StarTech.com 50ft (15m) Active USB 2.0 A to B Cable, Long USB Printer Cable, 1x USB-A (M), 1x USB-B (M) - Black

Product Overview

AI-generated summary

For £28.88 ex-VAT, this is only “good value” if you truly need a longer, stable USB connection to a printer (or similar USB-B device) and you’ve already found that cheap 15m leads just get flaky. The fact it’s an **active** cable is the point: over long runs, passive USB often drops out, causes weird intermittent printing, or simply won’t behave reliably. In day-to-day UK office setups—especially where the printer’s not near the workstation—this kind of cable is the sort of boring fix that saves you support calls.

Who should buy: anyone in an SMB/IT reseller context with a **USB-B printer** that’s around 10–15m away from where it’s connected, and where you want fewer “it works until it doesn’t” moments. Who should avoid: if you’re looking for a universal charging/data cable, or if your printer option is better served by **network printing** (or moving to a hub/print server). Also, if you don’t actually need 15m, don’t pay for length—shorter runs are always more reliable.

Net: worth it **only** when you need that distance and reliability for USB-B; otherwise it’s an easy way to overpay for a problem you could solve differently.