What are the benefits of the USB interface?
Cross-platform: All PCs and Apple computers include USB ports.
Hot swappable: No need to shut down or restart your computer when adding or removing a USB device. Plug it in and it's ready.
Multiple USB devices on a single USB port: Using USB hubs, you can connect up to 127 peripherals on a single USB port.
Easy installation: One standardized port makes it simple to connect.
There are multiple types of USB: SuperSpeed USB 3.0, Hi-Speed USB 2.0, and USB 1.1. Can I use any type of USB device with any USB interface?
Yes. Please note that adding a faster USB device to a slower USB interface does not optimize performance. For example, connecting a USB 3.0 device to a USB 2.0 computer port will not take advantage of the faster transfer rates available to USB 3.0. In such a case, the device could not go beyond 480Mb/s.
What are the speed differences between USB 3.0 and USB 2.0?
Transfer rates for USB 3.0 can attain up to 5Gb/s as opposed to USB 2.0's 480 Mb/s. This means USB 3.0 is theoretically up to ten times faster than its predecessor.
For more information about USB, please visit our Technology Page.
Data transfers are the flow of data (e.g. files, folders, etc.) from storage to computer RAM or between storage devices. To avoid delays in data transfers or “hanging”, it is best to wait for a transfer to finish before launching other applications. Another reason for a data hang could be USB controllers that do not conform to OHCI (Open Host Controller Interface) standards.
If you experience a lag when transferring your data: