StarTech 500' USB VGA KVM Console Extender Over CAT5 UTP

2025-02-17T19:00:00

Be advised that this serial extender behaves like a null-modem cable and carries only the CTS and RTS signals in addition to transmit and receive. The included null-modem cable can be used to effectively reverse the null-modem behavior, but that is not at all intuitive. The extender seemed to work fine once I understood the behavior, but I wasted quite a bit of time getting to that point. It would be best if StarTech made the behavior clear in both their marketing materials and their manual, which is the main reason for my rating.

Chasman

Originally posted at

2022-10-13T20:00:00

We have had a pair of these between buildings about 300 ft apart and get in excess of 50 Mb over them. serving WiFi APs and security cameras.

brucer42

Originally posted at

2022-06-25T20:00:00

I bought these for a long external line of 350m. Housed in an IP65 box against the weather they work a treat delivering PoE power and data to/from a remote 4G router where there is no main power available. We had one DOA but it was replaced without quibble. Do he sums on your power budger to get your PoE injector power rating right. each consumes 3.2 Watts.

Country B.

Originally posted at

2022-02-09T19:00:00

Bought two lots of these in 3 years both sets have failed. Second set not long after warranty expired. Company obviously has no faith in product lasting beyond 2 years. Expensive units that are too unreliable. Beware!!

Garry

Originally posted at

2021-02-08T19:00:00

I’ve tried a dozen different kinds of I’ve tried over a dozen different kinds of 4K HD base T extenders and these are by far the best ones I’ve used. They’re consistent in their performance and no issues with the IR. Highly recommended!

Tcourchaine

Originally posted at

2018-08-22T20:00:00

We needed the product to work @ 57600 Baud and we simply didn't get near there! I tested it @ 9600, 19200, 38400, and 57600 Baud on a 256 ft Cat 5 cable. Only 9600 & 19200 worked successfully.

ssquire

Originally posted at

2018-08-14T20:00:00

This is a great way to have a super clean install and enjoy HDMI connections with full IR support. NOTE: The IE emitter (at the video source) MUST be taped to the IR receiver on the video source. Do this, and it will work.

JayL

Originally posted at

2018-08-14T20:00:00

This USB extender worked great. Super easy to install and use. I used it to extend to my Printer and it worked great.

nivek

Originally posted at

2018-08-05T20:00:00

This is a nice simple product that works and is easy to setup and use. If you need to extend a USB device over a long distance then is is a nice option. I have a printer that needed to be connected but the only option was to go up a wall and through the ceiling to the other side of the room. Well luckily we have cat 6 already in the walls so a simple connection and voila my printer was connected and had no issues connecting. I did try this in another spot as well but when I was at the longer distance I think it is important to use cat 6. The extra shielding in the cable makes a bit of difference but only in the long long use. Overall really easy and works. I wish this was a USB 2 or 3 connector but it does work for most devices although speed is not what this is intended for. I received this product in exchange for an unbiased review.

macphoto1970_002

Originally posted at

2018-08-02T20:00:00

We just installed this and it works well. We had issues, but it was because our crimping tool bends a pin the wrong way. Keyboard, mouse, and screen. But it doesn't allow for a USB printer to work off the USB. I was able to add non-powered USB hub which bot hthe mouse and keyboard work off of, but no printer.

TrustFire

Originally posted at

2018-07-26T20:00:00

This is an awesome product for the price. It was as easy as taking it out of the box, plugging in the the extenders and the Cat5 cable. I was able to power a USB external hard drive through the extenders and played an HD quality .mp4 video across it from the hard drive with excellent quality and resolution.

Starr

Originally posted at

2018-07-23T20:00:00

I installed this device at least two yrs ago at a customer's location to reduce costs and enhance user experience. It was used to connect primary network bldg to secondary detached bldg using one pair of an unused 12 pair buried telco cable. It connects to a PoE switch wan port supporting VPN terminal, 2 IP phones, & IP printer.

BerryGr

Originally posted at

2017-09-28T20:00:00

I often like to show family members videos and pictures of our vacation and the kids from the computer on the TV. We also like to watch a lot of streamed content as well. My TV is not a smart TV so I can't stream content to it from my computer. I often have to copy everything to a USB stick and plug that into my TV. This eliminates that by being able to hook my computer from across the room to my TV as a monitor and watch media content on my TV from my computer without having to move it. Picture is clear without any degradation. The two units are small enough to tuck away out of sight. Did what I needed it to do. I received this product in exchange for an unbiased review.

EdDyP123

Originally posted at

2017-09-14T20:00:00

we had a cat 5 run over 500 ft that ran from our hospitality front desk serial interface to the restaurant point of sale server, easy to install, i did use the power adapters as it was convenient to do so... worked very well, as advertised, would use it again.

pneill

Originally posted at

2017-05-10T20:00:00

I am very happy with the service overall. Great sales and support team. Thanks. From Adelaide, Australia.

Stevie

Originally posted at

2017-03-31T20:00:00

I got this adapter from Startech to test, and I'm using it now for about 2 months, and it is great. It responds very well and no freezing; it does the job, and I recommend it. Disclaimer : “I received this product in exchange for an unbiased review.”

djLuislatino

Originally posted at

2017-03-06T19:00:00

We tested the device over 100’ of cable with great results. The picture quality appears to be flawless and the fact that it only requires power on one end is definitely plus. Highly recommended! The small converters on each end are easy to hide and it was a simple install.

Starr

Originally posted at

2017-01-30T19:00:00

The extender was purchased to control a camera on a tower outside our broadcast facility. The cable run was over 500' from the Control Room to the top of the tower. Installation was easy and the extender works great.

Engsup

Originally posted at

2017-01-07T19:00:00

I have been using this product for a few weeks now to send HDMI signal over Ethernet and so far so good. I have used this with several devices and TVs/projectors with no problems. (Computer, Laptop, Tablet, Xbox 360, Xbox One S, Android boxes, Nintendo Classic, 1080p TV, 4k TV, 720p Projector, through surround sound Receivers, etc.) This package comes with everything except the HDMI cables (mounting brackets, grounding wires, screws, short Ethernet cable, power connectors with ends for different countries, etc.). The instructions provided are very simple and don’t offer much information other than the basics. For example, grounding wires were provided but it's not clear which applications they would be required for. This product worked well without the grounding wires connected. I suppose I would connect the grounding wires in a more demanding environment with a permanent installation. For now I like that they can easily be moved. The mounting brackets are universal and can be setup in several different ways allowing very flexible installation of the boxes. I like that you can apply power to either the receiver or the transmitter and it will power both ends (only one power supply is needed). The devices are made very solid with metal. They were shockingly heavy and seem very durable. I suspect these will be able to survive quite a few drops and bumps. After about 20 minutes of use, both the receiver and transmitter got very hot. I was nervous that I would not be able to touch them soon. After a few more hours of use they remained "very hot" but I could still pick them up and hold them if needed. The temperature worries me so I will keep and eye on them. My only wish is that it have an IR return option like similar products so the source device could be controlled from the receiver. The lack of IR return and the worrisome heat this device make are why I gave this a Good rating instead of Excellent rating. So far I am happy with this product and will continue to use it often. I received this product in exchange for an unbiased review.

NickD

Originally posted at

2017-01-02T19:00:00

I have been in the technology business for over 35 years and for the past 20+ years I have been asked to provide unbiased reviews of various products from both the AV and IT world. In review of this product I have found that it works up to 1920x1080 resolution which is common for TV viewing in 16:9 format, with the accompanying audio The ease of use was well thought through, simply plug in the source and display and connect over Cat5e and the unit does the rest. When testing this unit at 4K Resolution 3840 × 2160 or UHDTV, I noticed a very slight bit of pixelation during fast motion, that distance was at 100'. My only negative would be that I could not get this product to perform ARC (Audio Return Channel), so I it will not be a solution for a Smart Hub/ Audio Return sound. In the box: -HDMI over Cat5e/6 Transmitter -HDMI over Cat5e/6 Receiver -Universal Power Adapter (NA/UK/EU) Mounting Bracket Kit Cat5e Cable -Instruction Manual In summation, solid product, easy to install, set up and use. I received this product in exchange for an unbiased review.

James H.

Originally posted at

2016-01-29T19:00:00

Bought this specifically for my 4k TV which is being connected by the latest onkyo receiver... Connected, and everything perfectly fine for 2 days... For some reason it just shows no signal on my TV now... The lights are blue so the connection should work, but it doesn't. Seems like I wasted 300 bucks on this and got no way to run my ht system

EnIXmA

Originally posted at

2015-06-04T20:00:00

Worked out of the box, no problems. Instructions a little convoluted, but everything is there is you read through them all. Pay particular attention to the keyboard shortcuts, they are critical to correct set up. Have no complaints about this product whatsoever, so far, only time will tell about durability.

RBPAC T.

Originally posted at

2014-09-25T20:00:00

Tried many different USB extenders to a printer 200 feet away and this one works flawless.

LuyDelmar

Originally posted at

2014-01-21T19:00:00

I needed to add a temporary remote 1080P IP camera and all I had was a CAT3 25pair to work with. This worked great. Fired up on the first try.

tiny

Originally posted at