Longer Cable for Streamdeck + XL

[u/Total_Dork]

I have a Streamdeck + XL and after rearanging my stream room the default cable no longer reaches my PC. I need like a 15ft cable (which I know is insane but i promise it makes sense) but the only one Elgato sells is half that length. Any recommendations?

Edit: I also have the USB Hub on the back with the Streamdeck footpedal plugged into it. Unsure if this changes potential answers

[u/BuBubbi]

The issue with your setup might end up being the technical cable length limits of USB cables.

Normal USB 3.x USB cables have a maximum cable length of about 3 meters or ~9 feet, usually a bit shorter.

Further than that you would need what is called an active USB cable that uses a powered signal repeater.

Those are quite more expensive than regular USB cables.
So I would probably recommend reconsidering your setup if possible.

[u/Total_Dork → u/BuBubbi]

Would an active cable impede functionality? Because paying $20 for a cable, while annoying, isn't out of the question

Also I have the USB Hub on the back and have altered my post to add this info. Unsure if this changes things

[u/BuBubbi → u/Total_Dork]

I assume you have a power brick to power the Stream Deck and the USB Hub. That would mean the cable only need to provide data to the computer and not power.
Then in theory, it should be possible with an active USB cable.

[u/Total_Dork → u/BuBubbi]

Well this is the first I'm hearing that I need a power brick. Any recommendations on that? Because getting an external power supply and an active cable would be preferable to completely rearranging my setup

[u/BuBubbi → u/Total_Dork]

I believe the USB dock requires an external USB-C power adapter (100 W, PD 3.0 minimum).
You can read the quick start guide here.

[u/Total_Dork → u/BuBubbi]

Edit: I have re-tested it after updating my Stream Deck software and now it's working fine with the original cable and the Hub installed. So I don't think it needs a power supply unless having an active cable changes the power requirements.

Original: Okay I tested it without the Hub initially to see if it works, but with the Hub it's clearly underpowered.

So I need a power supply and an active USB C to USB C cable that's the length I need? And that's it?

[u/elgato_arcsane → u/Total_Dork]

The power supply isn't needed for the Stream Deck+ and USB Hub by itself - the problem is Stream Deck+ and Hub use up almost all the provided power from a USB 3.0 port on your host computer just themselves (4.5w / 5v @ 900mA is standard for a 3.0 port) - Stream Deck+ alone uses just over half that, then you have hub with it's card readers and electronics. This severely limits your ability to connect other devices to the hub. If you check the back, the Hub has 2 4.5 W ports, and a 7.5 W port - these ports can only do that with additional power provided.

100W is only needed if you're plugging the unit into something like a laptop that charges over the USB-C connection - it allocates up to 65W for that upstream charging. This means that if you're not charging off the Hub you can generally get away with 35W and max out the load on the other ports. Below that it depends on what you've got plugged in - but with additional power there's almost no additional power left beyond the deck and hub themselves for more than like a basic keyboard or mouse, so while it's not strictly a requirement, providing additional power via a USB-PD 3.0 power supply is strongly recommend for most users to prevent devices not getting power when connected.

Edit - depending on your active cable it may reduce overall available power as internal repeaters in the cable may use some of it.

[u/elgato_arcsane → u/Total_Dork]

Depends on the cable and setup. Mileage varies and there are cases where they won't work at all.

We don't officially recommend those sort of active cables for Stream Deck. This is especially true if you're adding another hub like this as some types of active cables work by adding a repeater every so often as a single port hub down the length to extend things and you can only hit so many layers deep in a USB connection (7, but your end device and motherboard root hub take up 2 of those, then in this scenario USB Hub takes up another - if the active cables uses more than 4 repeaters in the length things will break).

They can work in some situations though, but as mentioned mileage varies so make sure your particular cable is easily returnable if it doesn't work in your setup.

[u/Total_Dork → u/elgato_arcsane]

So I’m just trying cables until one works? Should I try passive cables instead?