VGA Extender Balun Pair, Passive VGA over CAT5e/6, Up to 180 m, HAY-VGA

Introduction: What the Haydon HAY-VGA Passive VGA Balun Pair Does

Haydon HAY-VGA Passive VGA Balun Pairis a compact transmitter/receiver kit that lets you extend a single VGA (RGBHV) channel over a single CAT5e/6 UTP cable. It’s a simple, passive solution for situations where running a full-length VGA cable is impractical, expensive, or messy. Because the kit is passive, it requires no external power and mounts discreetly at each endpoint in an AV installation. Note that this product does not pass EDID/DDC handshake information, so it’s best suited to installations where automatic monitor detection and advanced EDID negotiation are not required.

Key Features at a Glance

• Passive design: No external power or adapters required.
• Single-cable operation: Transmits VGA over one CAT5e/6 (solid core) UTP cable.
• Decent range for VGA: Up to 180 m (≈ 600 ft) for 640×480, with lower maximum distances for higher resolutions.
• Bandwidth: DC to 60 MHz with insertion loss < 3 dB per pair.
• Compact and discreet: ABS enclosure (65 × 55 × 25 mm) that’s easy to mount or hide.

Detailed Specifications and Benefits

The HAY-VGA balun pair packs a useful set of technical specifications for installers and AV integrators. Below are the most relevant specs and the practical benefits they provide.

• Signal standard: VGA, VESA VP&D 1.0, VIP ver 2.0
• Bandwidth: DC to 60 MHz
• Insertion loss: < 3 dB per pair
• Maximum video input level: 1.1 Vp-p
• Impedance: 75 Ω (HD15, unbalanced) input; 100 Ω (RJ45, balanced) output
• Cable: CAT5e/6, 24 AWG or lower, solid copper twisted pair
• Connectors: HD15 (VGA) female and RJ45 jack (per unit)
• Power: None (passive)
• Operating temperature: 0 °C to 55 °C
• Enclosure: ABS engineering plastic; dimensions 65 × 55 × 25 mm; weight 80 g
• Maximum distances by resolution: 640×480 up to 600 ft (≈180 m); SVGA 800×600 up to 400 ft (≈120 m); XGA 1024×768 up to 350 ft (≈106 m); WXGA/SXGA up to 250 ft (≈76 m); UXGA/WUXGA up to 200 ft (≈61 m)

• Cost-effective deployment:The passive design and use of standard CAT5e/6 cabling reduce overall system cost compared with running long VGA cables or special-purpose video cables.
• Simplicity and reliability:Fewer active components means fewer failure points. There’s no power adapter to manage and less configuration to perform.
• Flexible installations:Small ABS enclosures are easy to mount near projectors, displays or AV racks and can be hidden for a clean look.
• Predictable performance by resolution:Published maximum distances help you plan which resolutions are realistic for a given run length.
• Use of existing structured cabling:If your site already has CAT5e/6 drops, the balun can reuse that infrastructure without re-cabling.

Use Cases and Scenarios Where the HAY-VGA Excels

The HAY-VGA balun pair is especially well suited to pragmatic AV installations where budget, simplicity and the re-use of existing cabling are priorities. Typical scenarios include:

• Classrooms and lecture theatres:Extend a laptop or PC output to a projector or wall-mounted display without running long VGA cables through the room. For standard-resolution teaching material, the HAY-VGA covers typical distances comfortably.
• Meeting rooms and boardrooms:Where a central PC or media player needs to feed a display on the far side of the room, the passive balun keeps the installation tidy and low-cost.
• Digital signage (short-to-medium runs):Use the balun for static signage or information displays where EDID handshaking and hot-swapping aren’t required.
• Retail or kiosks:When a reliable, unobtrusive VGA feed is needed and there is existing CAT5e/6 backhaul.
• Temporary or ad-hoc setups:Quick deployments for events or temporary rooms where you don’t want to commit to running dedicated VGA cable.

Important planning note: because EDID/DDC information is not passed through this passive balun, auto-detection and some advanced display features may not work. For systems that rely on EDID or require frequent device hot-plugging and resolution negotiation, consider an active extender that supports EDID pass-through.

Comparisons with Similar Products

How does the HAY-VGA compare with the other options you might consider for extending VGA signals?

• Cost:Passive baluns are generally less expensive; HAY-VGA is a budget-friendly option.
• Power and electronics:Active baluns include signal conditioning, amplification and often EDID/DDC support. They provide stronger, more consistent signals at longer distances and with higher resolutions, but require power.
• Complexity:Passive solutions are simpler to install and maintain, while active devices may need power outlets, management and potentially firmware updates.

• Distance and quality:Fiber and HDMI-over-IP can handle much longer runs and higher resolutions with better immunity to interference. The HAY-VGA is limited by copper cable characteristics and is best for short-to-medium runs.
• Cost and infrastructure:Fiber and IP solutions tend to be costlier and require specialized endpoints and networking hardware. The HAY-VGA is attractive when you want to re-use existing copper cabling without network switching complexity.
• Latency and features:HDMI-over-IP can add latency and requires network configuration. The HAY-VGA is essentially latency-free and plug-and-play for basic analog video signals.

Customer Feedback and Reviews

At the time of writing there are no manufacturer-supplied customer testimonials included with the product datasheet. Installer feedback for passive VGA baluns in general tends to highlight a few recurring points:

• Installers appreciate the small footprint and passive nature — no power adapters and minimal cable clutter.
• When runs are kept within the recommended distances, image quality is satisfactory for presentations, text and standard-definition video.
• The lack of EDID/DDC can be a limitation in mixed-equipment environments where displays and sources require automatic negotiation; in those cases customers often upgrade to active extenders.

If you need specific user reviews for purchasing decisions, check reseller pages and AV integration forums where installers post real-world results for runs similar to yours.

Conclusion: Why the HAY-VGA Is a Solid Choice for Certain Installations

The Haydon HAY-VGA Passive VGA Balun Pair is a practical, low-cost tool for extending VGA over CAT5e/6 when the priorities are simplicity, economy and re-using existing structured cabling. Its strengths lie in passive operation (no power), compact enclosures, clear distance guidelines by resolution and a straightforward installation workflow. It’s ideal for classrooms, meeting rooms, retail displays and temporary event setups where EDID passthrough is not required.

However, it’s important to match the product to the job: if you require EDID/DDC pass-through, longer distances at high resolutions, or more robust signal conditioning, an active VGA extender, an HDMI-based solution or a fiber-based approach may be more appropriate. For many day-to-day AV tasks where a reliable, inexpensive VGA link is needed and you can control resolution and endpoints, the HAY-VGA offers a sensible balance of cost and functionality.

Practical tip:Use CAT5e/6 solid-core cabling, verify run lengths against the published maximum distances for your target resolution, and test the complete source/display combination before finalizing the installation to ensure acceptable image quality and compatibility.