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Increasingly it seems that more and more devices are able to connect with our home computers and laptops, sharing data and files easily. Our mobiles, external hard drives, personal digital assistants, (PDAs), digital cameras, video cameras, web cameras and a whole host of other devices. Whilst being able to share data, move data around and connect all these different separate technological devices together is fantastic, there can sometimes be drawbacks. There are several possible ways in which these devices can connect to your computer, such as infra red and Bluetooth, but the most popular is USB.
In fact, even devices such as printers and scanners often use USB cables to connect to your computer. If you have a printer, a scanner, a digital camera, a web camera and a mobile phone, you may well find you already need five different USB sockets. The chances are that you only have two, although if you're lucky you may have another two on the opposite side.
There are computers with more than this number, but on average between two and six USB sockets is about normal. This can prove to be a problem, which is why manufacturers have designed a wide range of USB hubs. These are devices which plug into one single USB socket, and then provide a further number of sockets for other devices. Effectively they work a little like multi adaptors for electrical sockets, in that one single socket becomes four, six or even eight sockets, all of which can be used independently from one another.
This is great news, and means that you can plug all of your devices in without having to keep unplugging and swapping devices all the time. This can be a real pain if the sockets happen to be at the back of your computer. With most computers underneath a desk, and backed up against the wall or rear of the desk, it can mean crawling around on the dusty floor pulling at your heavy box and pulling cables out, trying to work out which one is for which device.
But there can be another problem with USB devices. Since most sockets for devices are at the back of the computer, the length of cable needed to go from the back of the computer, up the side of the desk, and round to the front of the desk for a peripheral or device to be connected can easily be two metres. Most USB devices seem to come with cables that only extend as far as one metre. With eight devices all connected to your computer and restricted to being placed within a one metre radius, you can often find that they become cluttered and inconvenient.
This is why USB extension cables have been provided, and buying one or two of these can really make a difference. Whilst it's true that data integrity may reduce over a long length of cable, a two or even three metre USB extension cable will not alter the performance of your device noticeably, but will provide much greater flexibility and ease of use.
About the Author
Victor Epand is an expert consultant for computer parts and suits & ties. Shop here to find USB ports, USB extension cables, formal suits & ties, and computer parts in Canada.
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