RTL8169

The RTL8169, also marketed as the RTL8169 Gigabit Ethernet Controller, is a family of network interface controllers produced by Realtek Semiconductor Corporation. It provides gigabit Ethernet connectivity from a PCI Express bus to the host system.

The RTL8169 integrates the MAC and PHY layers in a single silicon device and supports 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet with auto-negotiation, full- and half-duplex operation. It is commonly used on desktop motherboards and in embedded networking products. The controller adheres to the IEEE 802.3 Ethernet standards and supports common features such as VLAN tagging and receive/transmit checksum offload.

Variants in the RTL8169 family include the original RTL8169, RTL8169S, RTL8169SB and related parts; these differ in package form, PHY configurations, or minor feature sets. Realtek positions these devices as gigabit Ethernet controllers suitable for mainstream networking tasks.

Software support for RTL8169 is broad. In Linux, the r8169 driver is included in standard kernels and provides most functionality with common chip revisions. Realtek supplies Windows drivers for the RTL8169 family, and drivers exist for BSD-based operating systems through Realtek or community efforts.

Due to its wide adoption and mature driver support, the RTL8169 remains a staple in many desktop and embedded networking applications, contributing to favorable compatibility across operating systems.