USB outlets (HUB) over RJ45 port.

[yoramb]

I Have a Laptop (Win7) with no USB ports. Actually the USB ports broken.
Is there any way to plug a USB HUB to the RJ45 network connection ?
(Probably, With seperate power conection).
Thanks.
Yoram B

 

[Harvey]

If the laptop is still under warranty, the manufacturer may replace the USB port at no charge. I helped an older friend through this with a Toshiba laptop.

If you still have one working USB port, you can buy an inexpensive USB expander that will provide several ports into the working one. Be sure to buy a powered expander. Each USB port is supposed to be able to supply 500 mA of current at 5 volts. You can get away with an unpowered unit for flash drives, keyboards, mice, etc., that don't require that much current, but you'll run into that limit if you try to use multiple devices, such as hard drives, that require enough power to spin a motor.

If those ideas don't work, and you're not an experienced tech, take it to a local repair tech to see if the USB connector can be replaced. Among other things, that will depend on whether the socket, itself, or the circuit board is damaged. If it's the circuit board, you'd have to replace that.

Good luck.

 

[yoramb]

Thank u Harvey.
No doubt you are a pro. Altough, the laptop is not under warranty and I have no other USB ports (i.e. I had two ports, now they broken). So, I thought I might use the RJ45 outlet. I realy do not need it. Can I do so? Is there any adapter device for this cause ?
Thanks.
Yoram.

 

[Harvey]

There are lots of adapters that plug into a USB port to provide a NIC connection. I can't find any that go the other way, as you want.

Per my previous reply, I'd recommend taking your machine to a local service tech to see if the USB connector can be replaced and, if so, what it will cost. That will depend on whether the circuit board, itself, is broken and whether an exact replacement part is available.

If the circuit board and the USB sockets aren't broken, it's also possible that the solder connections may have cracked, and it may require no more than re-soldering them.

If the estimated cost to fix it is anywhere close to the price of a laptop, it's time for a new one when you find you need your USB ports.

 

[BrightCandle]

What you are looking for is called network attached usb. You will fins a variety of products that can share a hub of ports across the network under that general name.

 

[Harvey]

Thanks, BrightCandle. I completely forgot about NAS adapters. :thumbsup:

Searching Google for Network Attached Storage adapter USB.

Searching Google for NAS USB adapter.

Unfortunately, they're not cheap, but this $40 unit from Newegg, appears to be what you want.

 

[yoramb]

Thank u guys. You're great

 

[Childs]

Depending on the laptop, if it has a expansion slot (pcmcia/express card) you can also get a card that has USB ports.

http://www.newegg.com/Laptop-Add-on-Cards/SubCategory/ID-421

 

[yoramb]

Childs. Thanks.
I have neither PCMCIA nor expressed card. I've just a serial com and one RJ45 port.

 

[yoramb]

I followed the link Harvey direct me.
Is this model "Cirago NUS1000 Network USB Storage Link" can be usefull to connect mouse, keyboard and a DiskOnKey ?
(Link : http://www.amazon.com/Cirago-NUS1000...ref=pd_sim_e_1)


Thanks.
Yoram Ben-Haim

 

[Harvey]

I followed the link Harvey direct me.
Is this model "Cirago NUS1000 Network USB Storage Link" can be usefull to connect mouse, keyboard and a DiskOnKey ?
(Link : http://www.amazon.com/Cirago-NUS1000...ref=pd_sim_e_1)


Thanks.
Yoram Ben-Haim

That is not the item at my link. My link goes to this Addonics NASU2 NAS Adapter on Newegg.

The item at your link is on Amazon, and it goes to this Cirago NUS1000 Network USB Storage Link, which is also on Newegg (my link), but they're out of stock.

Read the user reviews for both products. They are mixed so I couldn't recommend either of them without doing more homework. Even worse than having a broken device is paying for a fix that fails.

If it gets to the point where you would have to spend $100 or more to get a reliable device, I'd go back to having your machine repaired or buying a new one.

If the question mark next to "DiskOnKey" in your post means you don't know what that is, it refers to a flash drive configured to be bootable as an external drive, and your machine would see it as just another hard drive.

 

[yoramb]

Hello again.
I contact one of the vendors (of a Pogoplug device) and he explained the typical usage of this adpater.
"The USB ports on the Pogoplug device are only for adding additional storage (e.g., external hard drive) to your network. The Pogoplug device then connects to your network via Ethernet cable"
I a little bit confused. If so, finally, how can I connect a mouse and a keyboard through the network plug?

 

[greenhawk]

I a little bit confused. If so, finally, how can I connect a mouse and a keyboard through the network plug?

most of the devices similar to what you want (on NAS units and on routers) are intended for storage or printers. Mice and keyboards become a lot harder as the market for them is rather limited.

for example, most people use RJ45 to connect to remote devices. Having a remote keyboard / mouse just comes across as silly. That being said, I did have to find something similar for work a year back that supported a unusual USB device. They worked in a way (OS software drivers needed) that the port looked local.

googling turned up this as a indicator it is possible,

http://www.fabulatech.com/usb-over-network.html

but guessing taking control of a keyboard from a different PC is not what you want

This one is more of what you want

http://www.digi.com/products/usb/anywhereusb

but as they are intended for business use, I do not think they will be cheap. And I do not think you will find second hand items as they are not something many people will have or want to upgrade from.

edit: looking at the "buy now" link just above, a 5 usb port device is $500US, the cheaper 2 port version is $287.

As mentioned before, trying to fix or look at a new laptop is going to be the better options. I do not expect to see anything in the sub $100 market as it is not a mass market device.

Hope that helps some