Ultrawide Displays and USB 3.2 KVM Extenders: Seven Commercial Applications
Extending a workstation down a single Cat cable is a solved problem twice over. Video has been solved for years. Keyboard and mouse have been solved…
The problem
In a huddle room, hot desk or lectern, the laptop is the source and the display is on the far wall. Getting a modern USB-C laptop to drive that display usually means a dock at the table, a separate HDMI extender to the wall, a powered USB hub for the camera and speakerphone, and a charger the presenter has to remember. Every one of those is a box, a cable and a support call.
The BYOD reality makes it worse: the laptop changes daily and the brand changes with it. A guest plugs in, the room does not come up, and someone walks over with an adapter. Cameras and touch panels sit across the room from the source, and USB peripherals fail on a long passive run.
What integrators want to specify is a single connection at the table that brings up the display, the peripherals and the charge at once — and repeats the same way in every room.
What changes with this product
The EXT-USBCPD4K-40M takes one full-featured USB-C input at the transmitter — DisplayPort Alt Mode 1.4a video, USB 3.2 Gen 1 data and USB-C Power Delivery 3.0 — and carries all three to the receiver over one CAT6a cable. The receiver puts out HDMI 2.0b at up to 4K60 4:4:4 with 18Gbps bandwidth and HDCP 2.3, plus three downstream USB ports (2x USB-A, 1x USB-C, 5V/1.5A each) for the room's peripherals, a 3.5mm de-embedded audio output and RS-232 pass-through.
Power moves the other way on the same link. The kit delivers up to 100W USB-C Power Delivery back to the laptop, available when the transmitter is powered from its included 24V/7.5A supply. Bi-directional 24V PoC means you power one end and the far end needs no supply of its own. USB 3.2 Gen 1 runs at up to 2.5 Gbps for 4K room cameras and storage (5 Gbps operation is not supported). Video reaches up to 4096x2160@60, and ultrawide modes 2560x1080@60, 3440x1440@60 and 5120x1440@50/60 are supported, with HDR, HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision and HLG pass-through. The kit handles 8/10/12-bit color (8-bit at 5K60 4:2:2) across RGB and YCbCr 4:4:4, 4:2:2 and 4:2:0.
Where it fits
Huddle rooms and small meeting rooms
One USB-C cable at the table drives the wall display at 4K60, connects the 4K camera and speakerphone over USB 3.2, and charges the laptop at up to 100W — no dock and no second extender. Because the whole room comes up from a single kit, it is easy to set one room standard and copy it across sites, one kit per room.
Hot desks and flexible workspaces
Run a CAT6a drop to each desk with a USB-C pigtail. Employees and guests plug one cable into any laptop and get display, peripherals and power. The receiver and display stay at the wall for IT to manage while the laptop changes daily.
Classrooms and lecterns
Instructor laptops of any brand connect at the lectern while the projector or display, document camera and room audio sit at the far wall. The link reaches 40m/130ft at 4K, and RS-232 passes through the kit to the room controller so the display can still be driven from the control system.
Executive offices and boardrooms
The table stays clean with a single USB-C connection while the boardroom display and conferencing camera live at the far wall. The HDMI output supports 5120x1440 ultrawide displays, and the conferencing camera runs on one of the receiver's USB 3.2 downstream ports.
Healthcare consult and training rooms
A clinician's laptop presents to a wall display and drives a USB camera for telehealth or teaching from a single cable. The metal enclosures and ESD protection to IEC 61000-4-2 (±8kV air-gap, ±4kV contact) suit high-traffic rooms.
Retail demo and kiosk counters
A USB-C laptop or mini PC behind the counter feeds a customer-facing 4K display and touch overlay at the front, charging while it runs. RS-232 to the display lets a scheduler handle power on and off.
Typical setup
- Laptop connects to the transmitter's USB-C IN — this carries video, USB data and up to 100W charging back to the laptop.
- Transmitter AV-USB3 OUT (RJ45) connects to the receiver's AV-USB3 IN over CAT6a.
- Receiver HDMI OUT drives the room display at 4K60 4:4:4.
- Receiver USB DEVICES 1/2 (USB-A) take the 4K room camera; USB DEVICES 3 (USB-C) takes the speakerphone.
- Receiver AUDIO OUT (3.5mm) feeds the room speakers with de-embedded audio.
- Receiver RS-232 connects to the touch panel or control system.
- Transmitter AUDIO OUT provides de-embedded audio at the source end.
What to check before you specify
The link runs up to 40m/130ft at 4K and 35m/115ft at 5K over CAT6a U/FTP, 23AWG minimum, direct-wired. The CAT cable between transmitter and receiver must be a straight-through connection terminated to the same pinout at both ends — do not cross-connect.
The local leads are short and passive. The USB-C source cable is 1.5m/4.9ft (USB 3.2 Gen 1 passive), and the HDMI output cable is 3m/9.8ft passive. Plan the transmitter placement close to where the laptop sits, and the receiver close to the display.
For power, the transmitter runs from its included 24V/7.5A supply; the receiver runs on 24V PoC over the CAT6a cable or from an optional 24V/2A supply, and the PoC is bi-directional. Note that 100W USB-C charging to the laptop is available only when the transmitter is powered from its own supply. A surge-protection device is recommended on the cable run.
Questions integrators ask
Does the laptop charge over the same cable that carries video and data?
Yes. The single USB-C connection to the transmitter carries DP Alt Mode video, USB 3.2 Gen 1 data and up to 100W of USB-C Power Delivery back to the laptop. The 100W charge is available when the transmitter is powered from its included 24V/7.5A supply.
What is the maximum resolution over the HDMI output?
The receiver's HDMI 2.0b output carries resolutions from 480i up to 4096x2160@60, and reaches 5120x2160 at 50/60Hz (5K60 at 4:2:2/4:2:0, 8-bit). It supports HDCP 2.3 and HDCP 1.x at 18Gbps, and passes HDR, HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision and HLG.
Can a control system manage the kit?
Yes. Both ends have RS-232 pass-through on a 3-pin 3.5mm phoenix connector, and an ASCII API is available on the SERVICE USB-C port at 115200 baud, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, no parity. Over the API you can set input HDCP mode, choose from 25 EDID presets (two user-defined), set output source and HDCP, control HDMI 5V and downstream USB port power, read status and signal, and reboot, reset or update firmware.
Where it sits in the line
- EXT-USBCPD4K-70M — 18Gbps USB-C 4K60 HDBaseT 3.0 Extender with 100W PD (70m): choose it when the display is farther out and you want the reach of HDBaseT 3.0.
- EXT-USBCPD2X4K-100M — 5Gbps Dual-Host USB-C Extender over CAT6a (100m/328ft) with Dual 4K HDMI Out: choose it for a dual-host room with two displays over a longer run.
- SW-4X2PS-70M — 4×2 HDMI/USB-C 4K60 Seamless Presentation Switch with HDBaseT 3.0 70m Out: choose it when several sources must switch seamlessly to two outputs.
- SW-5X1PS-70M — 5×1 HDMI/USB-C 4K60 Seamless Presentation Switch with HDBaseT 3.0 70m Out: choose it when five sources feed one display through a seamless switch.
- EXT-HD4KEARC-50M — 4K HDMI Extender (50m) with eARC & S/PDIF Audio Return: choose it for a straight HDMI run where you need eARC and S/PDIF audio return.
