User's Manual

Table Of Contents
30 | CONNECTING YOUR INTERACTIVE WHITEBOARD TO YOUR COMPUTER
USB Extender Cables and Hubs
The 16' 5" (5 m) USB cable included with your interactive whiteboard conforms to the
USB 2.0 standard for maximum length. If the included USB cable isn’t long enough,
use active USB extender cables, USB extenders or hubs to extend the connection.
The SMART active USB extension cable (Part No. USB-XT)
enables you to use up to four cables to extend the USB
connection to about 80' (25 m), which is the limit of the USB
specification.
NOTES
Passive USB extension cables aren’t supported.
Some computers use internal active hubs to provide
more USB receptacles. The computer’s operating
system might recognize these internal hubs as external
devices, limiting the number of USB extenders that you can use.
Alternatively, USB extenders with Cat 5
cabling enable you to extend your cable
to approximately 325' (100 m), at a much
higher cost. However, the more economical
SMART USB extender pair
(Part No. CAT5-XT) enables you to extend
the USB connection up to 120' (36.6 m),
using an RJ45 Cat 5 cable.
NOTE
When you use these units, your cables and connectors must meet the vendor's
specifications. Impedance mismatches and poor connections might cause signal
degradation and performance problems with your interactive whiteboard.
A USB hub should also work well with your interactive whiteboard. If you also use
streaming audio through the USB hub, ensure that the Microsoft® USB drivers are
up-to-date so that your interactive whiteboard’s performance doesn’t become choppy,
intermittent or otherwise unacceptable.
IMPORTANT
If you use a USB extender or hub with your interactive whiteboard, it must
comply with USB 1.1 or USB 2.0 interfaces to work correctly. It must also
provide at least 300 mA to your interactive whiteboard.
Some self-powered extenders and hubs provide only up to 100 mA to a
connected device and therefore won’t work with your interactive whiteboard.