APC Back-UPS XS 1300 LCD with ReadyNAS Pro 2

The specs for that UPS suggest that it has USB connectivity, why can you not use a standard USB cable?

Because the data port on the UPS is RJ-45. You use an RJ-45 to USB Cable.

See the picture of the dataport here - http://www.apc.com/products/moreimages.cfm?partnum=BX1300LCD

I thought RJ-45 to USB was the standard for connecting a UPS to a device for monitoring. I just don't know where to get the cable; I don't have the original.

Of course!
I'd like to say I meant a standard UPS USB cable but that's not what I said.
Can you not buy one?
I'm in the UK and they seem to be available online in quite a few places-expensive though.

I suppose I will be able to find some online as well, but I also wanted to make sure it is indeed compatible before I go buy one.

Thanks for the reply.

A few here are APC branded.
I would expect that APC would sell them as well, and they do here:
http://www.apc.com/products/resource/in ... tryCode=gb

Do you have any idea why these cables are so much more expensive than a regular cable?

Just curious; maybe it's the thing about the electrical impedances and such.

They aren't commonly used, so they are more expensive. There's nothing special about the cable.

I will get the cable and attempt to report back on compatibility concerning Back-UPS XS 1300 LCD and ReadyNAS Pro 2.

Since there is nothing special about the cable, do you have any idea why the RJ-45 to USB adapter isn't working?

I've always wondered about the little plastic casing that has a diameter much larger than the cable itself that is found on these cables. I think that must have something to with it (i.e. impedance).

SuperNASman wrote:
Since there is nothing special about the cable, do you have any idea why the RJ-45 to USB adapter isn't working?

Yes. RJ45 is incompatible with USB in every way, so an RJ45-to-USB adapter contains a microcontroller and plenty of circuitry to perform the translation between the two.

Your UPS, though, doesn't speak RJ45. It speaks standard USB with only one difference from other USB devices: Instead of a standard USB socket, it has an RJ45 socket. In other words, the signals on the wire are no different from USB; it's just the shape of the connector at the end of the wire that's different. You don't need or want a USB-to-RJ45 adapter; that adapter will do too much. What you need is simply a USB cable with the device-side plug cut off and replaced with an RJ45 plug.

You can pay $35 to APC for their cable or you can buy one from a third party (like Amazon) for less than half that price. Or you can make your own; wiring diagrams are on the web. If you buy a third-party cable, make sure you're buying one with an 8-pin RJ45 connector; APC later switched to 10-pin RJ50 connectors.

fastfwd: I think you are confusing RJ45 with ethernet in the first part of your post (edit).

SuperNASman - you might want to confirm that you have an RJ45 connector (instead of an RJ50). The RJ50 has 10 pins, the RJ45 has 8.