IOGEAR Announces Wireless USB-to-VGA kit

IOGEAR’s upcoming wireless USB-to-VGA kit brings in-room wireless video streaming to the masses

One might need to ask why it has never been done before, but IOGEAR is coming out with the industry’s first wireless USB-to-VGA kit. The setup should allow a person to stream up to 720p video from their Windows PC to a remote display, but not without some expected limitations. It is restricted to a 30-foot range, which is enough for in-room use, and a person shouldn’t be expecting it to be capable of streaming HD movies. According to IOGEAR, it should work fine while working with documents, web browsing, and viewing photos.

It is likely that some form of software compression will be used to maximize the performance. In past USB-based displays from other companies, the software compression used by those devices did eat up some CPU cycles, but that wasn’t a problem when using a modern computer.

The kit can be used to either extend or clone a desktop, for multitasking or presentations, and would work well with a TV’s picture-in-picture functionality. For example, one could be watching a football game while also viewing a Fantasy Football grid on the same TV screen. The solution is clearly ideal when cabling isn’t possible, but it is also a good solution for reducing clutter, adding a second or third display to a laptop, or for giving PowerPoint presentations where the available cables aren’t long enough.

Currently, the device is for Windows XP SP2 32-bit and Windows Vista 32-/64-bit only. Expect the kit to be available in September with a MSRP of $229.95. IOGEAR is still waiting on USB-IP approval for the device.