What is USB 2.0?
USB (Universal Serial Bus) is an interface technology for the serial transmission of digital data. The original standard (USB 1) could transmit data at speeds of up to 12 Mbps (Megabits per second), which equals 1.5 MB/s (Megabytes per second). USB 2.0 has a maximum throughput of 480 Mbps (60 MB/s) up to 40 times faster than USB 1. At that speed it is possible to transfer a full GB (Gigabyte) of data in less than 18 seconds. USB is a master-slave, host-based technology, meaning USB devices need to be connected to a computer, either directly or indirectly via a USB hub in order to communicate with each other. The computer dictates data flow to, from, and between attached USB devices. While 480 Mbps is the maximum speed, data transfer rates will vary depending on a number of factors, including available CPU resources. The USB standard supports up to 127 devices.
The USB 2.0 standard provides higher bandwidth that is necessary for high-speed peripherals such as hard drives, high-speed scanners, CD and DVD drives. USB 2.0 delivers transfer rates of up to 480Mbits/s, while conveniently maintaining backward compatibility with USB 1.1 devices. USB 2.0 can still be used to connect lower-speed USB 1.1 devices like digital cameras and scanners, modems, keyboards, mice, joysticks and printers. Existing USB peripherals will be able to operate with no change in a USB 2.0 system. Lower-speed devices will not require additional performance and will operate as USB 1.1 devices. Connect and disconnect USB 2.0 devices without having to restart your computer. When the new peripheral is connected, it automatically mounts on the desktop, ready for use.
Finalized in 2001, Universial Serial Bus (USB) 2.0 is a complete overhaul of the Universal Serial Bus input/output bus protocol which allows much higher speeds than the older USB 1.1 standard did. The goal of the new serial bus is to broaden the range of external peripherals that can be used on a computer. A hard drive can easily hit the USB 1.1 bottleneck whereas it now becomes more ‘usable’ under USB 2.0 conditions. To those people who found us via search engines, USB 2.0 should neither be called ‘USB2’ nor ‘USB 2’.
USB specification version 2.0 is the next-generation peripheral connection for personal computers. It is intended as an upgrade for USB 1.1. Not only the new standard provides additional bandwidth for multimedia and storage applications but also offers Plug-and-Play capability and full backward compatibility for legacy USB devices.
USB 2.0 is a complete overhaul to the Universal Serial Bus input/output bus protocol which allows much higher speeds than the older USB 1.1 standard did. USB 1.1 allowed a maximum transfer rate of 12Mbits/second. That rate is now called ‘USB.’ Though some manufacturers label their products Full-Speed USB. Note that this seems a bit deceptive.
