Any experience w/ USB bridges?

Hello all,

Have you ever used a USB bridge (maybe called a direct connect adapter) to
connect two PCs together via USB ports?  If so, I'd appreciate hearing about
how it went.  I'm trying to squeeze one more serial cable connection out of
existing hardware, and would like to open USB ports just like a COM port,
sending data from one machine to another.  Will that work?  So far, I've
found a $60 gizmo that claims to connect the USB-enabled machines, compared
to buying new serial I/O cards with 8 ports rather than 4 (though that is an
option if necessary).

Making a long story short, I'm trying to enable a mobile computer to "know
where it is", so TCP/IP won't help with this :(

Have a good one,

Bill

--
Wilhelm K. Schwab, Ph.D.
[hidden email]

I'm no help on the USB bridge, but I'm wondering what shortcomings of TCP/IP
you are trying to work around.  Just for my fund of common knowledge...

jlo

"Bill Schwab" <[hidden email]> wrote in message
news:9lgqnf$97hu9$[hidden email]...
> Hello all,
>
> Have you ever used a USB bridge (maybe called a direct connect adapter) to
> connect two PCs together via USB ports?  If so, I'd appreciate hearing
about
> how it went.  I'm trying to squeeze one more serial cable connection out
of
> existing hardware, and would like to open USB ports just like a COM port,
> sending data from one machine to another.  Will that work?  So far, I've
> found a $60 gizmo that claims to connect the USB-enabled machines,
compared
> to buying new serial I/O cards with 8 ports rather than 4 (though that is
an

Jeffrey,

> I'm no help on the USB bridge, but I'm wondering what shortcomings of
TCP/IP
> you are trying to work around.  Just for my fund of common knowledge...

Simply that the IP number is "in the box, not in the wall" so I can't tell
where the machine finds itself using TCP/IP alone.  The idea is to have a
tether the plugs into the box to let it determinte that.  USB ports are
available and unused on both ends, hence the interest.

A free beer to the first member of the group to prove me wrong re getting
the location using just the network :)  I already thought of a solution
using a barcode scanner, so no payout for that one :(

Have a good one,

Bill

--
Wilhelm K. Schwab, Ph.D.
[hidden email]

Let me make sure I understand (hey - I like beer!) - you want to know the
physical location of a laptop in your hospital when the user plugs in the
laptop to a wall socket ?

jlo

"Bill Schwab" <[hidden email]> wrote in message
news:9lhiqd$9api8$[hidden email]...

Jeffrey,

> Let me make sure I understand (hey - I like beer!) - you want to know the
> physical location of a laptop in your hospital when the user plugs in the
> laptop to a wall socket ?

It's worse than that - the machine is using a wireless network card.  But,
you got the idea in that the goal is to have the machine know where it is
located (knowing the subnet is far too course).  The machine has a USB port,
and there's another "fixed" computer that's under my control.

The answer might be iButtons.  I belive it was Jerry who wrote to me with
the good news that Dallas (well, they've apparently been bought out)
iButtons now work with USB ports.  That should do the job.  So far, that
gets the 12 ounce finder's fee unless somebody pulls a TCP trick out their
hat to top it :)

Have a good one,

Bill

--
Wilhelm K. Schwab, Ph.D.
[hidden email]

In article <9ljl6e$tkr$[hidden email]>,
 "Bill Schwab" <[hidden email]> wrote:

Can you describe how the network is set up? What are the wireless
stations and how are the connected? Maybe theres something that can be
done via wireless hardware

Jerome,

> Can you describe how the network is set up? What are the wireless
> stations and how are the connected? Maybe theres something that can be
> done via wireless hardware

It's Cisco stuff.  I _think_ the access points are model AIR-AP-342E2C and
the cards are model AIR-PCM-342.  There are two APs in closets with coax
running to nearby hallway intersections.  One of the APs serves two
locations already (more will be added later), so knowing the AP (which I
think can be determined) won't be enough information.

The APs should be considered physically inaccessible, and our hospital is
taking a big interest in wireless networking so it's possible that they'll
wire the whole place later.  If that happens, they'll want to control the
configuration and encryption keys, and they could always decide on another
vendor.

Have a good one,

Bill

--
Wilhelm K. Schwab, Ph.D.
[hidden email]