Extron has made available its FOX USB Extender, a fiber optic transmitter and receiver set capable of extending USB 2.0 signals over very long distances.
Peripheral devices can be located up to 10 km (6.25 miles) from the host computer. The FOX USB Extender is an efficient solution for professional AV system designs that require KVM – Keyboard/Video/Mouse support, reducing the need for additional IP network drops, equipment, and software. To ensure proper system boot-up and operation in switching environments, the transmitter enables uninterrupted communication between the host computer and USB device. The FOX USB Extender is ideal for extending USB signals over long distances in a wide variety of professional AV applications.
“AV system designers and integrators are often challenged with integrating KVM signals into fiber optic AV systems,” said Casey Hall, vice president of sales and marketing for Extron. “The FOX USB Extender enables KVM distribution systems up to 1000×1000 and larger, sending USB transmissions over miles of fiber optic cabling.”
The FOX USB Extender enables long haul transmission of USB 2.0, 1.1, and 1.0 compliant signals with data rates up to 480 Mbps, and peripheral emulation ensures reliable communication whether or not a tie is made to a connected device. Both the transmitter and receiver include front panel LED indicators for visual confirmation of system activity. As an added benefit that simplifies integration, the receiver provides an active four-port hub for simultaneous connection of multiple peripheral devices.
As part of the extensive FOX Series of fiber optic products from Extron, the FOX USB Extender can be used for simple point-to-point applications or in combination with FOX Series matrix switchers for support of signal distribution systems up to 1000×1000 and larger. Also, when used in conjunction with an Extron FOX Series HDMI, DVI, or VGA extender, the FOX USB Extender is capable of transmitting KVM signals very long distances over a fiber optic infrastructure.
