Please help

Alien

Hi, I am having a problem connecting a USB logitech camera to work with a usb internet device. I did it before and it worked but after some changes were made to the machine the problem reappeared.

Its something to do with sharing the usb bandwidth between the USB camera and the usb internet router. When the camera is working the internet cannot connect and vice verca. System is running Windows XP. I have tried using a usb hub but there is no success.

Any help would be highly appreciated.

TeKniques

Perhaps there is not enough power to operate both devices at the same time? Have you tried getting a powered USB hub and connect the devices to that and then to the computer?

*edit* Is there any reason that you're using a USB router instead of Ethernet?

Alien

I connected both devices to a USB hub but still the same thing. Both devices are detected on the hub but both cannot function at the same time. When i connect the internet, the camer doesn't work and vice versa. I am currently upgrading to SP2 hoping it might be something to do with the USB drivers.

Alien

The internet router does not have an ethernet connection which is why i have to use the USB.

The problem is sharing the bandwidth between the two devices. They all work individually but once both are connected either thru the hub or directly, the router connects but the camera cannot.

I am counting on service pack 2. Funny thing is that it worked before.

JDMurray

Does the router get its power from an external power adapter or from the USB cable? If the router has no external power adapter then, as TeKniques said, there is probably not enough power on the USB bus for both the router and the webcam. You need either a proper Ethernet (non-USB) router or a separate, powered USB hub for your webcam.

TheShadow

if I am not mistaken most, at least many, motherboards rely on the drivers in SP2 to allow the enabling of USB2. Therefore you are operating at 12Mb/sec instead of the more powerful 440Mb/sec.

Edit: if you have one of the few earlier systems that had its own 2.0 usb driver they sometimes get disabled when installing new equipment. That would explain the "used to work" quandary. Check your motherboard CD for a USB2 driver.

Alien

Thanks for all your advices .

The routher has an external power adapter but the webcam relies solely on USB. There was an external USB hub which also has an external adapter.

The machine was a HP 42000 laptop. Maybe i'm used to first PC's, but i found it relatively slow.

There is a possibility that the USB bandwidth was functioning at 12 Mb but after upgrading to Service Pack to via MS website didn't make a difference.

On the USB controller properties, i could see that when the internet was connected, the USB internet router was taking 78%, system 12% and only 10% left for the webcam thus it could not transfer the image. The webcam could function when the internet router USB was disconnected.

I upgraded from WinXP to Spk2, reinstalled the webcam drivers and patches freshly downloaded from logitech and nothing doing. I refused to accept payment for wasting my time but after too much pressure from the client i accepted 20% not that i don't need the money but my main interest is results and customer satisfaction.

Last thing i wanted to do was a clean installation just bcoz of USB. Its kind of embarassing especially when the user is a "beautifull lady" and your reputation is at stake. There goes the first loss in my CV

TheShadow

Well at 78% it is kind of obvious that you are running at 12Mb because 440 would support high bandwidth cable with room to spare. 12Mb with overhead is about 1Megabyte 768K DSL would be about 78% on the router. Considering that USB2 is a Jan 2003 marketing release item, if the notebook is a couple of years old it may not support USB2.


Sorry that I could not have been more help.

Alien

You are right that the machine doesn't support USB2.

Funny thing is i configured the same machine two months ago and both camera and internet worked with chat yet there were other device connected. Internet router was on the first USB port and a USB hub was connected to the second USB port. The webcam, scanner, printer and fax were all sharing a connection through the USB hub on the second connector. Today it was just the webcam and internet router yet it was such a pain in the but.

It could be me who is confused after a tough week and not the machine. I won't rest untill i figure this out. I've encountered the same logitech webcam on other computers but they have never given any problem like this particular one.

Alien

Thank you for all your help.

TheShadow

You know a thought occured to me. What is the image size for the webcam. When you had it working before you might have been at the minimum image size, which I think is the installation default for logitec. If you increase the image size it would fall over pretty quick.

Alien

Rem i had a problem with sharing usb bandwidth btn a webcam and a USB modem for a client. Well i upgraded the clients notebook with a USB
2 PCMCIA card . Works like a dream now. The client was so happy, they decided to reimburse me for the ammount i refused to take last time. Guess what? She's very gogeouse too but i always try to be professional. No mixing work with pleasure heh .

The USB2 PCMCIA card that i recommended has an external power adaptor cause i didn't want it sucking power from the laptop. Clients happy i'm happy.

Thanks for all the help i recieved from good ol techexams. Always reliable.

And they lived happily ever after