Hardware why does my router have usb

[nukeboy95]

i got a new router a few days ago and it has 2 usb 3.0 slots in it why?

 

[raulpica]

Media sharing capabilities. You can stick an USB pendrive or an HD and you can stream its content to the entire network.

Should also work with an USB printer, too.

 

[KiiWii]

Read the instructions?

 

[Clydefrosch]

its for printer and storage. i use a usb stick in mine to send documents that need printing from my laptop to the pc with the printer

 

[Originality]

Some routers support webcams too.

And some routers need USB for firmware updates.

But yeah, generally sharing printers and USB drives to the whole network.

 

[nukeboy95]

thats cool
usb 3.0 ports work with 2.0?

 

[Sanoblue]

>.< usb is backwards compad.... always has been

 

[porkiewpyne]

Yeap, backwards-compatible.

 

[marcus134]

also, some router support torrent client

 

[SifJar]

As said above, it can be used for sharing USB storage devices and printers over the network. Can also be used for charging any device that can charge via USB (e.g. most phones, MP3 players, iPods, etc.).

Have also seen it used for exploiting routers to load custom firmware (e.g. DD-WRT), although that obviously isn't a "feature" as such and isn't the purpose for it being there. Just a nice added extra.

In some cases, with the right firmware on the router (e.g. DD-WRT), you can even run a server on the router, using USB for storage. With port forwarding, you can have that server accessible externally, just like any other server. Seeing as a router is generally always switched on anyway, it's a relatively low (additional) power option if you're thinking of setting up a server for any reason.

There are probably dozens of other uses, especially if you install a custom firmware such as DD-WRT (unless you specifically want some of those features though, it's probably not worth the hassle of installing DD-WRT).

 

[Pleng]

Some also allow you to use a 3G dongle as a backup (or main) connection