USB networking on a multiple access transmission medium

The invention relates in general to local area networks and in particular to local area networks incorporating Universal Serial Bus (USB) capabilities. The invention relates to local area networks typically comprising a LAN hub, a plurality of outer hub devices connected to the LAN hub and a plurality of USB devices and/or LAN computers connected to the plurality of outer hub devices via a respective plurality of USB links. The outer end hubs communicate with the USB devices and LAN computers using USB protocol having time sensitive aspects. To satisfy the requirements of the USB protocol, the outer hub devices perform the time sensitive aspects of the USB protocol. The outer hubs devices are each connected to the LAN hub via a respective point-to-point LAN link or collectively connected via a point-to-multipoint LAN link and communicate thereto using a LAN protocol which permits the outer hub devices to be further than meters from the LAN hub. The LAN protocol is typically a variant of the USB protocol.