How Long Of A USB Wire Can You Use For Streaming

[The Chris Atwood]

I’m starting to stream shows using a Mac Pro to run Ecamm and zoom with my Sony 6300 & Sony 6000.

Currently I use a 6ft usb cable that works great, but I want to get longer cables.  I just purchased two 20 ft cables last week and the connection didn’t work. (To be honest, they were cheep cables... you get what you pay for, lol).

Does anyone know the limitations of usb cables for connectivity or are their specific cables I need to buy.

Anything longer than 6 feet would be awesome, but I’d love to go 25 feet so I can mount a camera to a gimbal or slider. 
 

Thanks in advance!

[LiveShots]

Might work for streaming —> https://www.tethertools.com/product-category/cables-adapters/

[Thad E Ginathom]

A quick google reveals that the maximum length for  a USB 2.0 cable should be no more than 5 metres. That's under 17 feet.

These things tend not to be black and white: some applications/environments might give up before the maximum, some might run over longer lengths. Looks like you have discovered that you can't run 20 feet already.

Don't buy cheap cables for this... but don't buy expensive brands, like the hifi people do. You just need something that is built to spec.

My quick google threw up this: USB Cable Length Limitations And How To Break Them. If you must run longer lengths, there are ways to do it via eg powered hubs. I didn't check out that page/company, so not vouching for it specifically. Just pointing out that this stuff is out there. Hope it may be of use to you.