Mystery Cable...

[uberlax]

Sorry this is a bit of a random query, but we've just found a cable at work that has a male Ethernet connector at one and, and a male USB connector at the other.

There's no hardware inline with it as you'd expect with an Ethernet to USB convertor or suchlike, it's just a dumb lead with a connector on each end.

It's tied up with a cable tie and looks to have fallen out of some box or other. I've googled it and the nearest thing I can find is and MSR206 USB-Cable, but we don't have a magnetic stripe reader...

Anyone know what I'm looking at here? Is it some sort of proprietary lead or is it just an obscure standard?

[Orjan]

can't it be just an attemption to connect a usb thingie via an TP-cable? maybe through a pre-wired wall socket to the next room or similar? I don't know if it would work, but maybe it does.

According to specifications, I think usb cables may be 5 meters long as maximum, so it can't be drawn very far at least.

[Jordan]

Never heard of that. I've seen the same thing with a serial connector on one end (rather than USB) for console connections to routers.

[debtboy]

male Ethernet connector at one and, and a male USB connector at the other.

So it plugs into 2 females at the same time...
Sounds like a DREAM cable!!

[uberlax]

Thanks for the suggestions guys, I'm pretty sure it's to do with a router or NAS now, so it could well be for console connections.

I think we'll just leave it in the spares box until someone turns up asking for a weird cable.

@debtboy: lol. It's also known as a show-off cable.

[bbqroast]

It could be for a computer with out a ethernet cable at one end.
imagine if we could plug all our USB's into one of these and have a router connecting all the USB devices in our home via ethernet
Sounds like a perfect cable... Can i have it?

[uberlax]

Hey thought I'd give you all an update on this now that we've found out what it was for.

It turns out it was for an obscure (and seemingly unbranded!) ADSL modem. The modem had a single connector but supported both USB and Ethernet connections to the host computer. There were two firmware images for the modem, and depending on which you used the modem either supported USB or Ethernet through the same port, though obviously with the mystery cable inserted when USB was required. Seems like a bit of a hack to me.

I say had, because it disappeared long ago, but the manual turned up and solved the mystery! So sadly no magical Ethernet-USB combo protocol has been discovered.