Ethernet is cheap and ubiquitous and works well if you need wired networking an ethernet network goes about 300'. There is a signal propagation limit in the usb

Ethernet is cheap and ubiquitous and works well if you need wired networking an ethernet network goes about 300'. There is a signal propagation limit in the usb protocol that makes it unable to go over ~16feet without adding repeaters and there is a max of 5 repeaters. from http://www.usb.org/about/faq/ans5 http://www.usb.org/about/faq/ans5 : Q2: Why can't I use a cable longer than 3 or 5m? A2: USB's electrical design doesn't allow it. When USB was designed, a decision was made to handle the propagation of electromagnetic fields on USB data lines in a way that limited the maximum length of a USB cable to something in the range of 4m. This method has a number of advantages and, since USB is intended for a desktop environment, the range limitations were deemed acceptable. If you're familiar with transmission line theory and want more detail on this topic, take a look at the USB signals section of the developers FAQ. Q3: How far away from a PC can I put a USB device? A3: With the maximum of 5 hubs connected with 5m cables and a 5m cable going to your full speed device, this will give you 30m of cable (see section 7.1.19 for details). With a low speed device, you will be able to get a range up to 27m, depending on how long the device's cable is. With a straightforward cable route, you will probably be able to reach out 25m or so from the PC.