Review: Viewcon Active USB Extension

One of the features of my Ooma system is the ability to add a Bluetooth Adaptor
so that I can use a Bluetooth headset with it. I bought the Bluetooth adapter and started trying out headsets. Unfortunately my Ooma box is in one room and my office is in the next. Despite getting a 10 ft. USB cable, I couldn’t get the Bluetooth adapter close enough to have a clear connection.

Not being deterred by this setback, I started poking around Amazon and found a Viewcon USB Active Extension. This is a USB to Cat5 adapter that can transmit a signal up to 150′. I was a bit skeptical at first as I knew that adding latency to the connection could degrade the signal. However, for $19 it was worth the risk. I chose this connector (there are a number of them) as it came with a power adapter which could come in handy to boost the signal.

Setup of this was quite simple. Since I already had Cat5 running from our TV room (where the Ooma is and is the center of my network) to my office, I just plugged the adapter into the Ooma, ran Cat5 to the wall and then Cat5 from the wall to the Bluetooth adapter. I did a few tests and was absolutely amazed that it worked without problems. Luckily the Bluetooth adapter was USB 1.1, so high speed transmission wasn’t a problem.

If you need to run a USB device from a different room or a long distance, this adapter is a dream.

Pros

• Easy to setup.
• Inexpensive.

Cons

• None.

Summary

This device easily solved my problem at a reasonable price. There are lots of options out there and I just got lucky that on my first try, I got one that worked. The reviews for this and similar devices were very mixed, probably because people had much higher expectations; my needs were quite simple and this adapter met them.