macnn/electronista
01/13/2009, 9:25pm, EST
Tuesday, January 13thTripp Lite announces USB over Cat 5 extender hubs
Tripp Lite has released its latest connectivity products, The U224-1R4-R and U224-4R4-R extender hubs that send USB signals over Cat 5 cable. The 1R4 model offers three USB 2.0 ports to connect local peripherals, along with a single-port receiver for connecting an additional remote device. The 4R4 variant allows connection of up to four remote devices to a computer. Users plug the transmitter into the USB port of a computer, then run Cat 5e or Cat 6 cable to the hub at the destination, without the need to install drivers or software.
The company claims that both models are capable of connecting peripheral devices up to 150 feet away from the computer, while an AC adapter provides power supply to the remote side of the configuration.
Prices and availability have not yet been announced.
Filed under: peripherals, networking
Other story tags: connectivity
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Question
Can you plug the RJ45 into a Switch?
Price
I'm guessing the price of this will be more than if whatever piece of USB equipment you are attaching it to used ethernet to begin with. Connecting a USB webcam for instance 150' away using this device would most likely be a lot more expensive then simply buying a webcam that uses ethernet that can use the cat 5/6 cables without the extra Tripp Lite hardware.
USB 1.1
Note that the remote USB port(s) are USB 1.1, unlike the local USB ports which are 2.0.
Probably will not work through a switch.