Reddit reviews SIIG USB 3.0 Active Repeater Cable 20-Meters (JU-CB0811-S1)
We found 5 Reddit comments about SIIG USB 3.0 Active Repeater Cable 20-Meters (JU-CB0811-S1). Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Supports data transfer rates up to 5Gb/sBuilt in power adapter jack for supporting power hungry USB devicesPlug-n-play, no driver installation requiredFully shielded for error-free data transmissionsBuilt-in over current protectionCertifications/Standards: FCC, CE, RoHSLength: 65.6 ft (20 m)
Let me just start off by saying, even with just the few hours I've played with it, I LOVE this thing. Thank you valve for making such an awesome piece of hardware. And yes, my unit does have the joystick issue but it's just the feedback that's broken. My joysticks otherwise register without issue.
But anyways onto the good stuff.
What?
A 20m (65ft) cable run from my desk to right under the couch, so that the only hookup is the breakout / trident cable.
Why?
In my place, I ran into the predicament of the only space I had room to do VR was the living room, but given that putting my entire desk in the living room would have been weird aesthetically, I opted for the cable run, to get VR from the PC in the room across the house to my living room.
What parts?
Pretty simple actually, but it did require 2, not exactly cheap cables, and one coupler (prices in US Dollar).
The DP - DP coupler is out of necessity, given that no link box exists with the Index. Yes, it's an expensive solution. In addition to the $999 headset, I've spent another ~$231 on cable runs. But for my situation, it works flawlessly.
If you are thinking you need a solution like that, and any of the cables are unavailable (the DP cable is out of stock as of writing on July 6th), make sure to get fiber if you can for the sake of not losing quality over a copper cable. As for the USB cable, you're looking for an active cable. These typically have external power bricks to supply additional 5V power that your tower cannot do over such a distance. Edit: _However_, I have found that plugging in the additional power causes the computer to have issues recognizing any USB device, so I guess don't do that if you buy the same cable. Other cables may vary.
How is it setup?
I have the cables running along the basebords of the house, from my computer all the way to the living room. They take a right angle, and are gaff-taped down to the floor before running under the couch where they can become a loose coil [pic].
Does it work?
In a word, yes! I will update this comment if I run into reliability issues down the line, but it seems that this system works well enough, and has the added bonus of not hearing the PC fans spinning given the off-ear design of the Index headphones. (Edit: The only pitfall is that sometimes you have to power cycle the headset once or twice to get SteamVR to see it, but that doesn't take long. After that it's smooth sailing!)
Hope this helps anyone that might be needing a similar setup!
(EDIT: Numerous edits for spelling / grammar)
My office is 60ft away from my play area.
You need a very high bandwidth active HDMI cable for the Vive. I used this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0186DNDR4 It works great.
AVOID THIS: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00L9L6W0Q
Before I knew better, I fell for its suspect claims. It doesn't work with the Vive at all. I returned it and got the one above instead.
I also got this active USB3 cable: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0053YLYLC/ The cable works great (even without using the included PSU). I used USB3 both because I have no problems with USB3 to the vive, and I also wanted the extra bandwidth to be able to have a USB hub next to the play area so I could simply drop in a small table with a keyboard/mouse/joystick/steam controller on, to play seated games like E:D without also having to move/recalibrate lighthouses.
If you're OK with just USB2 you can definitely find a much cheaper active USB2 cable that would also work (at least for extending Vive-only).
Here's a 20M (65.6 ft) USB 3 repeater cable. It's not cheap, but it supports data transfer rates up to 5Gb/s and the length should be enough for just about anyone's uses.
5V 2A power supply (wall wart) that could be added to the above.
Here's a significantly cheaper repeater cable. 25ft. Power could be an issue.
Even cheaper one at 15ft. Also might be a problem with power.
Just spitballing here.
This is the Display Port cable I'm using. Specifically, the 60ft (20m) version:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QQNFKZK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1
which needs to be paired with a DP Coupler. This is the one I bought:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JRGGWH7/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_JvooDbD64BEQP?fbclid=IwAR202v1hw90YHxwzPg8d6--AfZPbiIGascJwdkoUH7iTQvadOpyhKYgoK9M
This is the USB 3.0 repeater I'm using. Again, the 60ft (20m) version:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0053YLYLC?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share&th=1
I've been using this setup for the past few days with ZERO issues. Everything works perfect.
It should be possible, but you're likely going to run into some issues, not to mention cost.
If you take a look at this post from a few years ago, someone on the Vive managed to extend that particular headset by 50': https://www.reddit.com/r/Vive/comments/4ekx4r/15_meter_50foot_active_hdmi_extension_cable_works/
Similarly, you can likely extend the sensors and headset with 50' Active USB 3.0 extensions similar to this: https://www.amazon.com/SIIG-Active-Repeater-20-Meters-JU-CB0811-S1/dp/B0053YLYLC but keep in mind that there are other options on the market, some of which may be cheaper and/or better suited for this task (I just grabbed the first I saw off a quick search TBH)
Keep in mind that one of the sensors should likely be on USB 2.0 and purchase accordingly.
And after all that... It may still not work. All VR headsets are incredibly finicky about extenders, and there is no guarantee that you will be able to extend that far.
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A note on wireless: If cost is a worry, I wouldn't bother with it. All accounts of wireless solutions seem to complain about a lot of different aspects, such as the need to use third party drivers/software that leave the device out of warranty, to even get things running reliably. It's a hassle, expensive, and limited (line of sight, no obstructions.)