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Can I extend a USB cable with CAT5?

D

DellAxim

Gawd
Joined
Feb 14, 2003
Messages
999
I recently got a USB webcam for free...I have no use for it. I was thinking of mounting it in a window about 15' from my computer to use it as a security camera. Would it be possible for me to make a USB extension cable out of CAT5 cable? If so, how far can I go? I've got a big roll of it in the garage...
 
I'm pretty sure you can.

I remember a few years ago when TechTV had there live shows at comdex or CES and leo and patrick demo a new product that takes your usb cable and then converts it to a cat 5 (then back again, I think) and I remember leo tested it out by running like 100 feet away from the stage with a real webcam going and it never quit.
 
if it's not gonna be that long (you were saying 15' right?), you can find a usb extension cord for like <10 bucks. They should add about 16ft per cord, and with most of them you can daisy chain them up to around 50+ft.
 
Mexicorn said:
if it's not gonna be that long (you were saying 15' right?), you can find a usb extension cord for like <10 bucks. They should add about 16ft per cord, and with most of them you can daisy chain them up to around 50+ft.
Click to expand...

The window is about 15', but it will take alot longer than that to run the cable and hide it. I've already got a roll of cat5, there's no reason to go buy $20 worth of more cable.

Isn't there a limit on the max distance USB will travel? Something like 10 meters?
 
DellAxim said:
Isn't there a limit on the max distance USB will travel? Something like 10 meters?
Click to expand...
It's 5 meters according the spec. That means that 10 meters might work, but it might not, or be very unreliable.
 
USB has a max length of like 16 feet I think. Longer than that I think you'll get all kinds of interference or it wont work at all.
 
The above statments are true pre spec......
Now i have herd of people running them 100+ feet, including my customers.
I think the spec was written for the most POS cable you could use (like UTP). Give it a try... what's the worse that could happen, you ruin a free webcam (unless you short a wire and fry your mobo's usb ports :p )
 
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