USB peripherals are normally limited to operating about 17 feet away from their computers, but KVM peripheral maker Gefen Inc. on Tuesday announced its new ex-tend-it USB-500, a device that enables USB peripherals to operate up to 1,650 feet from their host computers.
Using “Extreme USB” technology, the USB-500 sports a four-port USB hub and uses fiber optical cables to connect sender and receiver units. The sender is connected directly to the computer; the receiver works with the USB peripherals. Each unit measures about five by five inches, weighs less than two pounds and comes with a 15-volt power supply.
Gefen makes the USB-500 for use in manufacturing, aerospace and healthcare industries — environments where using the computer closed to the peripheral might be unsafe or cause unusual results. It’s also a solution that’s useful for remote multimedia presentation abilities, according to the developer. The USB-500 has been available for a while to specialized markets, but Gefen now offers the device to the general public.
The USB-500 is available for US$799. More details are available from Gefen’s Web site.