Thread

USB over IP/Ethernet anyone?

· Networking · 5 posts · Jun 23, 2005 — Jun 25, 2005 View original thread ↗

#1 Thu, 23 Jun 2005 - 07:57

Does anyone know of a way to connect USB peripherals (specifically a keyboard/mouse) via an ethernet bridge? I am thinking about connecting a Mac mini to my plasma TV, but that would mean putting the CPU in my AV cabinet (so I can use the DVI connector). That would mean having it behind a closed door (so much for IR control) and almost 15 feet from where the user would sit.

I'm sure I could try bluetooth to connect the keyboard/mouse, but I'm not 100% sure it will work well at 15' behind a cabinet door and with furniture in the way, and I don't want to spend the $$ and time to install bluetooth in my mini just to find out that it doesn't work. I already have prewired ethernet jacks in the AV cabinet and near the end table next to the couch, so I was wondering if it were possible to use the existing CAT5 ethernet cable to connect the USB keyboard/mouse back to the CPU in the AV cabinet.

I have found USB-to-ethernet adapters, but they all seem to be meant for connecting a CPU to an ethernet network via USB and not for using ethernet as a bridge between USB connectors. Does anyone know of an inexpensive USB over IP (ethernet bridge) solution that would work for me?

Any help would be appreciated.

(I didn't want to double post, but I wasn't sure if this question was best suited to this forum on peripherals or in the networking forum. If the moderator thinks it appropriate, please move it to networking.)

#2 Thu, 23 Jun 2005 - 08:11

How about a wireless keyboard and mouse?

USB bluetooth adapters are dirt-cheap these days, and the range should be alright. My brother used his wireless mouse from a distance of >5 m without any hick-ups or glitches.

The adapters you have in mind do not exist for keyboards and mice.

#3 Thu, 23 Jun 2005 - 12:04

Get a USB extension cable and plug a bluetooth dongle into it. Fish the cable through your entertainment center and arrange it so the dongle sticks it's head out a little on the top or at the back of a shelf or something like that. This will solve any reception problems associated with the machine being buried in the cabinet.

#4 Thu, 23 Jun 2005 - 20:09

Bluetooth, all the way. Get the Logitech MX900 mouse to go with it. I doubt you will need the USB extension, but it is a great suggestion.

#5 Sat, 25 Jun 2005 - 10:11

To answer the question about USB over ethernet: there are three things i can think of:

1. Ethernet KVM (keyboard, video, mouse). These use IP, so it works from all over the internet. Typically used for remote server management and the like. VERY expensive (minimum $600 or so).

2. Cat 5 USB extender. These devices convert the USB plug to Cat 5 cable and back. They are not ethernet, and cannot be plugged into a network!! You must use a dedicated Cat 5 cable for them. Not too expensive, readily available for under $100. (There's a very cheap one on the link below, btw.)

3. Pure USB. USB's maximum cable lenth is 5m, about 16 feet. But here's the key: that's between hubs and devices. So if you use a powered hub, you can extend the distance by 5m. There exist active USB extenders that are basically one-port bus-powered USB hubs. They regenerate the signal and let you go 5m farther. Hubs or active extenders can be daisy-chained, up to 5 of them to get very long distances.

As for Bluetooth: standard Bluetooth is 30m in the clear. On my PowerBook's internal Bluetooth and my Sony Ericsson phone, it works more or less reliably in a 20ft radius through walls. With no walls in between, it's very reliable over longer distances. But you can also buy special ("Class 1") Bluetooth dongles that have more than 3 times the power, and go 100m in the clear. One of those would fill your AV room easily.

tooki