USB

USB is an interface used to connect a wide range of peripherals (such as keyboards, mice, webcams, external drives, etc.). Over the years, USB has evolved through multiple versions, each offering increased speed and new features.

USB Versions and Bandwidth

USB 1.1:

• The earliest version of USB.
• Low-speed: 1.5 Mb/s
• Full-speed: 12 Mb/s

USB 2.0:

• Unified the previous speeds and increased bandwidth up to 480 Mb/s
• Backward compatible with USB 1.1

USB 3.0:

• Introduced 5 Gb/s bandwidth
• Backward compatible with USB 2.0 and 1.1

USB 3.1:

• Launched alongside the USB-C connector.
• Gen 1: 5 Gb/s (same as USB 3.0)
• Gen 2: 10 Gb/s

USB 3.2:

• Rebranded previous USB 3.x versions and introduced a new high-speed mode.
• Gen 1: 5 Gb/s
• Gen 2: 10 Gb/s
• Gen 2×2: 20 Gb/s (requires USB-C and dual-lane operation)

USB4 (USB 4.0):

• Bandwidth up to 40 Gb/s
• Unified USB and Thunderbolt protocols
• Supports DisplayPort Alt Mode and PCIe
• Requires USB-C connector
• Backward compatible with USB 3.x and USB 2.0

USB4 Version 2.0:

• Latest USB standard (announced in 2022)
• Bandwidth up to 80 Gb/s using new signaling over USB-C
• Maintains full compatibility with USB4, USB 3.x, USB 2.0, and Thunderbolt 3
• Supports DisplayPort 2.1 and PCIe 4.0 for improved video and data performance
• Designed for future high-performance peripherals and advanced docking stations