection. And I can't say that I recall it spontaneously connecting to my WiFi in these cases.

I am also confused by your assertion that "you need to spring the center latch open" before inserting. This is a physically silly design if it truly requires two hands every time there's an insertion, and furthermore that method of operation is not mentioned anywhere in manuals, help files, or support. So for the repair guys to say that I voided my warranty by inserting a cable would be reprehensible, and I would probably just proceed to discuss this with my attorney. It's awful design: if a hinge needs to be manually opened first then it should not be possible for it to move before the human manually activates it. This hinge just swings open and shut as it pleases.

Have you ever examined a VHS tape and its machine? The VHS has an ingenious design whereby there is a lid on the front end which protects the tape and mechanisms, and the lid cannot be simply flipped open by a user; it takes two hands because there's a button on the side which is designed to be mechanically activated. That's the failsafe. If I recall correctly, there's also a failsafe for locking the reels, and they cannot move until that switch is activated as well. VHS are quite bulletproof from ignorant dorks mucking around with them, and if a Chromebook (that's used by young children in middle schools and by gamers) can't withstand a simple cable insertion, that's negligence.

I would welcome StevenGen and anyone else to prove me wrong by linking to the documentation of that port.

I mean, my last big issue was the trackpad not detecting two fingers. If you can also tell me in the documentation that those fingers must be on the same hand or the trackpad doesn't work as promised, I'd be thrilled!!!

You seem to imply that I've damaged the port so much that it's nonfunctional, but I'm not sure where you're getting this idea. The pins all work, the eletronics are fine, and the mainboard isn't damaged by any stretch of the imagination. A mainboard replacement at this point would prove the incompetence of Acer tech, and cement my opinion of their unworthiness to provide products which I depend on every day for work and important business.

Eleison23

Can someone please link me to the comprehensive service manual so that I may learn the procedures for disconnect and removal of storage (SSD/NVMe) prior to bringing it in to a service center; thank you.

Eleison23

My fatal mistake here, I must confess, is being scammed by another deeply-discounted big box purchase. Best Buy had this model on display on the floor, and there was an actual Googler there representing Best Buy in sales. I thought the thing was sleek and ideal for my use cases, and I loved it at first sight. It had all the right specs.

But it's turned into a support nightmare and while absolutely nothing is a deal-breaker, or show-stopper for daily work, it's just one after another glitch and annoyance and bad design.

I already knew this old story, because I purchased a Corsair gamer's keyboard also at Best Buy for a deep discount, and I found out why the discount: the hardware was permanently defective (perhaps hard and firmware both) and after 3 RMAs of them sending me the same exact thing that crashed the same exact way, I threw it in the recycling but destroyed it violently first, for a cheap thrill.

My Windows 10 Lenovo is a peach; I've never had a single quibble; the purchase experience was magnificent and they allowed me to preconfigure the hardware to my heart's content. I ran Fedora Linux on it, too, absolutely flawless performance.

Chromebooks are low-spec and lightweight, so theoretically the prices should be lower for comparable experience. I obviously should not pay less than $1,200 for a daily driver if I expect it to be designed and built properly by experts. And I certainly had better not choose an Acer.

Eleison23

Now I have physically examined the port with the hinge open. I include a photo for you to describe to me how and where it is broken:

Small particles of debris should not interfere with the latching, and I'll blow some canned air into this to ensure that it's spic-and-span.

Furthermore, there appears to be a black ridge across the transverse of the port. It is raised so that the port bottom does not touch it, and so I am led to believe that this ridge is the one that's supposed to latch the tab on the jack. It appears to be fully intact, and what's more, made out of metal and not plastic, so I'd wager it's not as easy to break as the fragile cheap shell of this thing.

Really, it's offensive to me for a poster to come out of the gates and accuse me of breaking this by rough treatment and voiding my warranty. You didn't even try to ask clarification questoins. You didn't attempt to follow a diagnosis process. You didn't see this photo yet.

I've broken stuff before, but I noticed when it happened. I'm an IT professional and educator with 40 years' experience here. I hold a CompTIA A+ certification to prove it. I am not exactly an ignorant noob who shoves jacks in up-side-down or drops the machine on the floor at Starbucks but won't tell anyone, are we clear?

The last support thread had me Powerwashing and hard resetting and wiping data and RMAs to factory repair, basically destroying my productivity, witout any attempt at triage or diagnosis. That is actively harmful support. You think you are trying to help people, but we are being harmed and probably wasting a lot of money and time on your good words. We appreciate that.

billsey

You likely are best off to either swap it out with Best Buy or, if it's been too long since you got it, contact Acer support for a warranty repair. My experience with that type of jack is that they do hold the cable securely.