Frequently asked.

Relay enumerates as a standard CDC-ECM ethernet adapter. macOS has shipped that driver natively since Catalina 10.15 (2019). Your Mac sees a wired ethernet connection and routes traffic accordingly — no third-party kext, no permissions dialog, no carrier app on the critical path.

Insert a nano-SIM. Plug into USB-C. Wait approximately three seconds. You're online. There is no app to install, no website to log into, no captcha.

The optional Relay menubar app shows signal, current band, RSRP/SINR, and data usage by app. It's a nice-to-have, not a requirement. You can use Relay without ever installing it.

223 Mbps peak downlink, 123 Mbps peak uplink under good signal. In urban areas with mid-band 5G we routinely see 80–150 Mbps. The bottleneck is the cellular network, not the modem.

Every MacBook with a USB-C port: MacBook Air M1, M2, M3, M4, M5; MacBook Pro 14″ and 16″ on M1 through M5; 2016+ Intel MacBook; and MacBook Neo. macOS Catalina 10.15 or newer is required.

Yes — iPadOS 17+ supports USB-C ethernet adapters as a primary network interface, and Relay enumerates as exactly that. Any iPad with a USB-C port should work.

All day-one supported. Kernel 5.10+ for Linux (NetworkManager handles it), Windows 11 inbox driver, ChromeOS M118+. If a device speaks CDC-ECM, Relay works.

Targeted for Q4 2026. We're working through per-OEM USB-host passthrough testing.

Any nano-SIM. Relay targets compatibility with AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon in the US. A carrier/band chart will be published before shipping. eSIM is targeted for V2.

No. We will never lock Relay to a carrier. It's a principle, not a marketing line — see the manifesto.

Yes. Data-only SIMs (T-Mobile DIGITS, Mint Mobile, Visible, Google Fi data-only, international travel SIMs) all work.

Yes — roaming is handled by your SIM's carrier, not by us. If your plan covers a country, Relay will work there.

Relay draws ≤ 4.5 W from the USB-C bus during peak downlink. Idle draw is approximately 1.4 W. There is no internal battery to swell.

Designed to run warm-to-the-touch under sustained load, not hot. The aluminum-equivalent shell doubles as the heatsink — no fan, no vent. Final thermal numbers will be published once certification testing is complete.

IPX4 rated — splash-resistant. Not for swimming. The USB-C connector itself is the limiting factor.

The PC/ABS V-0 enclosure is rated for 1.2 m drops onto hardwood. We'd rather you didn't, but it'll survive.

Q2–Q3 2027, after FCC, CE, IC, and PTCRB certification. We don't fake-ship to hit a quarter.

When your unit enters the packing line. Not before. You'll get a one-click confirmation email with payment, address, and finish before anything is processed.

Initial launch covers US, Canada, EU, UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. Other markets follow after their respective certifications land.

Yes, at any point before we charge your card. One click in your confirmation email. If certification slips past Q4 2027, we'll proactively email you a cancel-with-one-click link.

Two years on the hardware. We also handle out-of-warranty repairs at cost as long as we have parts — typically 8+ years.

A human at Relay. We don't outsource support.

Yes — signed firmware updates over USB, via the menubar app or a one-liner CLI tool. We publish a signed manifest with every release.

We see no traffic. Relay has no telemetry-by-default. The menubar app is opt-in for crash reports only — never traffic content or destination.