Long cable run: LG Ultrafine 4K to iMac

[marekkurlmann]

I've got an LG Ultrafine 4K monitor that I have set up as a second monitor on the other side of the room from my iMac. I need to run about 16-17 feet of cable to connect the monitor to my iMac. In USB-C terms, this is a very long cable run. What's the best way to handle this?

- Is there USB-C cable long enough to handle the job? (I haven't found any.)
- Can I use a hub? (Powered? Unpowered?)

I haven't found anything about this type of setup, but this can't be that unorthodox of a configuration!

 

[Brookzy]

Two metres is the very most you can manage at the moment, and you can't use a hub because none of them pass through USB-C to USB-C video.

 

[marekkurlmann]

Two metres is the very most you can manage at the moment, and you can't use a hub because none of them pass through USB-C to USB-C video.

What a disappointment. Would a long USB C 3.1 Gen 1 cable potentially work? I’ve had my eyes on this one. At 15 feet (4.6m) it seems to be the longest availabile:
https://www.tethertools.com/product/tetherpro-usb-c-to-usb-c/

How about this 32-foot (10m) USB 3.0 fiber optic cable with USB A to USB C adapters at both ends?
https://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=102&cp_id=10303&cs_id=1030322&p_id=16377

 

[Brookzy]

The first option should work, although as it is a non-compliant cable so this is not guaranteed. The lack of charging/power transfer won't be an issue at least since you're connecting it to an iMac rather than a portable.

The second one won't work because USB-A will not pass through any video.

As a general rule, the LG UltraFine 4K needs a USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) cable with at least 60W of power delivery. That's the spec of the cable included in the box. All complaint USB-C cables need to support power delivery. Any non-complaint cables, like that Tether Pro one, are not guaranteed to work because they're not dumb cables, they have an e-marker on them that connected devices can read to see the cable's specs and compliance.

So I guess you'll have to try it and see!

 

[marekkurlmann]

Thanks! I'll give the non-compliant Tether Tools cable a try. I'll report back.

If that option fails, might an extension cable possibly be viable?