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I have a Windows 10 Pro 64 bit gaming desktop behind a concrete firewall (physical), and I want to transfer two monitors pluss USB signal out on the other side of the concrete wall.

I have bought a high end USB-C docking (ICY-BOX IB-DK2288AC) and am looking for a 20 m USB-C cable to join it to my desktop (I first tried Thunderbolt 3, but that did not work as the cable did not transfer USB-C data). I am thinking that this 20 meter optical cable looks fine, but am a little puzzled when it professes to be unidirectional (it has a computer connector and a display connector). Does this only mean that one of the ports has to be powered and the other passive, or does it indeed mean that this cable will only work for pushing a monitor signal one way, and not for sending USB-C information and data back, like what is done from a docking station.

If I cannot use an unidirectional cable for my docking station: Does anyone have a recommentadtion for a 20 m (prefered) or 15 m USB-C that is bi-directional?

Håkon Seljåsen
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1 Answers1

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There is no such thing as a 20 m (or 15) USB-C cable.
That length is ridiculously far over the USB-C specifications.
(E.g see here: handy table from one of the major USB components manufacturers)

Basically 4 meters is the maximum if you don't need power-delivery.
With PD 1 meter is ok. Longer will reduce the amount of power that can be delivered.

Furthermore: There is no such thing as an unidirectional USB-C cable. USB-C data ALWAYS flows in both directions.
Presumably the manufacturer of the cable you mentioned uses some sort of converter from USB-C to optical inside the plugs on each end. These converters need power to work (it is called an "active" cable because of that).
As TV's usually don't do power delivery on their USB-C/Displayport ports the plug on the TV side needs to operate on the basis USB power supplied by the TV. This most likely limits the chip on that end severely. For a TV that doesn't really matter as vast the majority of the dataflow will be PC -> TV.
(Mouse/keyboard is probably OK too as the data-volume they send is quite low. May have a serious effect on latency though which might be bad if you are a FPS gamer.)

But it does mean that that cable probably contains different chips/converters in each plug and the cable must be plugged in between the devices in the right direction to work properly.
That is why they call it uni-directional.

And note that this cable can't do power-delivery. There is no way to transmit power over the optical link! (Your keyboard/mouse will need power, so you will have to use a self-powered USB hub on that end of the cable.)

Any vendor advertising really long USB-C cables is selling a non-standard product. And possibly (like in this case) it isn't really a cable but a combination of several cables and converters.

And whether or not it will work in your setup is impossible for us to say.
You will have to try it yourself.

Tonny
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