RE: [KAT5] USB signal over Cat 5

["Keith Doxey" <kat5users@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Rob

> I am currently using 2 KAT5 modules to transmit A/V signal from my PC
> in the study to the TV in the living room.  This works a treat and I
am
> very pleased with the units.
>
> As an enhancement, I would like to use a remote trackball in the
living
> room to control the PC.  The remote trackball recevier normally plugs
> into the PC via a USB socket, but the receiver needs to be in the
> living room, as the signal will not go from the living room to the
> study direct.
>
> So, in the same way that it is possible to send an IR signal over the
> KAT5 units, is it possible to do the same with USB? Or, will the USB
> signal go directly down a Cat 5 cable with no amplification; if so,
> where can I get an adapter?
>

Cant be done over KAT5 I'm afraid. USB is a two way communication at very
high data rates and there is no easy way to separate the send and receive
data in order to send it over KAT5's data channels.

I have successfully used an IR Keyboard/Mouse over KAT5 IR but most seem to
be Bluetooth or other RF these days.

There are USB-CAT5-USB extenders available for about £30 but I dont have
any
personal experience of them.

If you have a spare USB cable and a spare patch cord then you could chop
them in half and make your own extender cable to test it out.

I would use the orange pair for the data pair as it has the highest twist
ratio. I would then use use the blue pair for 0V and the brown pair for
+5V.

You dont give any indication of the distance you want to cover. You wont do
any physical damage by trying that method but how well it would operate I
dont know. It depends to a large extent on the speed of the USB. I would
imagine that a simple pointing device would be a low speed device so may
have a much better chance of working.

Hope that helps

Keith

BTW. The charge for support over Christmas Day/Boxing Day is tripled.
Unfortunately for me, I dont charge for support so 3 times nothing is still
free :-)