Linksys makes a wireless print server, that will do exactly what your trying to do for about $100
Wireless USB device
Aug 08, 2005
15 Replies
See:
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that these are not 802.11 but use BlueToothe. At this time, there's no USB-to-USB product that will work with every single type of USB device, but they're working on it.
Plug: Aircable is in Santa Cruz CA, so buy one and support our local economy.
It's USB 1.1 only at this time. At best, BlueGoof works at about
720Kbits/sec thruput. Even if it supported USB 2.0, it would be far too slow. What AirCable does best is audio, RS-232 replacements, and wireless PDA replication. Scanner and printerThere is the possibility of BlueToothe 2 EDR with 2mbits/sec.
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that's for later.
Just wondering , Is there a wireless device that allows you to connect your USB device to (for example a scanner or a camera) and connect to your PC wirelessly ?
WUSB uses UWB (Ultra WideBand) technology. I'm rather on the fence as to whether UWB is actually workable. Freescale (Motorola) has an FCC approved chipset, but it appears that they're targetting wireless video applications that require huge amounts of local bandwidth. Samsung is gonna use their XS-110 UWB chips for a "cordless" plasma TV. They're also getting Icron Technology to do their high rate USB
2.0 chipset which will allegedly be available in mid 2006.
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soon as the chipsets appear, I expect to see just about everything that currently uses a USB cable go to wireless. However, it may take a few years to get the price down to affordable and the technology down to deliverable.
None that I know of that would fit into the sensible price bracket. What are you trying to avoid, cable mess? I can't see much benefit from having a scanner connected at long distance! :)
Essentially what would be nice would be bluetooth enabled devices for some of these sort of things except that you might want the higher bandwidth of 802.11g or similar.
Part of the problem will be that you're connecting very low end price devices and so nobody wants to pay for the extra cost of embedding wireless comms in them that perhaps a fraction of the customer base will end up using.
David.
A scanner was an example, but it would be nice to be able to connect printer or web cam, without the big cost of getting a network enabled one. As you say they are cheap.
Potentially very simple to do, e.g.
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Those radio modules would let you take the USB serial signal and transmit it but as I said, I don't think they fall into the sensible price bracket as you'd still have to add on some other bits.
The other potential problem is that if you're talking USB2 with 480Mbps bandwidth, 802.11g is going to struggle at that.
It could work for the low bandwidth devices but then you're into cost again.
David.
Yes for printers but not for the other devices and compared to a USB cable it's quite a price jump.
David.
Not yet, but there is a group developing Wireless USB, and if it comes to market, dongles for existing USB devices will be available.
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Forgot, "
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Good find, price is about what I'd expect but I'd still have thought that bandwidth could be a problem for some USB2 devices?
David.
Is that the mediaeval version of the spec? ;-)
Yes, but only if purchased from Marianni's Ice Cream, which is owned by the other Lieberman in town (no relation).
We also have Soekris Engineering in town which makes SBC (single board comptahs) suitable for building Linux wireless routers.
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Drivel: I have 2.5 bicycles and no time to ride any of them.
I bought three ice cream cones in Santa Cruz on Sunday, after mountain biking at Wilder Ranch SP. Does that help?
Watch Monster Garage.. They can weld em together and make a 5 wheeler out of em.... :)
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