Question about networking

[TheMasterGhost]

Can you connect two computers with a USB cable? So that they can communicate

 

[Vegito]

Yes, you should look in network forums, but anyway, there are USB transfer cable or USB ethernet adapters. They're limited and there are some problems with USB ethernet.. but it can be done.

 

[TheMasterGhost]

thanks forcesho, sorry about wrong form. so you can't just connect them through the usb ports?

 

[Vegito]

No, you'll need a special cable, it's not that fast, it's okay, I dont remember the exact name but the guys at network forum will definitely see this.. only reason I ask you to post in networking forums cuz some of the guys don't check here and you'll never get your question answer and I only know a bit on USB networking not whole thing.

 

[Viper GTS]

No, you can't connect PC's directly with USB cables. In fact, if you DID manage to find a cable to make the connection, you'd probably toast your motherboard(s).

You could, however, use two USB NICs with a crossover between them. Or, a USB bridge.

http://www.usb.org/faq/ans5.html:

Q6: How can I connect two PCs to each other with USB?
A6: You need a specialized USB peripheral known as a USB bridge (sometimes called a USB to USB adapter) to do this. Anchor Chips and e-Tek labs, among others, make USB bridges.
top

Q7: You mean I can't make a direct cable connection like a null modem?
A7: Correct. In fact, if you try this with an illegal A to A USB cable, you'll short the two PCs' power supplies together, possibly destroying one or both machines or causing a fire hazard. Even there were no danger to the machines from the problem with two power supplies, there still wouldn't be any way to get the two PCs talking to each other, since USB doesn't support that particular kind of communication. A reasonably priced solution to handle this need is the USB bridge.

Q8: So why do people make A to A cables, anyway? What kinds of cables do I need to connect USB devices together?
A8: A number of cable vendors seem to have reached the conclusion that USB is like a PC's serial port, only faster, so you need all sorts of special hardware to create the USB connection you need to make. This is completely incorrect. The only kind of cables you'll ever need to connect normal USB products are A to B cables of various lengths. Some special kinds of devices use nonstandard connectors and so come with their own special cable.

USB Bridge for $49.00.

Viper GTS

 

[cavingjan]

Do a search for USB in the networking forum as we had a lengthy discussion on this a month or so ago. It may be in the archives by now. Not saying rehashing it is a bad thing but it was a rather in depth discussion on it and I'm not sure that will happen again.