Understanding USB Cable Types and Which One to Use

[patriciabrowne]

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.

[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!

[dankiniammoomma]

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

[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.

[sonitawong]

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...

[wendylaw]

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.

[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.

[mstjazzy]

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!

[wilrausure]

TYTY You were clear and concise and to the point.

[cinnie]

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!

[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:

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.

[levimichaud]

I can’t even say how much I appreciate you

[karene]

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

[guyfaux]

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

[elliotspevack]

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.

[williamfitch]

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

[gmtgsong]

Thank you, organized and clear presentation!

[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.