How to Extend USB Over Ethernet With a Cable

A USB over Ethernet cable offers a viable method of establishing an Ethernet connection when you have no open Ethernet ports available. With the assistance of a USB to Ethernet adapter, any open USB port can provide you USB over cat5/cat 5e/cat6 Ethernet connectivity. Just connect an Ethernet cable to the adapter plugged into your computer and then attach it to a modem, router, or network hub.

The standard USB/Ethernet extender cables commonly used for secure and fast data transfers are rather short. The reason for keeping USB extenders short is that the connection becomes less effective as the distance between devices increases. The range for effective communication can be increased with additional hardware. You can extend USB through Ethernet using cat5e or cat6 cables, network converters, and extension cables to allow more distant connectivity to USB devices. This guide will show how to use a USB to Ethernet cable to enhance the utility of your USB peripherals.

How to guide

1. Disconnect the standard USB cable from your computer. We will refer to this as the "A" connector and the other end RJ45 as the "B" connector since its shape resembles the letter "B".
   
   
2. Connect the male connector in the USB/cat5e cable to the female receptor on your computer or USB hub.
   
   
3. Connect the USB extender over cat5e cable's receiver to the device compatible with USB, that is the furthest from your computer and complete the connection by attaching the other end of the cable to a free USB port on your machine.
   
   
4. USB extender over Ethernet 5e cables can extend the distance of reliable USB connectivity to 9.8 feet (3 m) or less with a maximum speed of over 1000 Mbps. Based on how you plan to use the USB/5e cable, they are available with either single or multiple USB ports.

Please note, that to ensure compatibility for some printers you may need to reinstall the drivers.