Belkin Announces CableFree USB Hub - Use USB Devices Wirelessly

[Jon Westfall]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.ehomeupgrade.com/entry/2006/belkin_cablefree_usb' target='_blank'>http://www.ehomeupgrade.com/entry/2...n_cablefree_usb</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Belkin announces its new CableFree USB Hub, the industry’s first USB Hub that does not require a cable to connect to the computer. This Hub allows people to place their laptop anywhere in the room while still maintaining wireless access to their USB devices, such as printers, scanners, hard drives, and MP3 players. This is the first UWB-enabled product to be introduced in the U.S. market. The CableFree USB Hub’s wireless functionality is enabled by Freescale Semiconductor’s Ultra-Wideband technology"</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/belkin_cablefree_usb_hub_dongle.jpg" /> <br /><br />From the "Oh that makes it a lot easier" department comes this press release. While the device isn't cheap at $129, it can go a long way on untangling the rats nest of cords we all seem to have, and might be a way to improvise wireless sync - after all, now the cradle / USB cable can go with you around the room. No real mention on range (They liberally use the word 'room' in the release). Let's hope it has some nice distance to it.

[OSUKid7]

I need something like this in the worst way right now. My desk at college is a tad small...and with a desktop replacement laptop in a docking station, a printer, external hard drives and tons of other tech gear, I have almost no free space. If I could relocate my multi-function printer somewhere else in the room, it would be great. Unfortunately, the only place that it could go is too far to run a USB cable, and I'm afraid if I use an Ethernet print server that I would lose the scanning functions. $129 is not cheap, but I'm definitely considering this. Has anyone seen it for sale yet? I looked a couple days ago and couldn't even find it on the Belkin site other than the press release.

[TheWolfen]

According to documentation on the Freescale web site (makers of the chipset behind the technology), it has a 10m range at full speed, which is 114 Mbps. So it is basically like the short range Bluetooth (class 2), only much faster. Pretty sweet, even if it is slower than USB 2.0.

[SteveHoward999]

Cool - that means we can share peripherals wirelessly too?


&lt;thinks>
Hmm so I could plug in a keyboard and mouse ... no that's just too weird!
&lt;/thinks>

;-)

[bystander]

Reading about the unit on the CNet site, keep in mind that the unit communicates with the computer wirelessly but all perpherials are connected by cables just like a tethered unit.

What would REALLY be exciting if there could be modules which would allow ALL cables to be eliminated.

:(

[jngold_me]

Reading about the unit on the CNet site, keep in mind that the unit communicates with the computer wirelessly but all perpherials are connected by cables just like a tethered unit.

What would REALLY be exciting if there could be modules which would allow ALL cables to be eliminated.

:(

Yeah, that would be cool. But for laptop (desktop replacement) owners like myself, this is a godsend.

[danielalvers]

But doesn't this device need to be plugged into power? I can eliminate one USB cable to my PC and replace with with a power lead to the wall?

[UCCOFFEE]

this would be good for me
Since I use a LCD TV as my moniter, a bench between me and the TV, and the PC is below the TV, I need to stand up and walk to the PC to plug in a usb thumb drive , sd card or camera. It would be handy if I put this device on the table / bench which is closer to me.
Nevertheless, it's a bit pricy... and not out yet :)

[Gerard]

At first glance this seems fairly attractive - wireless access to my external hard drive without having to connect it to my PC and boot that unstable bit of nonsense would be a blessing. But for now I'll stay with wired connection to the hard drive from the Toshiba, as there's little to no likelihood of that setup crashing in the middle of listening to tunes or watching a movie... or transferring large numbers of files to backup an SD card.

What I've been hoping to hear about is the wave of WUSB devices and adapters I heard about last fall. We were supposed to see integrated WUSB in some new models of WM devices by now, and certainly in notebooks, according to someone with an 'inside' informatiton source. Oh well, it'll come eventually. I'd love to be able to buy a handful of compact WUSB dongles to plug into whatever, to have done with all but the headphone and charging wires. Wireless headphones still scare me a little... tinfoil hat sort of things.

[birick]

I'll buy as soon as it's available!!

[Darius Wey]

But doesn't this device need to be plugged into power? I can eliminate one USB cable to my PC and replace with with a power lead to the wall?

Yeah, it's a cable for a cable solution, but you get the freedom to go with it. Rather than having all your peripherals bunched up in one corner of the room, the CableFree USB would allow you to spread them out without having 1001 cables running across the floor.

[Sven Johannsen]

But doesn't this device need to be plugged into power? I can eliminate one USB cable to my PC and replace with with a power lead to the wall?

Yeah, it's a cable for a cable solution.Don't you already have a power cable to your USB hub anyway. Just lets you get the peripherals away from the PC without wierd wiring. Imagine a shared printer for your kids that could be in a common area, rather than in one of their rooms. One would still be serving it, it just wouldn't need to be co-located.

[mar2k]

My enthusiasm for such a product is tempered by the fact this "Cablefree USB" is apparently not compatible with the higher profile Wireless USB spec being pushed by Intel and Microsoft... I'll wait because once WUSB devices start to roll out I am betting they will do so in a big way with Vista and new chipsets from Intel on the way later this year.

[gmusser]

"Belkin announces its new CableFree USB Hub, the industry’s first USB Hub that does not require a cable to connect to the computer."

It's not the first such device. Keyspan USB Server lets you access USB devices over your LAN or WLAN. I've used it for half a year or so and am very happy with it.

George

[birick]

It's not the first such device. Keyspan USB Server lets you access USB devices over your LAN or WLAN. I've used it for half a year or so and am very happy with it.

George

That (Keyspan) is even better...it's what I've been looking for...Thanks for the lead!

[Darius Wey]

Yeah, it's a cable for a cable solution, but you get the freedom to go with it.
Don't you already have a power cable to your USB hub anyway. Just lets you get the peripherals away from the PC without wierd wiring.

That was what I meant. Perhaps I worded it too confusingly? :?

[PDANEWBIE]

OMG let the underpowered USB device problems start rolling in...

How many times has the solution for flakey USB devices been to add a powered hub to it? Now everyones going to buy this thinking they don't need that +5v power on the bus and if it gets underpowered and flakey they are going to be mad...

Good attempt but I will wait until I see this device with no problems handle ANYTHING that is USB without the underpowered issue.

This Keyspan looks ALOT more reliable/promising than this unit.

[Dyvim]

But the Keyspan thing is only USB 1.1 - only 12 Mbps according to their site. That's almost 10x slower than the 114 Mbs promised from the Belkin product and 40x slower than wired USB 2.0. Probably works ok for printers and such, but transfering large files to/from storage device could be painful.

[Radimus]

From looking at the picture, it looks like the PC side is just a dongle.

the powered "hub device" is across the room. consider it to be a wlan router (using usb devices instead of rj-45)

[Loki Gelfling]

Silex has had a USB 2.0 solution like this for quite a while. A little pricy though.

http://www.silexamerica.com/us/products/network/usb/index.html

[Constant Caffeine]

I would have to buy one or two for testing purposes at work. :wink:

[pocketpcadmirer]

I'm already gone to heaven by thinking of owning one.
Just thinking that how nice it would be if I would free my PC from multitudious wires and stuff :D

Sunny

[aroma]

The other nice benifit of this device over the Keyspan device is there is no software needed for this one.

[ricksfiona]

Silex has had a USB 2.0 solution like this for quite a while. A little pricy though.

http://www.silexamerica.com/us/products/network/usb/index.html

Now this is way cool!