USB Cable

[wolves]

Is there a maximum length that a USB cable can be and if so what is it?

[excuzzzeme]

The max length on USB cables is 5 meters (approx 17 ft) at present. Beyond that length they are likely to suffer from electrical interference. A general rule- "Keep it as SHORT AS POSSIBLE".

[StealthyV]

same is true for network cables, and especially for video cables...keep those under 6 feet long. you might experiment with daisy-chaining "usb extension cables" together and seeing what effect that has upon your keyboard, or peripherals.
I agree with excuzzzeme...keep them short!

~Branson

[ShawnD1]

USB has tons of bandwidth, length doesn't matter at all. It's true that the longer cable is less effective but look at USB, it has tons of bandwidth to start with so does it really matter how long your lines are? Computer cables are just like electrical wires; the bigger it is, the less effect length has. If you have a 20g wire 300ft long and you try to run an electric lawn mower, the wire is going to burn up. If you use a huge 8g wire at the same length, the power transmits with no problem. Old cables like serial and parallel are like the 20g wire and can't work worth crap over a long distance. Newer style cables like USB, firewire, CAT5 and CAT6 can be effective over quite some distance. CAT5 for example is good for something like 300ft.

Longest USB I've seen at Staples is 16ft.