This problem of max 5 metre cables is primarily to do with the cable delay spec down the line …you can get some info here from usb.org, together with ways of making lengths over 5m feasible (active extenders/hubs etc)… trying to maintain the signal without major loss/degradation is often achieved up to x5 of active extenders/hubs, but as always it is the quality of the equipment/cables that will play a part, particularly if a usb2 device is being used.