Ethernet-USB Cable

What are the applications for a Ethernet-USB cable?

Thanks.

Alek Trishan wrote:
What are the applications for a Ethernet-USB cable?

Thanks.

It would be used for adding Ethernet, to a computer
with no expansion slots.

You could use it, say, for making a router out of
an old computer.

And ones like this, have no bottlenecks. I didn't know
if they made any USB3 ones, but they apparently do.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16812232044

Paul

Paul has written on 6/1/2014 4:45 PM:
Alek Trishan wrote:
What are the applications for a Ethernet-USB cable?

Thanks.

It would be used for adding Ethernet, to a computer
with no expansion slots.

You could use it, say, for making a router out of
an old computer.

And ones like this, have no bottlenecks. I didn't know
if they made any USB3 ones, but they apparently do.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16812232044

Paul

The ones I have have an Ethernet plug (not a jack) on the end. What
would that be good for?

Alek Trishan wrote:
Paul has written on 6/1/2014 4:45 PM:
Alek Trishan wrote:
What are the applications for a Ethernet-USB cable?

Thanks.
It would be used for adding Ethernet, to a computer
with no expansion slots.

You could use it, say, for making a router out of
an old computer.

And ones like this, have no bottlenecks. I didn't know
if they made any USB3 ones, but they apparently do.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16812232044

Paul

The ones I have have an Ethernet plug (not a jack) on the end. What
would that be good for?

If it was Ethernet, you could hook one computer to another.
But it might require a crossover Ethernet cable.

Just be certain to verify what you see
on the dongle is RJ45 and not RJ11. If you
see RJ11, that's the telephone one, and the
dongle would be for a dialup modem connection
to a phone line.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RJ45_(t...ications)#RJ45

The RJ11 has six pin positions, while the RJ45
is eight pin positions. A 10/100BT Ethernet only
needs four pins (as two twisted pairs) while 1000BT uses
all eight (as four twisted pairs).

If the thing says Ethernet right on it, then
that would remove the uncertainty as well.

Paul

Alek Trishan wrote on 2014/06/01:

Paul has written on 6/1/2014 4:45 PM:
Alek Trishan wrote:
What are the applications for a Ethernet-USB cable?

Thanks.

It would be used for adding Ethernet, to a computer
with no expansion slots.

You could use it, say, for making a router out of
an old computer.

And ones like this, have no bottlenecks. I didn't know
if they made any USB3 ones, but they apparently do.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16812232044

Paul

The ones I have have an Ethernet plug (not a jack) on the end. What
would that be good for?

That the device (e.g., router) into which you plug the Ethernet male
connector and the device (e.g., computer) into which you plug the USB
cable have to be as close together as is the length of cable between the
Ethernet male and USB connectors on that adapter.

For example, the Ethernet male connector on the adapter could go into a
RJ-45 plug on a router while the USB end of the adapter could go into a
USB port on a computer. Another example is a printer with Ethernet
support (i.e., network-able printer). You could plug the adapter's male
Ethernet connector into the printer's RJ-45 Ethernet port and the USB
connector into your computer. The printer is networked but only to that
host (so you would have to share the device with other hosts to
"network" it to those other hosts).

Generally such devices, like the one shown at Newegg, are called gender
changers. With cables, the connector types are different at each end.
This is an active (powered) device which not only changes connector
types but also the hardware protocol. What connectors are on these
depend on the gear to which you connect them.

It's possible the adapter you have was made for use with a specific
device. For example, the RS-232 (serial) cable that came with many
UPSes was not a standard serial cable but a specialized one with its own
wiring and pinout and where one end was marked "UPS" and had to be
connected to the UPS's RS-232 port and not the other way around and a
regular serial cable wouldn't work. To make sure the cable worked meant
you had to get their special cable, not some normal cable from anywhere.

There is no brand and model number marked on your gender changer? Does
it look like this?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16812705330

That has the RJ-45 male end but also has a USB female end. When you
said "USB", you didn't say what type of connector.

Paul has written on 6/1/2014 6:02 PM:
Alek Trishan wrote:
Paul has written on 6/1/2014 4:45 PM:
Alek Trishan wrote:
What are the applications for a Ethernet-USB cable?

Thanks.
It would be used for adding Ethernet, to a computer
with no expansion slots.

You could use it, say, for making a router out of
an old computer.

And ones like this, have no bottlenecks. I didn't know
if they made any USB3 ones, but they apparently do.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16812232044

Paul

The ones I have have an Ethernet plug (not a jack) on the end. What
would that be good for?

If it was Ethernet, you could hook one computer to another.
But it might require a crossover Ethernet cable.

Just be certain to verify what you see
on the dongle is RJ45 and not RJ11.

It's definitely RJ45. It's too big for a telephone jack and snaps in to
an Ethernet jack.

So, what do you think? I have no idea when and where they came from.

VanguardLH has written on 6/1/2014 6:24 PM:
Alek Trishan wrote on 2014/06/01:

The ones I have have an Ethernet plug (not a jack) on the end. What
would that be good for?

That the device (e.g., router) into which you plug the Ethernet male
connector and the device (e.g., computer) into which you plug the USB
cable have to be as close together as is the length of cable between the
Ethernet male and USB connectors on that adapter.

Isn't that true for every cable? I'm obviously missing your point here.

For example, the Ethernet male connector on the adapter could go into a
RJ-45 plug on a router while the USB end of the adapter could go into a
USB port on a computer.

Would that then serve as a network connection for the computer?

Another example is a printer with Ethernet
support (i.e., network-able printer). You could plug the adapter's male
Ethernet connector into the printer's RJ-45 Ethernet port and the USB
connector into your computer. The printer is networked but only to that
host (so you would have to share the device with other hosts to
"network" it to those other hosts).

I'll have to see if my printer has an Ethernet jack.

Generally such devices, like the one shown at Newegg, are called gender
changers. With cables, the connector types are different at each end.
This is an active (powered) device which not only changes connector
types but also the hardware protocol. What connectors are on these
depend on the gear to which you connect them.

This is definitely not what I have.

It's possible the adapter you have was made for use with a specific
device. For example, the RS-232 (serial) cable that came with many
UPSes was not a standard serial cable but a specialized one with its own
wiring and pinout and where one end was marked "UPS" and had to be
connected to the UPS's RS-232 port and not the other way around and a
regular serial cable wouldn't work. To make sure the cable worked meant
you had to get their special cable, not some normal cable from anywhere.

Aha! This may be the cable that connects my UPS to my computer (for
whatever purpose -- monitoring the UPS, perhaps?)!

There is no brand and model number marked on your gender changer? Does
it look like this?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16812705330

Definitely not.

That has the RJ-45 male end but also has a USB female end. When you
said "USB", you didn't say what type of connector.

It's a type-A male.

Alek Trishan wrote:
Paul has written on 6/1/2014 6:02 PM:
Alek Trishan wrote:
Paul has written on 6/1/2014 4:45 PM:
Alek Trishan wrote:
What are the applications for a Ethernet-USB cable?

Thanks.
It would be used for adding Ethernet, to a computer
with no expansion slots.

You could use it, say, for making a router out of
an old computer.

And ones like this, have no bottlenecks. I didn't know
if they made any USB3 ones, but they apparently do.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16812232044

Paul
The ones I have have an Ethernet plug (not a jack) on the end. What
would that be good for?
If it was Ethernet, you could hook one computer to another.
But it might require a crossover Ethernet cable.

Just be certain to verify what you see
on the dongle is RJ45 and not RJ11.

It's definitely RJ45. It's too big for a telephone jack and snaps in to
an Ethernet jack.

So, what do you think? I have no idea when and where they came from.

OK, say you have a desktop computer, and you normally
run an Ethernet cable to your modem/router for broadband.

You could unplug the regular Ethernet cable, connect the
USB to Ethernet, and run the connection that way.

Befo

computer --- internal_Ethernet --- Ethernet_cable --- router

After:

computer --- internal_Ethernet --- X
--- USB_to_Ethernet --- Ethernet_cable --- router

As long as there is just one path wired up, the OS will
figure out how to get there. I've never used one of those
USB to Ethernet things, and don't know what it takes for
a driver. If the USB standards people defined a standard
"class" for it, it's possible the Microsoft OS already
has a driver to use with it.

Paul

Alek Trishan writes:

The ones I have have an Ethernet plug (not a jack) on the end. What
would that be good for?

There at least used to be range extenders for USB which used ethernet
for the long haul. I don't know if those are still around but I guess
your cable could be part of such a system. Although it seems strange,
why go with a proprietary cable?

Alek Trishan wrote on 2014/06/01:

VanguardLH has written on 6/1/2014 6:24 PM:
Alek Trishan wrote on 2014/06/01:

The ones I have have an Ethernet plug (not a jack) on the end. What
would that be good for?

That the device (e.g., router) into which you plug the Ethernet male
connector and the device (e.g., computer) into which you plug the USB
cable have to be as close together as is the length of cable between the
Ethernet male and USB connectors on that adapter.

Isn't that true for every cable? I'm obviously missing your point here.

Some adapter just have the connectors and you add the cable in between,
so the length is whatever for cable you choose. In case your
description omitted a cable that was attached, like a cable to the USB
connector, then that might be the intended length although you could add
another cable to extend the length. More connectors means more signal
attenuation, more chances to break, and more connections with reduces
the reliability of the overall connection from end to end. If the
adapter came with its own length of cable, try to use just that length.

For example, the Ethernet male connector on the adapter could go into a
RJ-45 plug on a router while the USB end of the adapter could go into a
USB port on a computer.

Would that then serve as a network connection for the computer?

It could but a short cord probably means it was meant for something
else, like maybe a wireless access point that then uses a USB port for a
hardwire connect to an RJ-45 port on the router.

It's possible the adapter you have was made for use with a specific
device. For example, the RS-232 (serial) cable that came with many
UPSes was not a standard serial cable but a specialized one with its own
wiring and pinout and where one end was marked "UPS" and had to be
connected to the UPS's RS-232 port and not the other way around and a
regular serial cable wouldn't work. To make sure the cable worked meant
you had to get their special cable, not some normal cable from anywhere.

Aha! This may be the cable that connects my UPS to my computer (for
whatever purpose -- monitoring the UPS, perhaps?)!

From what I've seen, the USB connection from computer to UPS uses a
standard USB cable. It may have type A, type B, or a mix of the two
type of connectors but it's all a standard USB cable. There is no
signalling wire changes. It's the RS-232 (serial) cable that often is a
special cable with wiring different than RS-232 pinouts where you have
to use the end marked "UPS" at the UPS and the other end goes to a
RS-232 port on the computer.

It's possible your UPS has network connectivity. Yet if you already
used the hardware RJ-45 Ethernet port on the computer (or a wireless
access point) then you need to use USB to the USB-to-Ethernet adapter to
connect to the Ethernet port on the UPS.

There is no brand and model number marked on your gender changer? Does
it look like this?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16812705330

Definitely not.

Then you might want to take a photo and upload it to a pic site and
share the URL to it so we can actually see what you're asking about.
It might provide a clue as to what it is for ... maybe.