Last updated on April 5th, 2024 at 03:35 pm
Whether you are a gamer or someone curious to know which USB port should you connect the mouse to, knowing the basics of a USB port becomes important.
But for those of you looking for a short answer, “It does not matter to which USB port a mouse or Keyboard is connected since they are low-speed devices. So connecting them to USB 2.0 ports would leave the high-speed ports like USB 3.0 for other fast operations“. To know more keep reading.
Table of Contents
Which USB port is faster? Should you connect the mouse to it?
Thunderbolt 3 is the fastest port available in the market right now. It supports the bandwidth of 40Gbps which is four times faster than the USB 3.0 series. You can easily connect a mouse to it using a Thunderbolt to USB adapter.
But since the mouse and keyboard are very low-speed devices(1.5 Mb), connecting them to such a high-speed port would be a waste of its potential. So connecting them to slower ports like USB 2.0 ports is the best option.
Which USB port should you use for a Wireless mouse?
A wireless mouse comes with a receiver. This receiver is connected to one of the USB ports; 2.0 or 3.0. But just like an ordinary mouse, a wireless mouse can be connected to any port. Because a wireless mouse and keyboard are also low-speed devices, it makes no difference which USB port they are connected to. As a result, connecting them to a USB 2.0 port leaves high-speed ports like USB 3.0 for faster tasks.
How to identify which port is faster in your laptop?
Given below are the identification methods, to identify the correct port:
Shape and Size
It is the first method of screening as almost all the ports differ in shape and size. For example, USB A is rectangular while USB C is oval.
HDMI, USB A, Thunderbolt, etc. have large ports, while the Audio jack, and USB C have smaller ports. SD card readers and Micro SD card readers have thin ports.
Labels
Some laptops give labels near the ports. Hence it becomes easy to recognize the port.
Port Colour
The USB port has different colors according to the USB standard. After determining the USB standard, it becomes easy to know the data transfer speed. The figure below shows different colors associated with each USB standard.
Identify from the device manager
Open the Device Manager on your PC and select Universal Serial Bus Controllers.
The keyword “Enhanced” denotes the USB 2.0, “xHCI” or “Extensible Host Controller Interface” denotes the USB 3.0 series.
Does it matter which USB Port you use for the mouse or keyboard?
No. USB Type-A connectors are used to insert a mouse or keyboard into USB ports. Both keyboard and mouse are low-speed devices with a maximum speed of 1.5 Mbps, which is quite low compared to the speed of USB 3 ports. So connecting them to a USB 2.0 port would be the best option. This is true for wireless mouse and keyboards as well.
It is always a good practice to connect the mouse, keyboard, and other peripherals to a USB hub so that you can have free ports for other high-speed tasks. And since the speed of a mouse and keyboard is insignificant, there is very little to no impact on laptop performance while using a USB hub.
It also keeps the setup organized. Also, they are low-power devices, so an active USB hub is not necessary to power them. You can easily plug them into a passive USB hub.
