Lantronix announced the UBox 2100, the first USB-to-Ethernet device server to support the USB isochronous data transfer standard, typically used for audio and video applications.

With UBox 2100, users can put virtually any off-the-shelf USB 2.0 peripheral device on an Ethernet network. Removing the distance limitations normally associated with USB, users can access and share a variety of devices such as web cams, speakers, microphones, sensors, security access equipment, multi-function printers, hard drives, scanners or Apple iPods over the Internet.

Isochronous data transfer is typically used for time-dependent applications, such as multimedia streams with synchronized audio and video where the data must be delivered within specific time constraints. Along with its support for isochronous data transfer, UBox eliminates the need to directly connect devices to a PC, thus IP-enabling the USB devices. For example, users can access and share web cams with fully synchronized audio/video in real-time over a network or the Internet without needing to connect them directly to a computer.

UBox includes software designed to identify, access, configure, upgrade and secure each UBox unit on the network as needed. Once the software is installed and the UBox is configured, it runs in the background allowing USB equipment to be automatically connected to PCs in the same manner as if they were connected locally.

UBox 2100 includes an Auto-Connect feature that automatically connects and disconnects shared USB printers based on need. UBox enables a PC to connect to the printer when it needs to print, then automatically disconnects when the job is finished, freeing the printer for other users.

Flexible network configuration options make it easy to use the UBox in local area networks (LANs) or wide area networks (WANs). Rather than require administrators to install drivers on each computer when each UBox is added, its Active Discovery feature automatically loads the software on each computer so that networked USB devices are available for immediate use over a LAN.For WANs, administrators can set up passwords and use static IP addresses to connect UBoxes to the network.

UBox 2100 supports USB 2.0 high-speed, and is housed in a ruggedized metal enclosure. It will be available globally later this month for $154 US MSRP. The current four-port version, UBox 4100 (USB 2.0, full speed), has also been updated to support isochronous audio.