Understanding USB Cable Types and Which One to Use

[@patriciabrowne4222]

Thank you for explaining these cables as I am 72yrs old and loving all this help to keep me up to date . I have lots off time on my hands so I want to keep learning. You have done a wonderful job. Love from a Granny.

[@racerx1189]

I'm glad you're so engaged in these gadgets "Granny". Many would give up saying it's too difficult or challenging. God bless. 🙏😊

[@ijaripanju3408]

​@@racerx1189I was thinking the same . She's still willing and learning at 79 ... hats of to you Patty, I've always thought one never stops learning so long as one keeps curiosity and willingness to do so .

[@gcauldwell]

Superb teacher - neither too fast nor too slow; top down, clear, and understandable the first time; unfortunately too rare

[@magicalflowers]

Most instructional videos these days take so long to get to the point. Thank you for not being verbose. I learned a lot!

[@gotsm9959]

@Magicalflowers: This video is lying because magnetic micro USB conversation is the soupier usb . You can use bluetooth and wifi for data transfer.

[@dankiniammoomma6957]

Few words, Good explanation.. Thank you bro.. 💐

[@wilrausure6901]

TYTY You were clear and concise and to the point.

[@TrionityIr]

Understanding the different families of usb cables has been on my To-do-list for a long time. I can finally check that off my list. Edit: Article is even better. Suggest people read that as well.

[@sonitawong7993]

Thank You for this video...I am a senior, and I needed an adapter and purchased the wrong one, because I was confused, and did not know about the USB Cable Types or Standard Speeds...This video is a real help...

[@levimichaud9188]

I can’t even say how much I appreciate you

[@wendylaw3971]

A lot of info in 6 minutes 👍 Definitely would of been helpful to show the end of all the USB cables up close when they were on the table.

[@gmtgsong4635]

Thank you, organized and clear presentation!

[@magicalflowers]

And you even linked a website in your description with a handy dandy visual so I can take a snapshot - Awesome!

[@codycbradio]

Although not commonly used, there are USB Micro Type A connectors as well as USB Mini Type A connectors. I have actually had a use for the Mini Type A connectors when connecting two graphing calculators together for transferring files from on to the other.

[@williamfitch1408]

I'm well happy with that explanation. Thank you so much.

[@karene3071]

Good video! Nice pace, clear diction, and it all made sense. Thank you!!

[@cinnie2543]

So clear. Thank you. In my ignorant mind I just identified the micro USB and the USB C by their shapes, which did not help at all when I wanted to order them!

[@mitzujones1967]

What an awesome tutorial. I learned so much. Thank you for sharing.

[@myema5694]

This is just what I needed. Great explanation. Thanks.

[@mstjazzy8994]

FINALLY, a well-made, informative video, one of the best I've ever watched. You are an excellent speaker and have a pleasant recording voice. You also speak at a nice pace. I will immediately close them if the speaker's voice makes annoying sounds, like those with hard S's. That is like fingernails on a chalkboard. I tend to be critical due to my role at my previous job. I appreciate the information you provided about connecting computers using a dual USB C cable (the end that you plug into a charger on both ends). You mentioned it wouldn't know which is the primary, or host computer. I have a laptop with a severely cracked screen and wanted to use a cable to view what I had on the hard drive, then transfer pictures and files to a storage device. I don't recall if the old laptop has an HDMI port, but I think I'll check. I can usually figure things out, but don't know enough to know what the best options are. Also, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for explaining about the speeds etc. I can't begin to tell you how much I've spent on orders from Amazon. Users like myself end up spending so much money on multiple cables, adapters and devices, when a few would probably suffice. The only suggestion I have is that it would be helpful to provide additional information, if possible, regarding the micro-USB with the extra "piece" on the end since it's not one that is seen often. Thank you!

[@kumaquattro]

MUO, Outstanding explanation, just what I needed to now . Thank you, great video .

[@chrisw2119]

Thanks , Very informative

[@aaronr5841]

I don’t know if anyone has ever told you this but… you da man.

[@d2vmusic]

Perfectly explained, thank you. I now know exactly which cable I need for my phone.

[@ItsVideos]

3:12 You will see USB-A male to USB-A female cables. They are extension cables. Same goes for extension cables for B, mini, micro, and C.

[@elliotspevack428]

Laplink made and continues to make USB Type A Male to USB Type A Male cables for connecting two PCs, with appropriate electronics in-between the two ends. I used to use one of these with a program called Laplink Gold to sync data between two PCs.

[@guyfaux1494]

I have to say, you don't waste time with superfilous jargon... GREAT Prestentation. "this guy gets straight to the point". Koodoos,mate.

[@XSpImmaLion]

This is good info for beginners, but I'll complement a bit for those who are already used with this concept. To note: it's more complete on the complete article. I'll just add some more information, but if you wanna read in depth detailed info, the wiki article for USB standards is probably the way to go: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB You'd better see these types not for cables, because cables don't have types (just a certain number of wires), but for plugs/connectors instead. You have male and female plugs for all those standards, but there are some things to note. Although there are standards for the plugs/connectors themselves, the specification for them regarding power, functionality and what exactly the device/piece of electronics offers through it is a whole other story. Usually, if well implemented by the manufacturer of the device, it shouldn't matter what particular cable you use as long as it fits. Unfortunately though, there are plenty of bad manufacturers out there which didn't stick to the standard properly, so there are chances of damaging your electronics if you don't use cables that are explicitly compatible with your phone, camera, accessory and whatnot - specially from USB 3.0 and above. Among the reasons why incompatibility happens to the point of damaging your device happened is because USB 3.0 and above carries more power, and so if it isn't implemented correctly, it's enough power to damage electronic components. Depending on where you live, you could still find for the most part accessories that are still using USB 2.0 as a standard for pendrives, accessories like SD card readers, smartphones and whatnot. In developed contries the switch to USB Type-C is happening relatively fast, but not so much in other countries. On functionalities and protocols in standards like USB 2.0, 3.0, 3.1, 3.2 and Type-C - unfortunately, it's super lose, opaque by design, and extremely confusing to consumers. For instance, the latest USB 3.1 Type-C standard implemented has the potential to transmit video signal to 4K monitors, to receive and send power, to receive and transmit fast data and a slew of other functions. But this only happens if the manufacturer of the device implements their side with all components needed, which the majority of manufaturers don't, and they also do not include what exactly their USB implementation is capable of in documentation and technical spec sheets. If you want to know what a particular device is capable of through their USB port implementation, you will have to search around on the Internet to know exactly what it's capable of with people who have bought and tested it thoroughly. This problem of implementation differences started becoming relevant when USB 2 advanced a few years. In smartphones, you have phones with microUSB 2.0 ports that can charge and transmit data only. In other phones, you could have standards like OtG that enables you to connect accessories like a keyboard, mouse, gamepad and others. Or compatibility to MHL, which allowed you to connect a dongle to transmit audio and video directly to a monitor/TV. But you see, as not all manufacturers implemented those protocols, and they either hid or didn't present what exactly their phones were capable of, it was and still is extremely hard to know without testing. There were also power differences with the implementation of fast charging standards, problems with cables designed to charge only and not transmit data, among several other things. But all of these became 10 fold worse with the implementation of USB Type-C connector standard for the new USB 3.1. We now not only have several different power levels that devices and charges could come with, but also proprietary ones. Fast charge is an overall standard, but you have stuff like Dash Charge for OnePlus phones, QuickCharge for Xiaomi phones, Turbo Charge for Motorola phones, SuperCharge for Huawei phones... etc etc etc. These are all proprietary, they sometimes require proprietary cables and wall warts, but they mostly revert to slower charging if generic USB Type-C cables and wall warts are used. Further, with each USB version past 3.1, instead of it being a fixed standard, they all have different speeds, powers and capabilities depending on implementation. Even the naming became extremely confusing with the latest version being called USB 3.2 2x2. There were tons of problems with mismatches and equipment being fried for using 3rd party cables and wall warts initially when USB Type-C devices were released, but these days the recommendation goes more or less like this: if you are buying a USB Type-C 3.1 capable smartphone, stick to the cables and wall wart that comes with it. If you absolutely need to buy extra cables and extra wall warts, do your research and be sure it'll work well with your smartphone. There are still chances that if you don't pay attention to this and buy some random cable and wall wart on eBay or something, that those could fry your electronics. Other tidbits: USB 4 is coming out, and it'll include Apple's Thunderbolt 3 specification. Thunderbolt 3 with 4 lanes (this is regarding data) compatibility is what you are looking for in laptops if you intend to use an external graphics processing unit (eGPU). Other than the afforementioned specifications, there are several other custom cables and implementations that might be proprietary and work only with a particular device or brand. Since USB 2 days, there already was a flurry of different connectors that are not among the ones Ben listed, and this unfortunately continues to this day. Funny enough, I have a couple of USB A to USB A cables. They are out of spec, but they do exist. I also have cables that goes from USB A to pin barrel and barrel connectors, from USB A 2 to a custom tiny T shaped connector for a tiny drone, and others. Lots of manufacturers don't follow standards properly. I could go on and on and on about this subject, because it's an endless stream of incompatibility issues and bad implementation plus manufacturers not following the standards properly.... but it's endless, so I'll just stop here. Just know that the subject is waaaay more complex than it might seem at first, and even the confusing plugs is just less than half the story.

[@jeanniehause4364]

Your presentation was just great! Very informative and clear. Thank you!

[@madgebailey2311]

Thanks, really helpful to non-geeks like me x

[@euchrideucrow1970]

Fantastic! Thank you for making it simple as.

[@lalitha34]

I know nothing about it amazing 😱😱🤩thank you very much 👏👏👏👍👍

[@happyreaper5562]

USB A to USB A Does serve a purpose - as an extension cord. For example, a wired USB A keyboard or mouse can use a USB A to A as an extension cable

[@johnfletcher6562]

Very helpful, thank you sir.

[@245webster]

Excellent presentation..thanks for posting this

[@Muntaka95]

thank you that is the vedio i was looking for. thanks once again sir

[@oneveryfrustratedguy6702]

Found this video on the website you're getting a sub.

[@Geakopov]

The most helpful video , thanks ,

[@hArtyTruffle]

Subbed as clear and very useful for us tech noobs. Thanks 👍🏼

[@jdl9623]

Miss watching this video about USB cable types is like missing the day of school when they taught everything

[@Chemy.]

Hopefully it will become a real standard with USB 4

[@levimichaud9188]

Thank you so much man

[@flipperdale51]

Perfect. Thanks

[@GereDJ2]

Thanks for the lesson. I wonder why the USB people don't standardize. I mean, it would be to their advantage.

[@MakeUseOf]

Well, USB was supposed to be a standardization. But then they keep making it better, and you end up with a new USB standard ;) It seems for now they've settled on the USB-C plug size, and there's a variety of compatible speed standards within that - everything from USB2.0 to USB4.0 and Thunderbolt 3 can use that plug.

[@graemeallen7131]

Thanks for your help I was completely confused about the USB C Cable that I have still been unable to find a device that uses it. I am not really updated to the latest devices but I have a galaxy s7 phone that has a USB A And a little USB port on a dongle which allows me to quickly get the best performance of my phone to a new device.

[@michaellarcom]

There's got to be something a difference between the older style Android phone looking charge cords that charge these many keyboards because a regular standard Android phone cord won't charge this mini keyboard

[@madmusial]

This was great thank you.

[@rubbers3]

A good video for a layman that doesn't need to know all of the technical data, speeds, etc, but I'm surprised you didn't mention Thunderbolt at all. Maybe you'll do a follow-up video with those more technical details?

[@MakeUseOf]

Thunderbolt is tricky since it's an Apple/Video thing mainly - we didn't include as anyone looking for basic info on USB wouldn't be looking for Thunderbolt, even though it's technically a serial bus. But if we do a follow up one on video connections, it will absolutely be in that.

[@harshavardhana6602]

VERY INFORMATIVE...THANKS, MAN

[@wassen46]

Thank you for including PlayStation as preference. That is what I needed to know.

[@cloacs7175]

Lol for safe mode?

[@eugenenel7350]

I really wish you covered the actuall cable and not only the connectors, but I guess this is only to explain it on a basic level.

[@bornbranded29]

Thanks. I've been trying to figure out what these cables mean, and it's soooooo confusing.

[@Kodyntro]

Thank you, it is great video

[@blackwidowkratom4614]

Great video, one correction. There is a USB “A to A”.

[@Nisa-yq9so]

Very very informative ! Thank you

[@sjlevi99]

There are USB a to a cables. In fact, some hard drives and laptop coolers use USB a connections.

[@RangeRov49]

Good vid man! Though, USB A male to USB A female is perfect for USB extention!

[@romilalal5197]

Thank you very much.

[@kimyoupi5463]

great clip. what is the best USB cord for Android Auto ? Thanks.

[@victor7530]

Thank you.

[@EddieJazzFan]

It's really too bad that, like you said, USB is NOT universal. They really missed the boat by not standardizing the connectors. It s kind of reminds me of the 70s when you went to get a new needle for your turntable and whatever you bought it was wrong one and wouldn't fit.

[@MakeUseOf]

I mean, they did standardise it... then realised it was rubbish, and made a new standard. Then realised there were too many standards, so they made a new standard to standardize everything. :)

[@god1tet]

Whichever one fits....

[@asgorreidaa]

Good info. 👍

[@mdc2752]

I've got a question why do some USB ports bring up on my device check charge and sync cable but when I use other USB plugs it not

[@warrevd3378]

nice video helpt me a lot!! Good explanation.

[@rakeshraysim73]

Thanks for the knowledge

[@julieannemichelle]

I have a question for you. I have a cat and I’ve bought several electronic toys for her. I guess they got sucked up in the black hole because I can’t seem to find them. I want to get replacements but I don’t know what size to get. Do you have any recommendations or suggestions?

[@michaellarcom]

I have a fire box that came with the mini keyboard I lost the USB cord to it and every chord I try to use to charge this keyboard don't seem to work is there a Pacific type of USB cord for that was many firebox charging cords to the mini keyboard?. I mean I've tried every single one I could possibly use it looks like it's for the older style Android phones

[@akuoko_konadu]

Helped a lot

[@Coneman3]

I want to connect my tv to my DAC for audio but the connections are different. I used to use optical but this DAC has no optical input.

[@ChristiandaveRobles]

Thank you❤

[@carolburnett8372]

Wow, you know so much about cables...... (scared to ask you this, but ) we want a cable to hook to a Mac book pro 2014 version 2 and make it work with some the latest toys and things you can now do......so the cables would have to connect a version 2 (MacBook) with a version 4 (MacBook) so to speak......

[@JennyGavinWear]

Why do some usb c to usb c do fast change and some only do slow, please?

[@lynnmcclaine7683]

Helpful information, but it went a little fast for me. (I'm a slow listener.☺️)

[@Hoppitot]

haha I ran it on 1.25x XD

[@chrispuklicz8614]

Do usbc 3.0 have six wires inside instead of 4?

[@ps5stuffguy]

Is usbc to usba the same speed as usbc to usbc? Thinking of ps5

[@toasted9383]

Idk why but i want to know if a phone charger cable used as a usb one....

[@BariumCobaltNitrog3n]

but how can you tell data from charge only cables?

[@DrAnne-mc8er]

*Thanks for this helpful video. I'm almost afraid to ask, but I recently bought a 2GB external (solid state) hard drive. The instructions refer to it as having a **_"USB 3.1"_** connection. The plug on the cable and the socket on the device look identical to a standard USB 3.0 though. Could it just be that 3.1 is a little faster than 3.0, or am I missing something here? Thanks again.*

[@MakeUseOf]

Very confusingly, USB3.1 Gen 1 is actually USB3.0 Superspeed, but they changed the name. Exactly the same thing, not even faster. Same plug, same everything.

[@DrAnne-mc8er]

@@MakeUseOf Many thanks for clarifying so swiftly. I know it's too much of a cash-cow for all the manufacturers, but wouldn't it be great if literally every piece of hardware used identical plugs and sockets, whether it be Apple, Sony, Samsung etc, and whether it be cell phone, tablet PC or MP3 player etc. As an old song used to say; _"Life could be a dream..."_ 😊

[@carolburnett8372]

@@DrAnne-mc8er I agree with you, but that is what they do not want to do (greed) .....if there was more love for humanity, then, yes they would make it simple for us....

[@oguven8198]

great vid thx a lot

[@lisaevelyn7354]

Hi,,,the USB from your ph to a 8" Digital Photo Frame????

[@Max-ye9xg]

Usba at least they're strong and don't break I like them it's worth the little bit of size for the strength

[@gmsharky]

Was looking for an explanation of USB mini type A, but you dont mention it

[@user-gs6hi1uq7w]

it is great video

[@Max-ye9xg]

USB C is good because it's symmetrical can go up or down the micro b you could never tell which way to put it in harm the plug

[@daleinada4306]

Gracias

[@JeffM---]

Thanks.

[@sundingouesh7955]

Type-C space program? And color of cords meaning for country?

[@Ucanchokeonit]

Why didn't you mention OTGs?

[@Sb631flex]

Question maybe you can help me. My dj mixer and external hd are usb a. I’m updating my MacBook to a 2022 which obviously has the usb c inputs. I’ll likely need adapters. But will there be any problems with communication between devices with these new adapters and usb protocols? Also can I also get usb 3 cables to replace old usb a cables to speed up data transfer?

[@MakeUseOf]

I've never had issues with those simple USB-C to USB-A adpators that you find on Amazon - there's no electronics in them, just plug changes, so no issues with compatibility. Getting a small hub might be easier though - a couple of USB ports, going into a single USB-C port - as the adptors can be quite large, and won't neccessarily fit alongisde each other, physically speaking. Upgrading the cable won't change the speed of the device on the end I'm afraid. Your USB2 HDD enclosure is limited by the speed of the USB port, so you'd need to upgrade the whole enclosure to benefit from USB-3 speeds.

[@savlog9396]

Where can buy that ?

[@MartellThaCool]

I like micro USB cable connector and USB Type C connector.

[@topasioo]

I hear a lot of people say no USB a to USB a cable and I have one to connect a External HD

[@MakeUseOf]

They're rare, but they do exist. That must be a very old device though.

[@Soothsayer210]

you didn't talk about the wattages it they supports. I was more interested in that.

[@Max-ye9xg]

There is a mini b that looks like a top hat unfortunately cameras have a mini b ,but it has 8 Pin for Nikon cameras the standard mini B has five pins and is bigger was super confusing

[@joachimfrydenlund488]

Intel's Thunderbolt cable is different from a standard USB C cable

[@rich9748]

I have a device that they say uses micro USB but are there different types of micro USB cables? Most people say they had to try 10 different micro USB cables until one of them worked.

[@MakeUseOf]

There's one two types: power or data+power. Power cables do not transmit data, only the power pins are connected for charging. Data has all four pins connected. So plugging in a power cable when you want to connect it to your PC will not work. Sadly, these aren't labelled anywhere, so it's a case of trial and error!

[@CC-4444]

Hi @Muo I just purchased a lenovo smart tab m8 with google assistant , could you tell me what type of usb this is? I want to buy a usb to hdmi adapter ( im aware it can be mirrored) but its for a non smart tv. I purchased a micro usb to hdmi adapter from best buy but it does not fit even though it the lenovo says micro usb. I tried to research it but cant find any info..any insight you can offer would be a greatly appreciated!

[@MakeUseOf]

It's definitely microUSB - you sure you got it the right way up? That said, these USB to HDMI MHL adaptors are notoriously unreliable, even if you do it plugged it the chances of it working are slim.

[@TheAbsoluteSir]

The effing CompTIA textbook asked me to identify a 2 dimensional USB cable picture and I seem to have almost no way of knowing whether or not it is a USB micro or mini because I cannot rotate it... Anyone else have this same issue.

[@MakeUseOf]

Mini is taller and fatter with a sort of L-shape of the sides; micro is quite flat looking.

[@tashawareaves1425]

Electricity and Technology mixed??

[@robertclark4929]

What is USB 2.0. 3.0 etc??

[@7fink7]

if screen damaged,how to allow data??????

[@MakeUseOf]

Can you see anything at all? Is it just the touch functionality that's broken? You could try a USB mouse in the USB-OTG port first.