C2G 53880
Superbooster USB 2.0 Over Cat5 Dongle Kit
-Maciej Z.
Description
The C2G 53880 Superbooster USB 2.0 Over Cat5 Dongle Kit is a straightforward solution to the distance limitation of a standard USB 2.0 cable. This dongle allows users to connect a USB device up to 328 feet, which is, a hundred meters, away using just a regular network cable, be it Cat5e or Cat6. The commonly used USB 2.0 cables max out at sixteen feet. Even at this length, they start dropping frames or just completely stop. The C2G 53880 Superbooster USB 2.0 over Cat5 Kit fixes that headache by tunneling a full-speed USB line down a single network cable.
The booster kit includes two palm-sized dongles. One of these dongles is connected to the computer via its USB-B port. The other dongle connects to the remote device using a standard USB-A jack. Power can be injected from either end, and the receiver delivers a steady half-amp, that is 500 mA, to the connected device. The kit can be used to connect a camera, a mic pod, or an interactive whiteboard with the computer. There is no need to install product drivers, firmware, or setup software to connect these devices to the computer.
The dongle connected to the computer is supported by all commonly used OSs like Windows, macOS, or Linux. The OS sees the dongle as a native USB link with a capacity of 480 megabits per second. The dongle kit supports all USB 2.0 peripherals such as keyboards, mice, printers, webcams, USB audio devices, and interactive panels. However, it does not support USB 3.0 or advanced speeds.
There are a few points to consider when placing an order for this product. The C2G 53880 Superbooster Dongle Kit uses a Cat5e or Cat6 network cable to bridge the two dongles. The cable needs to be bought separately and is not included in the product. The cable must be solid-core UTP or STP and up to 328 ft. While the dongle supplies up to 500 mA, this power may not be enough for high-power USB devices like external hard drives or large-powered webcams. Those devices may need their own power supply or a powered USB hub.
