USB connector (extention)

mhills94

Due to me messing around I have lost a few keyboard commands on my Laptop.
I was told to get a keyboard to plug in and use.
Because I use a Dongle this is impossible as the Dongle has a casing around it and it means that the next one will not fit.
I bought a cheap USB extension lead off Ebay,it shows the Dongle is connected but I can not connect to the Internet using it.
Is it the extension cable or am I guessing that the Internet/USB cable dosn't like connecting to the Internet.

(It's taking me ages to type this because of this).

Thanks].

flashg67

I've used a USB extension on a dongle to extend the reach to get a signal, so unless the cable is faulty, it should work. Can you test another usb device with the extension?

droopsnoot

I bought a cheap USB extension cable so I could put my broadband dongle higher up to try to get better reception, and it wouldn't connect - it would see the dongle, but no more than that, and would work with a memory stick.

I recently bought a better one (a Techlink "WiresNX" if that helps) which is noticeably thicker cable, and it works fine. Only £1.99 as well, which is not much more than I paid for the useless one.

It might be faulty as flashg67 said, but it also might be that it's just not suitable. My dongle came with an extension lead (which was about 4" long) which was also noticeably thicker than the cheap extension, so maybe it's a shielding thing. Shouldn't be, if the connection is made, but I don't know enough about how it works to comment, only by experience.

But, that only extends your dongle away from the laptop, it doesn't get you an extra socket. You need a USB hub for that, though some USB keyboards have additional USB sockets to daisy-chain additional devices.

mhills94

All I want to do is move the Dongle away from the Laptop, however little, just so I can access the other USB port next to it.

Any help/advice appreciated.

Thanks

debitcardmayhem

mhills94 wrote: »

All I want to do is move the Dongle away from the Laptop, however little, just so I can access the other USB port next to it.

Any help/advice appreciated.

Thanks

Two people have offered advice already , just buy a 1M USB extension lead from amazon

securityguy

droopsnoot wrote: »

which was also noticeably thicker than the cheap extension, so maybe it's a shielding thing.

It's just resistance. Some devices really, really need every drop of the 5V@500mA, and radio devices are the most likely to have this problem. V=IR, so if the cable has an appreciable resistance, the 500mA causes a significant voltage drop. Suppose the cable had a resistance of 1 ohm: the 500mA would drop 0.5V across the cable, so the dongle would only see 4.5V. Thicker cable = thicker conductor = lower resistance = lower voltage drop.

mhills94

The USB extension cable I just bought from Amazon definitely works as I tested on my Printer ok so it must not be good enough for the Dongle.

So I need a thicker cabled extension lead.

Can anyone give me a cheap Amazon link for what you suggest.

Many Thanks

droopsnoot

Amazon list the newer version of the WiresNX product that I named above, my part number was 690262 and theirs is 710262. Obviously I can't say if that will be OK, because it's not the same one and I don't know what dongle you have.

That said, surely you can buy it, then send it back if it doesn't work? Take care though, as the WiresNX cable I bought comes in a big plastic package that has to be destroyed to open it. Or buy one from a local PC shop and make sure you ask about the dongle compatibility, so you can take it back if it doesn't work. Or take your laptop and dongle to the shop and try it out there.