USB 2.0 is an external interface used to transfer data between digital devices. It is plug-and-play and backwards compatible with previous versions. USB 2.0 has a maximum cable length of 16 feet and improved transfer speeds compared to USB 1.0. It is used for many devices including memory sticks, cameras, and printers. USB 3.0 was introduced in 2008 with even faster transfer rates of up to 5 Gbit/s while retaining backward compatibility.
Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0 is an external interface used on computers and other digital devices to transfer data over a cable. The “2.0” designation refers to the standard or version of the interface and was released in 2000. Although USB 3.0 was made standard in 2008, it is backwards compatible with previous versions. The main difference between each version has been a dramatic increase in transfer speeds, with USB 2.0 being better than the original version and 3.0 being even faster.
Main features
USB is a plug-and-play interface, which means you don’t have to shut down a computer to connect or disconnect a component. For example, a media player can be connected to a computer via USB while the machine is still in use, making these devices “hot swappable”. The computer registers the device as another storage area and shows all the files it contains. Other types of ports often require someone to shut down a computer before making such a connection, which has led to much of the format’s popularity.
The maximum approved length for a USB 2.0 cable is approximately 16 feet (5 meters). This limitation is based on how fast a signal travels through the cable. If it takes too long, connected devices indicate it was lost, and anything over approximately 16 feet (5 meters) exceeds this time.
Update from 1.0
When USB standards change from an existing version to a newer version, as they did from 1.1 to USB 2.0, the primary improvement is often the speed at which data is transferred between connected devices. In 1.0 and 1.1, two speeds were available: “low speed” with a speed of 1.5 megabits per second (Mbit/s) and “full speed” with 12 Mbit/s. USB 2.0 improved on these with hi-speed transfer rates of 480 Mbit/s. Because this standard is generally backwards compatible, version 2.0 includes the older “full speed” and “low speed” speeds to work with 1.0 devices.
Even in USB 2.0, “low speed” was often used for data transfers between a computer and a mouse or keyboard, except for high-end gaming devices. Memory sticks and external hard drives became much more powerful with the 2.0 standards, as they often encountered “bottlenecks” with older transfer speeds. A bottleneck is a point where data is slowed down by limitations in transfer speeds, such as slower 1.0 port speeds, even though the devices themselves can send and receive data much faster.
Common Devices
In addition to media players, many other external devices use these data ports, including digital cameras, cell phones, and newer cable boxes. Native components also use this interface, such as mice, keyboards, and external hard drives, as well as printers and networking hardware. One of the most popular and convenient USB 2.0 gadgets is a memory stick, capable of storing data for easy transfer between machines.
Introduction of 3.0
In 2008, USB 3.0 was officially adopted as the new standard for this format. It introduced new connections that included more pins, allowing for “SuperSpeed” data transfer rates of up to 5 gigabits per second (Gbit/s). The 3.0 standard retained backward compatibility, including “hi-speed” and “full speed” speeds to work with older USB 2.0 devices.
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