Frequently Asked Questions

In order to serve you better in your search for an ExtremeUSB® solution, Icron's Customer Support team continues to compile the following list of Frequently Asked Questions. If your question isn't answered here, or you need additional information, please contact Customer Support directly at techsupport@icron.com.

• Market and Product Info
• USB & ExtremeUSB® Technology
• USB Extenders
• KVM Extenders & ExtremeLink™ Technology
• General Product Questions
  

Marketing and Product Info

What does Icron Technologies do?
Icron Technologies is the patent holder in USB extension solutions and is the only company in the world with this technology.  We extend USB up to 10km over fiber optic cabling with our USB extender products, and extend HD video up to 500m over Cat 5 cable with our KVM products.

What is ExtremeUSB®?
ExtremeUSB® was developed and patented by Icron Technologies to enable native USB connections to extend beyond the desktop, breaking through the 5m cable length limitation imposed by the USB standard. The ExtremeUSB® protocol manages the strict timing requirements of the USB specification to enable USB 2.0 connections over any physical media.  The technology manages the turnaround timer in the USB protocol to maintain the transmit/acknowledge timing requirements while proxying USB transactions over a longer reach connection.

What are Icron's KVM products (Powered by ExtremeLink™)?
ExtremeLink™ technology powers Icron’s family of Video, Audio, and USB Extenders.  The product family is commonly known as “KVM" (Keyboard/Video/Mouse) Extenders, however Icron’s ExtremeLink™ products go beyond this to offer HD video, quality audio and USB 2.0 support. USB 2.0 support means the product lines are compatible with over six Billion USB peripheral devices in the market such as mice, keyboards, flash drives, webcams, game controllers, digital cameras, touchscreen interfaces, and other USB devices.

What are the unique features within the ExtremeLink™ product line?
Within the ExtremeLink™ lineup there are some truly unique features such as:

• Video, Audio, and USB 2.0 over one single cable
• 500 meter distance over Cat 5 cable (Fiber distances over inexpensive Cat 5)
• Uncompressed HD video and USB 2.0 over a single Cat 5 cable
• LAN connectivity
• Up to 1920 x 1200 video support

Which are the target markets and applications for Icron's KVM products?
Digital Signage, Industrial Automation, Medical Imaging and Diagnostics, Corporate/Government and other markets all have need of solutions such as the ExtremeLink™ product family. Essentially any application where a display and user input must be located remotely from the PC would benefit using Icron's KVM products which are powered by our patented ExtremeLink™ technology.

An example application would be a medical imaging device such as a EEG machine that is placed in the patient care area while the PC is placed in a different control room. The patient care area has need of controlling or communicating with the remote PC to transfer medical imaging data performed by the EEG machine while also displaying the image on the screen.

USB & ExtremeUSB® Technology

What are USB 1.1 and USB 2.0?
USB 1.1 provides support for two interface speeds: Low-Speed at 1.5Mb/s and Full-Speed at 12Mb/s. The two interface speeds target specific classes of devices to provide the most efficient and cost-effective interconnect solution. Low speed devices are typically interactive input devices such as keyboards, mice or game controllers. Full speed devices are typically application specific input devices such as microphones, cameras and printers.

USB 2.0 was developed to offer a complementary High-Speed transfer rate at 480Mb/s. Backwards compatible with the full speed and low speed transfer rates of USB 1.1, USB 2.0 delivers a significant bandwidth increase. USB 2.0 will continue to provide cost effective and convenient peripheral connectivity. Read more about USB 1.1 and USB 2.0.

What is USB 3.0?
The SuperSpeed USB 3.0 systems will provide a performance enhancement of speeds up to 5 Gb/s with distances up to 3 meters (9.8 feet) for newer storage and multimedia devices, greatly improving transfer times for large files and blocks of data. USB 3.0 plugs will be backwards compatible with USB 2.0 devices. For example, you can plug in a USB 3.0 cable into a USB 2.0 port. However, a new USB 3.0 Standard-B receptacle has been designed to accept only USB 3.0 plugs along with a new mini USB 3.0 connector. The USB 3.0 connectors are designed to coexist and not replace a USB 2.0 connector. Therefore, the importance of extending USB 2.0 will continue to dominate the market and Icron is currently delivering USB 2.0 and USB 1.1 extenders. Read more about USB 3.0.

What is the bandwidth of my USB device?
The bandwidth of a USB device is dependent on a number of factors including the ones listed below. Also, bandwidth examples of what some USB devices require is also listed to give you an idea of what a particular USB device might use.

Factors:

• The type of USB device (Isochronous, Bulk, Control, Interrupt)
• The type of host controller inside the host PC
• The operating system running on the host PC
• Other applications sharing the bus or running on the host PC

Bandwidth Table:

What is a "LEX" and "REX"?
LEX stands for Local Extender and REX stands for Remote Extender. These two units comprise a standard Icron Extension solution. The LEX unit interfaces to the host PC via a Type-B USB connector. The LEX interfaces to the REX unit over the extension media (Cat 5 UTP, Fiber, etc.) and the REX unit provides connectivity for one or more USB devices at the remote location.

Can I daisy-chain ExtremeUSB® systems together for longer reach?
ExtremeUSB® systems can be daisy-chained by connecting multiple systems to one host (i.e. more than one Local Extender (LEX) is connected to the host). ExtremeUSB® cannot be daisy-chained by connecting multiple systems in series (i.e. Local Extender to Remote Extender (REX) to Local Extender to Remote Extender).

Is ExtremeUSB® 2.0 backwards compatible to support USB 1.1 devices?
Yes, a Low Speed or Full Speed USB device will operate with ExtremeUSB 2.0. If you are using the Ranger ® 140/440/442/444 or Core 2.0 DL, these systems must be connected to a USB 2.0 host controller.  

USB Extenders

How do I make a USB extension product selection?
The following matrix is provided to help you make your product selection.  You may also ask your sales representative specific product questions to determine which products are best for your application(s).

  ¹  85 meters may be achievable with low-speed HID devices such as keyboards and mice.
  ²  Power is delivered over the Cat 5 (or better) cable to the remote unit.
    Note: Where USB 2.0 is listed. USB 1.1 is also supported.

What is the difference between the USB Rover® 1650 and 1850?
The USB Rover® 1850 has the following improvements:

• Pig Tails
• Superior circuit design delivering more current to USB devices connected to the remote extender
• Compatible with more hosts and USB devices
• Better ESD (8kV contact, 16kV air) and EFT performance
• No LEDs
• Lower list price

What is the difference between the USB Ranger® 2104 and 2204?
There are a number of differences between the products which are listed below:

USB Ranger® 2104

• Black plastic enclosure for Local Extender
• FPGA based
• Return to Icron for firmware upgrading
• 4kV ESD, FCC Part 15 Class A
• Power Adapter has non-interchangeable country-specific plug

USB Ranger® 2204

• Silver metal enclosure for Local Extender
• ExtremeUSB LionsGate IC based
• Firmware can be upgraded in the field
• Local Extender (LEX) module has mounting holes on PCBA for integration when the LEX housing is not required.
• Robust to 8kV ESD, FCC Part 15 Class B, CE, EN55022, EN55024
• Desktop power adapter with detachable country-specific cord
• Rack Mountable

What is the difference between the USB Ranger® 2101 and 2201?
There are a number of differences between the products which are listed below:

USB Ranger® 2101

• Black plastic enclosure for Local Extender
• FPGA based
• Return to Icron for firmware upgrading
• 4kV ESD, FCC Part 15 Class A
• Power Adapter has non-interchangeable country-specific plug

USB Ranger® 2201

• Silver metal enclosure for Local Extender
• ExtremeUSB LionsGate IC based
• Firmware can be upgraded in the field
• Local Extender (LEX) module has mounting holes on PCBA for integration when the LEX housing is not required.
• Robust to 8kV ESD, FCC Part 15 Class B, CE, EN55022, EN55024
• Desktop power adapter with detachable country-specific cord
• Rack Mountable

What are the physical and electrical power requirements of my USB extender?
The table below provides details regarding power supply requirements and power consumption of Icron's USB products.

Can the Cat 5 based USB Extenders operate through a standard Ethernet hub, switch or router?
No. Icron's USB extenders do not use standard Ethernet over the Cat 5 link, and they are not compatible with Ethernet hubs, switches or routers. The link protocol used is proprietary and operates only as a dedicated point-to-point connection.

The EL4500 KVM product does support a standard Ethernet hub, switch or router on a LAN (Local Area Network) at distances up to 100 meters.

What is the USB device limit for your USB 2.0 extenders?
Our USB 2.0 extenders have a maximum limit of 14 devices connected to the REX unit (including USB hubs).

What does a blinking REX HOST LED for USB 2.0 extenders mean?
The USB 2.0 extender is in suspend mode. Windows XP will put hubs in suspend mode when no USB devices are connected to the USB hub. The hub will wake-up from suspend mode when a USB device is connected.

How can I get the firmware on my Icron USB product upgraded?
To upgrade the Ranger 110, 410, 422, Core/TP or Core/DL products, please contact Icron Technical Support at techsupport@icron.com and Icron will be able to ship you new PROMs with the latest firmware (where applicable).

To upgrade the USB 2.0 Ranger® 2212, 2204, 2224, 2244, 2101, 2104, 140, 440, 442, 444 or 2.0 Core/DL products, please contact Icron Technical Support at techsupport@icron.com. To upgrade these products, the units must either be returned to Icron to re-flash the program memory, or a Xilinx JTAG programming cable (either the Parallel Cable IV or the Platform Cable USB) will be required to perform the upgrade on site.

There are no upgrades available for the USB Rover® 1300, 1650 or 2650 products.

Can I connect a mouse or keyboard to a USB Rover® 1300?
No. The USB Rover® 1300 only supports a single, Full Speed (12Mbps) USB device such as a webcam, or hard drive. It does not support Low Speed (1.5Mbps) devices such as keyboards and mice. Additionally, the USB Rover® 1300 does not support hub connections at the remote end.

What is the difference between USB 1.1 Core TP and USB 1.1 Core DL solutions?
The USB 1.1 Core TP (Twisted Pair) modules provide a small form factor embedded platform for integration of ExtremeUSB® in OEM applications. The Core TP module provides the physical layer interface and requires a minimum of 2-pairs of a Cat 5 UTP cable for proper operation.
The USB 1.1 Core DL (Direct Link) modules provide the same small form factor embedded platform, but offer even greater application flexibility by removing the physical layer interface and providing a simple digital interface with which any physical layer design can implemented. Reference designs for 1-pair and 2-pair applications are provided with the developer kit.

The USB Ranger® 2200 family REX and LEX both have sockets for power, do I need power supplies for both units?
For the USB Ranger® 2212, only one power supply is required since the Remote Extender (REX) is remote powered or supplied power from the LEX.  For the USB Ranger® 2204, 2224, and 2244 only the REX needs a power supply.  In the rare cases where the host computer cannot supply enough power, a second power supply can be used. Contact your point of sale to purchase an additional power supply.

The Ranger 110/410 REX and LEX both have sockets for power supplies, do I need power supplies for both units?
Only connect one power supply to either the Ranger® 110/410 REX or LEX unit. Please see the user manual for details.

What USB devices are my WiRanger® system compatible with?
The WiRanger® complies with USB 2.0 specifications governing the design of high-speed USB devices. However, because of the data rate limitations inherent in the IEEE 802.11g radio platform, Icron Technologies Corporation does not guarantee that all USB devices are compatible with the WiRanger® and only recommends the product be used with keyboard, mouse, and some flash drives.

ExtremeLink™ KVM Extenders

What are the physical and electrical power requirements of the KVM extenders?The table below provides details regarding power supply requirements and power consumption of Icron's KVM products.

Can the KVM Extenders operate through a standard Ethernet hub, switch or router?
Yes, the EL4500 KVM Extender can operate over a corporate Local Area Network (LAN) and through a standard Ethernet hub or switch up to 100 meters. The EL4500 operates at layer 2 (MAC layer) and does not require any TCP/IP overhead, thus it can’t operate through a router using the TCP/IP layer.

Why can I not select a supported resolution when using my KVM extender?
Either the latest video drivers are not installed, or the resolution is not supported. The solution is the following:

• Ensure the latest video driers are installed.
• The specific resolution may not be listed by the monitors EDID and is therefore not supported.
• The specific resolution might not be supported by the KVM extender product.

How do I choose which KVM extender to use?
Each product in the KVM family has unique features; when choosing which KVM extender to purchase refer to the table below.

General Product Questions

How do I contact technical support?
Please contact your point of sale regarding the return of products. If you require debugging assistance in determining if the unit is defective, contact Icron Technical Support at techsupport@icron.com.

What is the Cat 5 pin out for my product?
The USB Ranger® 2212/2204, 2101/2104 and Rover® 1650/1850/2650 units use all four pairs of the UTP cable. This is a standard straight-through connection. The Ranger® 110/410 products use pins 4,5 and 7,8 on the RJ-45 connector.

Can I operate an Icron extender outside the documented temperature range?
Operation of Icron products outside of the documented maximum operating conditions is not recommended, and voids the warrantee of the product. Icron takes no responsibility for damage to the unit which may occur if used outside of the recommended operating limits.

What is the difference between MTRJ male and MTRJ female connectors? Which one does the Ranger® 422 need?
The USB Ranger® 422 requires fiber optic cable to be terminated with an MTRJ female connector. Most fiber manufacturers will make female MTRJ connectors if the gender is not specified. Male connectors are used only in patch panel applications where two fibers are joined through a connecting socket. The MTRJ male connectors have two small studs protruding from the front of the connector. These studs mate with the holes in the female connector to align the fiber optic cables inside the MTRJ connector.

Is my Icron product EN60601 medically certified?
Icron products are not EN60601 certified.