I am trying to use the 10M active USB extension with windows vista and an external wireless network card (Alfa AWUS036H). Network connection does not remain connected (cycles on and off about 2 second intervals then remains off).
The Alfa works fine without the extension.
The combination works fine on another laptop with winXP. Both laptops are HP and were purchased at the same time during the transition from XP to Vista.
Any suggestions?
We are desparately trying to avoid paying for internet service. My wife wants to subscribe and I don’t for financial reasons. Some folks in our neighborhood have graciously allowed us to use their unsecured wireless network but they are a bit far away for the wireless adapter built into our laptops.
Please help me out!
Thanks,
Brian the budget guy.
Does the combination of the extension cable (active electronics) and the high powered network adapter exceed the 500mA that the USB hub is capable of? I looked at the product data for the cable and didn’t see the additional current drain listed.
Hi Brian,
I can sure understand your desire to extend an existing WIFI network. In fact that’s a common use of the 10M cable.
What’s probably happening is this: Because the 10M cable has a one port hub on the downstream end to recondition the data signals, it uses 100mA of USB2.0’s available 500mA. Generally the WIFI radios in wireless network cards require right up to if not over the full 500mA that is usually available from a USB2.0 port. A solution that has worked for others is to place a powered hub at the end of the 10M cable to regain the full 500mA. We have a few different ones available here:
Why it works with XP and not Vista is a bit of a mystery ~ ? It could be that Vista is quicker to pop up a disconnect notice or the XP laptop has slightly higher powered ports.
At any rate, it’s a common use case and problem/solution that we see and I can recommend with confidence the powered hub. Thanks for your inquiry!!
Let us know if there’s anything else we can do to help!
Happy Holidays,
Regards,
Jerome.
Plugable Technologies
Thank you Jerome. I will give that a try. It makes perfect sense to me. I appreciate your quick response. I may wind up a hero in my house afterall!