The Nintendo Switch OLED dock added a built-in LAN port for wired internet access.
Nintendo introduced the OLED Model in 2021 with a redesigned dock. Along with the existing HDMI output and USB connections, the new dock included an Ethernet-style LAN port. When the console is docked, players can connect it directly to a compatible wired network instead of relying only on Wi-Fi.
The addition was particularly relevant for online multiplayer, downloads, and software updates. A wired connection can offer more consistent performance than a congested wireless network, although the console itself still supports wireless networking in both handheld and docked use.
The LAN port belongs to the OLED Model dock, not to the original standard dock supplied with the first Switch model. Nintendo later sold the OLED dock separately, and it can also be used with some standard Switch consoles. The port does not make the OLED console a fundamentally different online platform; it is a hardware convenience.