USB 2 / 1 Cables

wobbley

Can anyone tell me please - Is there any physical difference between a normal (USB 1) cable and one that is supposedly for USB 2 ? Will a USB 2 device work at the higher speed with any working cable?
I know some manufacturers and retailers charge more for them if they are specifically marked USB 2 but I assume that the actual connections and internal cables are the same to allow for backwards compatability with USB 1.
I have asked several people this but never got a definate answer.

Dude

The connections of USB and USB 2 are identical.

matty_c608

If a Device is made for USB 1 though, it will not function at the extrra speed. However a USB 2 port will still take this, and will still work!

Matt.

John_Gray

Being the old cynic I am, I suspect the difference between the cables marked USB 1.1 and USB 2.0 is the printing on the packaging, and the price! There's a bit about the various speeds on the usb.org website, and a FAQ (in which I can't find the answer to your question!)...

John

ManAtHome

I have a number of USB1 and 2 devices - the cables which came with the USB2 ones are slightly thicker (possibly better internal insulation), but haven't had a problem using at least a couple of the USB1 cables with USB2 devices (mind you, very few USB2 devices run flat out anyway).

Lorian

And remember PCworld's £15 USB cables are almost identical to ebuyer's ones for less than a quid.

thesealeyboy

wobbley wrote:

Can anyone tell me please - Is there any physical difference between a normal (USB 1) cable and one that is supposedly for USB 2 ? Will a USB 2 device work at the higher speed with any working cable?
I know some manufacturers and retailers charge more for them if they are specifically marked USB 2 but I assume that the actual connections and internal cables are the same to allow for backwards compatability with USB 1.
I have asked several people this but never got a definate answer.

As far as I was aware the difference is that USB 2 cables are screened, which filters out interferance and therefore allows for the increase in speed. Although I have a couple of USB 1 devices still, as a rule I always buy USB 2 cables and accessories.

A recent purchase from CPC got me to 5 metre, high quality USB leads for less than a tenner...

charlieheard

The difference between the cables is what transmission speed they are certified to support. Depending on the quality of the product, it may well support much higher speeds than that certified, but cheaper ones are much less likely to be able to run at higher speeds.

So you may be lucky and run USB1.1 cables at USB2 speeds, but only USB2 cables will be guaranteed to do so. I would guess that most thicker cables could run USB2, but thin ones are much more likely to be flakey...

wobbley

Thanks for your answers peeps