[Fervid77]

I'm currently in the market for my first ever tablet and really like the features of the Blackberry Playbook, however I need a device that will allow me to connect to other devices via a crossover ethernet cable. Devices such as Printers, Scanners and Photocopiers which have IP addresses that I can access their internal web interfaces using the playbook's web browser.

After searching for this option for the playbook the only results I have found so far are older threads that discuss the possibilities of such an adapter in the future.

Does the playbook support (micro)USB ethernet adapters?

[esk369]

I'm currently in the market for my first ever tablet and really like the features of the Blackberry Playbook, however I need a device that will allow me to connect to other devices via a crossover ethernet cable. Devices such as Printers, Scanners and Photocopiers which have IP addresses that I can access their internal web interfaces using the playbook's web browser.

After searching for this option for the playbook the only results I have found so far are older threads that discuss the possibilities of such an adapter in the future.

Does the playbook support (micro)USB ethernet adapters?

Unfortunately not right now from what I've read on this site the driver's are already in place rim just won't open them up I've seen a guy on youtube with a usb stick with gator clips wired into the playbook I'm not a tech guy so don't take what I say as gospel there have been a cpl of recent threads about usb drives hubs sd cards card readers etc.
Their are other people here who can answer better then I can.
I just got a usb eathnet adapter for my t300 works off the usb port on the dock works great.

[esk369]

Welcome to CB NATION lots of good knowledgeable people here.

[jpash549]

I'm currently in the market for my first ever tablet and really like the features of the Blackberry Playbook, however I need a device that will allow me to connect to other devices via a crossover ethernet cable. Devices such as Printers, Scanners and Photocopiers which have IP addresses that I can access their internal web interfaces using the playbook's web browser.

After searching for this option for the playbook the only results I have found so far are older threads that discuss the possibilities of such an adapter in the future.

Does the playbook support (micro)USB ethernet adapters?

If you have a Window7 computer you can try using Connectify , which is a software router - lite free , Pro $30, on that computer. You should be able to get wireless g. If have my playbook on this now using it as a range extender. Just google the name and download if you choose.

[peter9477]

It's reasonable to expect this to be made possible, finally, when BB10 is released. We may learn a bit more next week with news from the BlackBerry Jam Americas conference in San Jos�.

[esk369]

It's reasonable to expect this to be made possible, finally, when BB10 is released. We may learn a bit more next week with news from the BlackBerry Jam Americas conference in San Jos�.

Would you happen to know is it true that the drivers are in place or whatever technical protocol it takes to make that work?

[Fervid77]

Thanks for all the replies.

@esk369: Does your Asus tablet tether nicely with a blackberry phone via bluetooth for internet access?

@jpash549bb: I do have a laptop with Windows 7, however I'm trying to replace it with a tablet. So I guess if I had to use my laptop to connect the crossover cable, I would be defeating the purpose of buying a tablet. :/

@peter9477: I don't mind waiting a bit longer to hear some news about that. However, I would still like to purchase one before the Christmas holidays.

[peter9477]

Would you happen to know is it true that the drivers are in place or whatever technical protocol it takes to make that work?

Knowing that "something" is there doesn't really tell us what we want to know though. We've had lots of things like this in the devices for many months or in some cases over a year, yet it hasn't come to fruition. Even the guys who were rooting the thing showed they could connect a flash drive, but it wasn't polished or finished so it told us nothing more than that RIM was working on it (which we knew already anyway). It doesn't tell us when it will be finished or, when finished, when it will be made available to users in a release.

So sure, there's a variety of things related to this, visible in the filesystem, so they're working on it. But I don't know from that any more than you can guess about when or whether they'll let us have it.

That all said, my instinct is that they totally plan to make this available, because of demand amongst the corporate clients, and I fully expect to see it in BB10 at launch. Even if we knew right now that the drivers were in place and complete in every way, I'm not sure anyone could really say more than that.

[esk369]

Thanks for all the replies.

@esk369: Does your Asus tablet tether nicely with a blackberry phone via bluetooth for internet access?

@jpash549bb: I do have a laptop with Windows 7, however I'm trying to replace it with a tablet. So I guess if I had to use my laptop to connect the crossover cable, I would be defeating the purpose of buying a tablet. :/

@peter9477: I don't mind waiting a bit longer to hear some news about that. However, I would still like to purchase one before the Christmas holidays.

I'm still trying to work out tethering my curve to my asus I have linked them via bt but can't seem to figure it out. Both devices link curve in mobile modem mode just as I said no internet conection and I have not had the time to get together with the it guy from the company I work for as my curve is work issued and my pb and asus are mine .
If you would like I will be more then happy to drop you a pm when I get it worked out its just not at the top of my todo list at the moment I use my pb in the field more then the t300 and bridge and tether work flawlessly.

[jpash549]

Connectify does not require a crossover cable. It is a software router. It uses the laptop/desktop computer wifi card to broadcast a wireless signal just as a hardware router does. Thus you can have the mobility/fun part of BBPB (or other tablet) use without buying additional hardware. Can't see tethering the PB to the internet with a cable. Also if you want to do hard work with word processing, spreadsheet or other "serious" programs you probably would find the laptop to be a necessary or much more useful device than any tablet now on the market. Using the micro USB for reading/ writing information with a flash drive would certainly be useful for storage of media and things such as shop manuals etc.. Not sure that this comment applies to wanting to connect to printers, photocopiers etc that have their own web addresses or how such devices would allow PB to connect to web.Perhaps you mean connecting the PB by wire to a router as part of a LAN. Connection to a router requires an ethernet cable ( RJ45 as I recall) does it not? If what is wanted is simply to print from the PB ,which is wirelessly connected to a router, pictures or data you are observing on the web to a printer which is cable connected this will require drivers on the PB which are not presently available.

I see from OP's later post that the above comments are not particularly relevant to OP's problem but I leave them anyway.

[Fervid77]

Just to clarify on my intentions. I service office equipment, and I currently use my laptop to connect to the devices via a cross over cable to perform maintenance through the machines embedded (web browser) interface. I tether my BB9800 via microusb for internet access on my laptop to connect to my office database and file the work orders.

I'd like to be able to simplify my daily routines by using a tablet instead of my laptop. I have read articles regarding certain Android tablets that support usb ethernet adapters.

I already know that I can tether my BB9800 to a PB via bluetooth, the only piece that I'm missing here is the ability to connect to the hardware peripherals I service via a cross over cable.

I gather from peter9477's post, the progress of releasing this as an option is not really further ahead than it was a year ago and there's no real eta either. I will hold of on purchasing a tablet for now until I learn more about them and weigh out all the pros and cons.

Thanks for all of the help and feedback guys, it's appreciated.

Ferv.

[ericarcher57]

Couldn't you use a wireless access point?
Connect office equipment to ethernet port, PB to wireless, assign static IP in office equipments subnet to wirless connnection and you should be able to browse to web interface.