will what i want to do work?

mattpower3000 · 06-06-2005, 06:54 PM

Hi I have a BT voyager 205 broadband router, it has two ports a usb 2.0 and an ethernet. I plug my old P3 laptop which stays on my desk into the router using a fixed ethernet cable this is all well and good. Then i plug my new laptop into the usb 2.0 port, again this works fine and they both run together very well. However if i want to take my laptop into the bedroom i can't because the longest usb lead that i can find is 3m. This just takes me to my sofa. Now i had metres upon metres of cat5e cable, if i stick straight through netwrok plugs on each end of this cable and then attach usb converters onto the end of these ethernet plugs, will i now have a really long usb lead?

Regards,
mattpower

**apj101** · 06-06-2005, 06:59 PM

err, the BT voyager 205 broadband router only has 1 usb port and 1 ethernet, just conect one to the usb port, and connect another machine to the ethernet port using a normal long ethernet cable. Both computer should work fine.

mattpower3000 · 06-06-2005, 07:00 PM

I did think of that, but my old dell p3 uses usb 1.1, would this make a difference to speed?
regards,
mattpower

**apj101** · 06-06-2005, 07:02 PM

i dont think so, usb 1.1 is slower but wont be the bottleneck. It definatly wont slow down the connection speed to the computer using the ethernet cable - which is the one that you are using most i assume

BishBosh · 06-06-2005, 07:18 PM

Yes, you can use USB -> ethernet converters at each end

USB 1.1 (this is your limiting factor on the old Dell machine) supports two speeds. A screened cable 18" or less will handle 12Mbits/s, any longer then you are down to 1Mbits/s

So, if your broadband connection is the usual 512kbits/s or 1Mbits/s you won't have a bottleneck .... although 2Mbit/s is getting more common now.

Where you will see an issue is when you want to copy large files between machines on the local network.

But, I have to ask, is the more elegant wireless solution out of the question ?
True you need an access point and a PCMCIA client card .. which .. er .. means spending money, but it saves trailing cables around the house

[-0MEGA-] · 06-06-2005, 07:27 PM

i bought a 10 foot usb extension cable from stables a while ago,you can just get 2 and hook them together if you want even more room (although you can only hook up to a certain length, but you should be able to get 20' fine, at least for getting internet.

**apj101** · 06-07-2005, 11:19 AM

Quote:

USB 1.1 (this is your limiting factor on the old Dell machine) supports two speeds. A screened cable 18" or less will handle 12Mbits/s, any longer then you are down to 1Mbits/s

So, if your broadband connection is the usual 512kbits/s or 1Mbits/s you won't have a bottleneck .... although 2Mbit/s is getting more common now.

true, but his old laptop (using usb 1.1) is static on his desk, and there fore will always be within a sort distance to the router.

i'm fairly sure that we should be helping mattpower3000 set up the laptop he is using to the router via ethernet cable option available on his router. You should not need a 5 meter cable. And again i stress that BT voyager 205 broadband router only has 1 usb port and 1 ethernet.

Plug one usb into you old laptop. I assume that you are not using this as much since its old.
Plug you new computer into the ethernet port. You will not lose internet speed on this cable by having the usb in the old 1.1 laptop.
It seems silly to buy a huge usb cable when you have a perfectly good network cable and port available.
If you dont belive me about the speed, then run bandwidth tests in both setups.

06-06-2005, 06:54 PM	#1 (permalink)
mattpower3000 Bronze Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Age: 27 Posts: 38	will what i want to do work? Hi I have a BT voyager 205 broadband router, it has two ports a usb 2.0 and an ethernet. I plug my old P3 laptop which stays on my desk into the router using a fixed ethernet cable this is all well and good. Then i plug my new laptop into the usb 2.0 port, again this works fine and they both run together very well. However if i want to take my laptop into the bedroom i can't because the longest usb lead that i can find is 3m. This just takes me to my sofa. Now i had metres upon metres of cat5e cable, if i stick straight through netwrok plugs on each end of this cable and then attach usb converters onto the end of these ethernet plugs, will i now have a really long usb lead? Regards, mattpower

06-06-2005, 06:59 PM	#2 (permalink)
apj101 Administrator Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: London Age: 26 Posts: 9,147	err, the BT voyager 205 broadband router only has 1 usb port and 1 ethernet, just conect one to the usb port, and connect another machine to the ethernet port using a normal long ethernet cable. Both computer should work fine. __________________ What did one snow man say to the other? can you smell carrot? The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses - behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights. How you do anything, is how you do everything!

06-06-2005, 07:02 PM	#4 (permalink)
apj101 Administrator Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: London Age: 26 Posts: 9,147	i dont think so, usb 1.1 is slower but wont be the bottleneck. It definatly wont slow down the connection speed to the computer using the ethernet cable - which is the one that you are using most i assume __________________ What did one snow man say to the other? can you smell carrot? The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses - behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights. How you do anything, is how you do everything!

06-06-2005, 07:27 PM	#6 (permalink)
[-0MEGA-] Diamond Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Concord, NH Age: 19 Posts: 27,068	i bought a 10 foot usb extension cable from stables a while ago,you can just get 2 and hook them together if you want even more room (although you can only hook up to a certain length, but you should be able to get 20' fine, at least for getting internet. __________________ Desktop // Laptop Core 2 Quad Q9550 @ 4.0GHz // Core 2 Duo P8400 2.26GHz Asus Rampage Formula X48 // Intel PM45 ATI 4870X2 2GB GDDR5 // 512MB GDDR3 9800M GTS 4GB (2x 2GB) DDR2 940 // 4GB DDR3 800 750GB SATAII w/32MB // 200GB SATAII 7200RPM Creative SB X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty SilverStone 750W +12V@60A 3DMark06: 21391 // 9179

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06-06-2005, 07:00 PM	#3 (permalink)
mattpower3000 Bronze Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Age: 27 Posts: 38	I did think of that, but my old dell p3 uses usb 1.1, would this make a difference to speed? regards, mattpower

06-06-2005, 07:18 PM	#5 (permalink)
BishBosh Bronze Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: UK Posts: 38	Yes, you can use USB -> ethernet converters at each end USB 1.1 (this is your limiting factor on the old Dell machine) supports two speeds. A screened cable 18" or less will handle 12Mbits/s, any longer then you are down to 1Mbits/s So, if your broadband connection is the usual 512kbits/s or 1Mbits/s you won't have a bottleneck .... although 2Mbit/s is getting more common now. Where you will see an issue is when you want to copy large files between machines on the local network. But, I have to ask, is the more elegant wireless solution out of the question ? True you need an access point and a PCMCIA client card .. which .. er .. means spending money, but it saves trailing cables around the house