USB range extender questions

[Tisy]

I want to use my wired keyboard and mouse about 25 ft away from the PC base (which cannot be moved). If I am understanding correctly, USB won't work at this distance unless the wire has repeaters in it (?). Will they work with USB 2.0 cable without any input lag or other weirdness issues, or do I need to get USB 3.0 cable which is about double the price? (the sockets on the PC are USB 3.0). My thinking is that my keyboard and mouse don't need 5 Gbit of data transfer speed, but I could be completely wrong and talking out of my rear.

On the same theme, will HDMI (pic only, no sound) work 25ft away without issues?

To pre-empt the inevitable "just use a wireless keyboard & mouse bro!" - I've had my fill of them already. The random input lag due to interference and batteries dying at the most inconvenient times is not an experience I wish to repeat.

Thanks.

[rider73]

It's my understanding that usb 3 has less range than usb 2, isn't there usb range extender that you plug in to both ends and use a Cat cable I'm between ? Otherwise repeaters every 5 meters?

Hdmi Ive no idea about, sorry

[Tisy]

rider73 said:

It's my understanding that usb 3 has less range than usb 2, isn't there usb range extender that you plug in to both ends and use a Cat cable I'm between ? Otherwise repeaters every 5 meters?

Hdmi Ive no idea about, sorry

Ref the first bit - that might explain why only 2.0 is available to buy at 10m but not 3.0 I'm unclear what the "repeater" bits actually are - are they just like mini amplifiers for the low power coming down the wire from the PC?

Ref the second bit - yes I have heard of these but i think they are more for remote CCTV installs for HD data transfer rather than keyboard and mouse inputs?

[davek_964]

At my old house I had a long HDMI cable - definitely at least 20ft - with no picture or sound issues.

[rider73]

Tisy said:

rider73 said:

It's my understanding that usb 3 has less range than usb 2, isn't there usb range extender that you plug in to both ends and use a Cat cable I'm between ? Otherwise repeaters every 5 meters?

Hdmi Ive no idea about, sorry

Ref the first bit - that might explain why only 2.0 is available to buy at 10m but not 3.0 I'm unclear what the "repeater" bits actually are - are they just like mini amplifiers for the low power coming down the wire from the PC?

Ref the second bit - yes I have heard of these but i think they are more for remote CCTV installs for HD data transfer rather than keyboard and mouse inputs?

It's just encoding and deciding usb signal, doesn't matter what the signal is, mouse TV etc

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ethernet-Cat5e-Extension-...

I think these are what you need. Cheap really just to test and the CAT cable in between would be cheap too,

[Road2Ruin]

davek_964 said:

At my old house I had a long HDMI cable - definitely at least 20ft - with no picture or sound issues.

We have a 10m hdmi cable at work, for the projector. One word of warning, though, don't buy cheap. Bought a cheap one initially and it went wrong after about a year. With regards to USB, no idea. Would a wireless USB keyboard/mouse not work over that distance? I have one at home that probably does.

[JoshSm]

You only need a usb2 extender for that job, doesn't matter that the pc end is usb3 as it's all backwards compatible.

Obviously the USB needs an active cable, there are some decent self contained ones that don't involve 2 modules + a network cable.

HDMI will stretch a fair way with a good enough passive cable, 25ft isn't exactly pushing it too hard. 10m is easily available.

[Dave.]

To avoid the need for overly long cables, you could buy a Raspberry Pi or an old thin client pc and "remote desktop" into the main pc....?

Probably cheaper than the multiple cables.

Eg - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/226746472682

Edited by Dave. on Wednesday 14th May 12:26

[Mr Pointy]

If it's just keyboard & mouse then USB 2.0 is adequate. Lindy stuff is a bit more expensive but usually reliable - you might find something cheaper on Amazon but you might have to try a few to find a reliable one. This list is filtered for USB 2.0:

https://www.lindy.co.uk/usb-c4/usb-extension-c222/...

As for HDMI just look for not the cheapest on Amazon with some good reviews or go Lindy again, but note a reliable 7.5m/10m HDMI cable is not cheap, especially if your monitor is 4K resolution.

https://www.lindy.co.uk/cables-adapters-c1/audio-v...

[Tisy]

JoshSm said:

You only need a usb2 extender for that job, doesn't matter that the pc end is usb3 as it's all backwards compatible.

Obviously the USB needs an active cable, there are some decent self contained ones that don't involve 2 modules + a network cable.

HDMI will stretch a fair way with a good enough passive cable, 25ft isn't exactly pushing it too hard. 10m is easily available.

Thanks all.

Dave, I have mulled RPis / mini PCs and remote-desktoping but I don't want to get into that level of complication as it's obviously still going to need a wire outside for power and my experience of remote-desktoping is that it's something tolerable for short periods when the host PC is elsewhere in the world, but not something you'd do out of choice due to the input lag. And to a lesser extent, that's also why I want to avoid wireless peripherals.

JoshSn, by "active" do the mean the cables that are advertised with repeaters?

[Mr Pointy]

Tisy said:

Dave, I have mulled RPis / mini PCs and remote-desktoping but I don't want to get into that level of complication as it's obviously still going to need a wire outside for power and my experience of remote-desktoping is that it's something tolerable for short periods when the host PC is elsewhere in the world, but not something you'd do out of choice due to the input lag. And to a lesser extent, that's also why I want to avoid wireless peripherals.

JoshSn, by "active" do the mean the cables that are advertised with repeaters?

Are you gaming on this setup becuase I get very little lag RDPing into another PC in the house. Anyway - yes long USB leads are active & get power from the USB port on the local PC so you'll need to run the cables in the right way round. On the shorter ones the electronics is built into the connector body.

[JoshSm]

Tisy said:

JoshSn, by "active" do the mean the cables that are advertised with repeaters?

Yes one that has a repeater/amplifier embedded.

Some are port powered (just plug into USB and powered by that), others have their own external PSU which is usually the better option if you want it to be most flexible for what you can hang off it. Keyboard/mouse aren't demanding but you might want more at some point.

A passive cable is one that is just wires.

[Nigel_O]

Shame that you have poor experiences with wireless mouse & keyboard. I have a Logitech K540 keyboard that I’ve used for years - I can’t remember the last time I put batteries in it.

I also use a Logitech MX Master rechargeable mouse - extremely comfortable (I’m using it for up to 10 hours a day…) and it pops up a notification when it needs recharging. Charge lasts for a couple of weeks, even with heavy daily use.

Logitech kit can use a USB receiver, which you could easily plug into a 2m USB extension lead to shorten the distance.