Extending the HTC Vive's range - A method that works [REDDIT]

[Vitalius]

https://www.reddit.com/r/Vive/comments/4dq00o/what_worked_for_me_extending_pc_vive_30_ft/

Quote

Hello fellow vivers. Today I got my Vive and can report on how my extended setup (edit: this is for PC -> Linkbox. Valve says not to try and extend Linkbox -> Vive) works for VR.

TLDR: Used Active HDMI 18 Gpbs and USB 2.0 over ethernet- works great.

I have my PC in my office, which is cramped. I have a ton of space in my living room. I needed to extend USB and HDMI 35 feet.

I already have a Redmere 50 ft active cable going from my PC to the TV in the living room, so I didn't need to worry about anything there. That HDMI cable tops out at 1080@60p, so it's no good for the Vive.

I selected a 30 ft Luxe active cable which is rated to carry 4k@60- more than enough for the Vive. I picked Luxe because it was on sale, and has a nice braided cable.

For USB I used an IOGEAR USB 2.0 ethernet extender, and connected it with 35 ft of Cat6 ethernet cable. I selected this because it was both an extender and a hub in one package. The more 'hubs' (even a single port extender is a hub) you add to a USB chain, the laggier it will get. This brand seemed to have very positive reviews, with people saying that their other extenders supported webcams etc. If you're buying a different extender, look for reviews about webcam support as that's frequently where extenders seem to fall short.

Edit: One of the reviews of the IOGEAR extender I linked said they had trouble with it at 75 feet, and they recommend The SIIG JU-EX0111, which is almost twice as expensive but seems to have better specs. If you have an even longer run, it might be worth looking into.

I am happy to report that everything works PERFECT. The PC sees the Vive just fine. There is no lag in the display or the USB connection. The tracking is 1-1 and beautiful.

What isn't perfect is the difficulty of setting up roomscale! I should have just hooked up a mouse in the living room, but I ended up having to run back and forth repeatedly. Hopefully Valve makes setting up possible with the VR controllers themselves- just need to click 'forward/backward' etc.

Question: Could I have used a non-active cable?
Answer: Maybe. I'm not positive this would have worked as I've had poor results supporting high refresh speeds at 40 foot distances before. Since I didn't want to risk the vive not connecting, I went with active HDMI.

Question: Is ethernet laggier than just chaining USB extenders?
Answer: Seems doubtful. Chaining USB extenders to get good distance will add lag with each extender, where an ethernet extender just has the lag of the one extender. If you can get away with just one pure USB extender, that's probably the way to go.

Further down in the comments, another redditor had success with an active USB cable:
 

Quote

15 Meter (50 Foot) Active HDMI & USB cables working perfectly

Firstly all credit to /u/shidarin on extending the HDMI and USB cables 30 ft to the breakout box.

Going on the info he posted in this thread I ordered the Monoprice Luxe Series CL3 15 Metres (50 Feet) Active HDMI cable rated at 4K@60Hz (3840x2160@60Hz) resolution* 18Gbps Bandwidth*

The 4K@60Hz maximum resolution and 18Gbps maximum bandwidth is applicable for their cables up to 15 meters (50 feet) in length so I thought I would give it a go and see how it works with the Vive. As well I ordered a 15 meter active USB cable locally and I'm happy to say they both work perfectly.

I also tried the USB over ethernet extender mentioned in the original post and it worked perfectly as well so you have a choice of either the active USB cable (my choice) or USB over ethernet. I decided to go with the Active USB cable as it is cheaper and less components that what the USB over ethernet option uses.

There are links in the original thread to Monoprice for the HDMI cable and Amazon for Active USB and USB over ethernet options.
So for anyone looking for a long run to a living room/VR area from an office like I was and if you need a max of 15 meters (50ft) it works perfectly.

I just thought I'd share this since I know some people would rather have a PC in their office/bedroom while playing the Vive in a more spacious place like their living room.

Enjoy.

[porina]

Why didn't I think of that instead of the brute force method of another PC...

[Daveylau]

Trying to extend a 100ft with an ACTIVE HDMI 2.0 CABLE with an USB Ethernet extender for my HTC VIVE HEADSET.  Does any one tested that this will work?

[Imabigmac]

3 hours ago, Daveylau said:

Trying to extend a 100ft with an ACTIVE HDMI 2.0 CABLE with an USB Ethernet extender for my HTC VIVE HEADSET.  Does any one tested that this will work?

I don't think 100ft is going to work too well for you, but I only have experience with this method using 25ft cables. 

 

The USB cable will likely run into issues due to maximum length without needing a repeater. Adding in repeaters introduces lag. That said I'm not an expert but an active powered USB cable may work and they do exist. 

As for the HDMI cable again the cable needs to be really good (Actively powered and thick) in order to maintain the high bandwidth speeds for the entire length as the VIVE needs most of it. Its possible. 

 

I think the issue here is you need to invest in good quality gear for there to even be a chance, so high costs just for an experiment. If you got it working I would imagine there would still be some evidence of lag or latency. I remember watching my friend play a conventional game with a 50ft HDMI cable (cheap one though) and that was laggy and terrible. 

I think a better approach maybe to try to do it with Ethernet for such a long distance. USB/Ethernet and HDMI over Ethernet. But this method is also very expensive due to need for 4k HDMI requirements. 

 

 

 

Also unrelated to the VR content, 

It is very frowned upon to restart old threads, best to go and make a new thread regarding the subject. 

(although VR help is kinda limited so if I can I try to help out)

I would suggest posting a question on the reddit VR site.

[Daveylau]

Many many thx.... I have returned at least 4 Ethernet HDMI extenders because non picked up enough signal or worded...

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01N5BWOAZ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F182649218618

 

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F182649218618

 

https://www.maplin.co.uk/p/maplin-60m-hdmi-over-cat5e6-range-extender-a99rr

 

and now trying an Active HDMI which is due to arrive today.... 

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00ZGEYADS/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

so will take your advice and may end up buying some expensive cable to try.... 

 

As my last resort/option in which the HTC TECH SUPPORT HAD advice me to buy additional link boxes

 

https://www.vive.com/uk/accessory/link-box/

 

and their 3in1 cables

 

https://www.vive.com/uk/accessory/3-in-1-cable/

 

to connect and thus to shorten the length before using active cable....

 

Will post this to the new thread if I have any update... but the discussion has given me some hope to properly use the VIVE in a bigger space than my study room....

Edited November 4, 2017 by Daveylau