USB Extenders
USB Extenders allow you to extend USB devices over long distances. One limitation of a USB connection is in the recommended length of the USB cable. As cables reach and exceed the recommended length, the signal begins to degrade. For a USB 3.0 connection (the most current at the time of publication), this length is just under 10 feet. For your business systems, this means that any device using the USB port must be positioned within 10 feet of your computer system. However, this distance can be extended with the use of a USB extender.
An extender is a two-part device that extends the distance between USB port and peripheral using a Cat5 UTP cable. One part of the device plugs into your USB port and the other part into your USB peripheral. The UTP cable is plugged into both parts, completing the connection. The signal is then transmitted through the cable between the extender parts to extend your USB connection beyond the 10-foot limit.
Data speeds over an extender are slower than those over a direct USB connection, but most USB devices do not utilize the full 4.8 Gbps data rate capability of a USB 3.0 connection. Our selection of USB Extenders includes solutions for extending USB 2.0 over Cat 5 cables, wireless technology , and fiber optic cables. These USB extenders are ideal for applications in security, medical imaging, point-of sale, remote desktop, automotive telematics, and more. We provide USB extenders that use fibre-optic or copper CATx as the physical media, depending on the requirements of the application.