The USB standard also provides multiple benefits for hardware manufacturers and software developers, specifically in the relative ease of implementation: When a user plugs a device into a port on a running computer, it either entirely automatically configures using existing device drivers, or the system prompts the user to locate a driver, which it then installs and configures automatically.

Installing a device that relies on the USB standard requires minimal operator action.

The USB interface defines protocols for recovery from common errors, improving reliability over previous interfaces.

Because use of the USB logo is only permitted after compliance testing, the user can have confidence that a USB device will work as expected without extensive interaction with settings and configuration.

Small devices can be powered directly from the USB interface, eliminating the need for additional power supply cables.

The USB interface is hot-swappable (devices can be exchanged without rebooting the host computer).

As such, USB devices often do not have user-adjustable interface settings.

USB takes full advantage of the additional processing power that can be economically put into peripheral devices so that they can manage themselves.

USB connectors are standardized at the host, so any peripheral can use most available receptacles.

The USB interface is self-configuring, eliminating the need for the user to adjust the device's settings for speed or data format, or configure interrupts, input/output addresses, or direct memory access channels.

įrom the computer user's perspective, the USB interface improves ease of use in several ways: The Universal Serial Bus was developed to simplify and improve the interface between personal computers and peripheral devices, when compared with previously existing standard or ad hoc proprietary interfaces. Further diagrams and discussion of plugs and receptacles can be found in the main article above. This section is intended to allow fast identification of USB receptacles (sockets) on equipment. USB-A 3.1 Gen 1 (formerly known as USB 3.0 later renamed USB 3.1 Gen 1) ports USB connectors have been increasingly replacing other types as charging cables of portable devices.

Examples of peripherals that are connected via USB include computer keyboards and mice, video cameras, printers, portable media players, mobile (portable) digital telephones, disk drives, and network adapters. It has largely replaced interfaces such as serial ports and parallel ports, and has become commonplace on a wide range of devices. USB was designed to standardize the connection of peripherals to personal computers, both to communicate with and to supply electric power. 12 Comparisons with other connection methods.

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