Author Topic: Wireless USB extender  (Read 471 times)

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Offline hpssbTopic starter

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Wireless USB extender
« on: January 25, 2025, 09:10:53 am »
Looking for a way to extend a USB connection wirelessly, quick search around found plenty of USB to WiFi network and USB to Bluetooth speakers etc but that's not what we are trying to do.

What we want to do is connect a laptop to a piece of test gear like a power supply (has a standard printer type USB port) for remote control of voltage and output on/off.  Very low bandwidth stuff, probably using a virtual COM port.    Both ends supply 5V (a USB isolator works fine) so we don't need to transmit DC supply, just need communications between the PC and the device.

For OHS reasons (high voltage / temperatures) and to save the need to run a physical cable to the laptop I would like to do this wirelessly.   Something like a USB dongle in the laptop and another in the power supply that can between them communicate over a short distance, about 3 to 5 metres would be plenty enough.  Doesn't need to be secure, it's only sending numbers.  There is no WiFi available / allowed in the area where this will be set up.

Anyone know of or can recommend a way to do this?  Would like something basically plug and play, suitable for electricians to operate, so no raspberry pi with custom electronics / coding or similar.
 

Offline Halcyon

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Re: Wireless USB extender
« Reply #1 on: January 26, 2025, 04:58:12 am »
We use device servers from SEH Computertechnik for various devices. It essentially puts USB devices on your network, which you simply connect to over IP. This would also allow you to share your device across as many computers as you like (albeit, not at the same time). The client software runs on Windows, Mac and Linux.

https://www.seh-technology.com/products/usb-deviceserver.html

We primarily use them for things like label printers, but also for software that require a physical hardware dongle. The dongles can be connected to the device server and locked away in a rack, so that they are not only accessible to those on the network, but ensures the dongles don't go missing.

Once you connect to a device, it just presents to the operating system the same way as if you would have physically connected it with a cable.
« Last Edit: January 26, 2025, 05:04:04 am by Halcyon »
 


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