What is the Data Transfer Rate of a USB?

USB (Universal Serial Bus) is an input/output bus protocol that is used for a wide array of peripherals and devices, such as hard drives, video cameras and webcams. There are two primary types of USB: USB 1.1 and USB 2.0.

History

USB was invented due to the lack of flexibility that previous protocols were able to provide. USB was first introduced to the public in January 1996 (USB 1.1). The inventor of USB was Ajay Bhatt, who was an employee of Intel at the time. Its successor, USB 2.0, was introduced shortly thereafter. USB 2.0 was reconfigured by the Promoter Group to maximize its data transfer rate, in 1999.

Capabilities

USB 1.1 is able to transfer data at 2 different bus speeds, a low rate of 1.5 Megabytes per second (Mbps), and a full rate of 12 Mbps. USB 2.0 was originally designed to transfer data at a maximum rate of 240 Mbps. It was reconfigured in 1999, allowing it to transfer data at a rate of up to 480 Mbps.

Uses

USB is used with a wide variety of devices, including scanners, printers, keyboards, mice, card readers, flash devices, monitors, MP3 players, gamepads, and hubs. The transfer rate differs between these devices because some require a lesser transfer speed (mice, keyboards, etc.), while other devices (scanners, digital cameras, etc.) require a greater transfer speed.

References

• Everything USB: USB 2.0
• Lammert Bies: Introduction to USB
• Linux: USB List
• Apple: Device Overview
• USB Transfer Cable: USB