External HDD connected with USB 3.0: maximum cable length?

[vmilanv88]

I have an external HDD case (Raidsonic ICY BOX IB-RD3620SU3) with 2x10TB WD Red HDD, used in Raid 1 due to redundancy.

I would like to put this case somewhere else because it's kind of noisy although I replaced the original fan with a Noctua type, the constant "crackle" sound of the HDDs pretty annoying since I work as a music producer and my iMac is dead silent.

I know, theoretically a NAS could be the best in terms of portability. I even tried a Synology NAS for first, but unfortunately Logic was not able to locate the external audio files when I opened up a project, so I returned the NAS quickly and since redundancy is the most important to me, I bought this Raidsonic case.

So I wonder how is it possible to move this case to another room without risking signal loss which can lead to data loss and corrupt files. (I'm not an expert, just read it). As long as I know 3 meters are the maximum length of an USB 3.0 cable and I'd definitely need at least 5 meters.
I'm not sure if it's true in my case because the external case is also powered, so I don't know...maybe it helps to keep the signal?

Anyways I looked for active cables (without external power) but I read good and bad reviews in 50-50%. Some people say it doesn't works at but unfortunately I did not found too much information about this certain topic.

The HDD case connects to my iMac with an USB 3.0 A-B cable but the case also have an eSata connector on it's back. Is it any good or doesn't even matter?

I'm really curious about your opinion and correct me if I'm wrong about anything.

 

[AndyMacAndMic]

I have an external HDD case (Raidsonic ICY BOX IB-RD3620SU3) with 2x10TB WD Red HDD, used in Raid 1 due to redundancy.

I would like to put this case somewhere else because it's kind of noisy although I replaced the original fan with a Noctua type, the constant "crackle" sound of the HDDs pretty annoying since I work as a music producer and my iMac is dead silent.

I know, theoretically a NAS could be the best in terms of portability. I even tried a Synology NAS for first, but unfortunately Logic was not able to locate the external audio files when I opened up a project, so I returned the NAS quickly and since redundancy is the most important to me, I bought this Raidsonic case.

So I wonder how is it possible to move this case to another room without risking signal loss which can lead to data loss and corrupt files. (I'm not an expert, just read it). As long as I know 3 meters are the maximum length of an USB 3.0 cable and I'd definitely need at least 5 meters.
I'm not sure if it's true in my case because the external case is also powered, so I don't know...maybe it helps to keep the signal?

Anyways I looked for active cables (without external power) but I read good and bad reviews in 50-50%. Some people say it doesn't works at but unfortunately I did not found too much information about this certain topic.

The HDD case connects to my iMac with an USB 3.0 A-B cable but the case also have an eSata connector on it's back. Is it any good or doesn't even matter?

I'm really curious about your opinion and correct me if I'm wrong about anything.

I don't know if you have seen this already:

https://www.techwalla.com/articles/what-is-the-maximum-length-of-a-usb-cable

As stated in the article you can reach a maximum length of 30 meters (around 90 feet) if you use usb hubs in between.
I have never tried this, but maybe you can experiment.

Normally, in your use case, I would use a NAS though instead of an external usb drive.

 

[vmilanv88]

I don't know if you have seen this already:

https://www.techwalla.com/articles/what-is-the-maximum-length-of-a-usb-cable

As stated in the article you can reach a maximum length of 30 meters (around 90 feet) if you use usb hubs in between.
I have never tried this, but maybe you can experiment.

Normally, in your use case, I would use a NAS though instead of an external usb drive.

Wow, no I haven't seen this yet, thanks for it! It seems the powered devices (like my external HDD case) can handle up to 5 meters. I take this as an evidence, somehow made me wonder why 5 meters long USB 3.0 cables exists if the theoretically maximum length is only 3 meters...thank you for brighten me up.