• JasonDJ@lemmy.zip
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    12 hours ago

    This is USB over IP, not IP over USB.

    The product you linked is for USB devices to be able I be used over a network. One common use-case is getting hardware license tokens (on a USB dongle) accessible to a virtual machine…especially when that VM can move dynamically between hosting servers for load-balancing or fail-over.

    The closest I’ve seen is a cart intended for tablets or Chromebooks that gives 60W PD + Ethernet over one USB-C port. So something similar exists. I think with this though, you had to bring your own Ethernet switch.

    I would love to see something like that, but with active cooling and 180-240W PD. And probably dual L6-30s, if not more, to power the damn thing.

    • squaresinger@lemmy.world
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      2 hours ago

      Then take this one: https://m.made-in-china.com/product/USB-to-Ethernet-8-Ports-Switch-2079770325.html

      But even if you can’t find an off-the-shelf solution for this, it’s trivial to DIY one. One USB controller can feed 127 devices maximum. You’ll obviously need powered USB hubs for that, but that’s not an issue. This works because when you enable USB tethering, the phone can be in USB device mode while getting IP over USB. The main issue here is the routes, but if you use an app that creates a local VPN on the phone to capture the traffic you can then tunnel that traffic through the tethering connection, using it in the reverse direction. Now you only need a PC with many USB controllers (easily done using PCI-E extension cards) and you are done.

      Setup is a little complicated, but you only need to configure it once and then copy it over to all the phones.

      I would love to see something like that, but with active cooling and 180-240W PD. And probably dual L6-30s, if not more, to power the damn thing.

      I haven’t seen any devices so far that can deliver high wattage on multiple ports at the same time, so I think the PD is probably the bigger limit.