How to Compare Ethernet & USB
Ethernet and USB protocols are both widely used in the computer world. While some of their applications do coincide, most of the time, they serve very different purposes. Ethernet and USB also differ in speed and typical usage.
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Speed
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Ethernet comes in several speeds. Most home Ethernet connections as of 2010 are either 100BaseT (and thus 100 Megabits per second) or Gigabit (1000 Mbps or 1 Gigabit per second). USB also offers several different speeds as well: USB 1.0 operates at 1.5 Mbps, USB 2.0 at 12 Mbps, and USB 2.0 High Speed at 480 Mbps. These are all theoretical maximums and will yield somewhat lower transfer rates in real world applications.
Typical Uses
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Ethernet and USB are both commonly packaged with broadband modems but Ethernet is the preferred choice because it is designed for network communications and is more stable and reliable than USB. Beyond modems, USB outshines Ethernet with nearly every other type of computer peripheral and it is used to connect a wide variety of devices ranging from printers to keyboards to mice and cameras.
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Other Considerations
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Since USB can carry a power signal (Ethernet cannot), it is sometimes used to power or charge peripheral devices. Additionally, USB has a maximum cable length limit of about 4 meters, while Ethernet cables can reach up to 100 meters.
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