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Finding an available port for your computer peripheral could be very difficult, particularly if you need several ports for your numerous gadgets. And the difficulty gets more challenging if what you are looking for are ports with serial, parallel and non-USB connectors, because modern computers have either removed or reduced the use of non-USB ports.
If you cannot locate any available non-USB ports, you can still put your non-USB devices to use. Simply buy yourself a USB adapter. You may ask, is a USB adapter better than the ordinary expansion card? Here are the benefits of employing a USB adapter:
1. Compatibility. Whether you want to connect the serial, parallel port, or any other non-USB ports to your computer using the USB adapter, you won’t have any problem getting them to work properly. The USB adapter permits your devices to work if connected to a USB port.
2. Price. Buying an expansion card is costlier than buying a USB cable.
3. Universality. Previously, there were certain ports that were compatible with only specific devices like printers and modems, particularly for printer ports. USB Adapter accommodates all (depending on the type of USB adapter) non-USB connectors of any computer peripherals. This short list would include modems, keyboards, joysticks, and mouse with 9- or 25-pin serial connectors.
4. Availability. USB adapters are more plentiful than expansion cards and, in turn, are easier to find. A local computer shop or online store could be a rich resource.
5. Practicality. While most of the gadgets on the market have USB connectors, computers and other host systems also have USB ports. And because non-USB ports are more difficult to find, you can resort to a USB adapter to connect your non-USB devices to your computer.
6. No additional expansion cards required. Normally, when you link devices with a non-USB connector to your computer you would require additional expansion cards for each of these. If you would add any peripheral or a joystick and a modem with non-USB connectors, you would have to add an equal number of expansion cards for each use. With a USB adapter, all you need is a USB port to link any non-USB device to your computer.
7. Multipliable. Because a single USB port can accommodate up to 127 devices (including hubs), you can attach several non-USB devices without the use of expansion cards. This means that if you have a number of non-USB devices, all you need to do is to provide each with USB adapter and a hub to connect them to the source.
8. Simple installation. If you decide to use an expansion card for your single device, you have to open up the computer casing in order for the expansion card to be installed on your motherboard. However, that is not the end of it. You still have to turn on your computer to reboot it before the card will start functioning. With a USB adapter, all you have to do is to attach the connector of your non-USB device to the adapter, insert the adapter into the USB port of your computer and in no time, your gadget is working–even while your computer is turned on.
With all these benefits, would you still prefer using expansion cards for your non-USB devices? Of course, not! The availability of USB adapters has made connecting devices to your computer easier, quicker, and cheaper.
Tagged with: computer peripheral • USB • USB adapter
Filed under: USB Devices