USB OTG Adapter: Features, Features, Price

A few years ago, no one could have imagined that in the near future, computer technology would be replaced by mobile gadgets. Not long ago, in May 2013, there was a "fracture" of the market for computers and mobile devices, such as tablet PCs, smartphones and transformers (tablets with a plug-in keyboard) in favor of the latter. Yes, it's hard to believe, but, according to the purchasing department of Euroset, people are more likely to buy modern tablets than full-fledged PCs. Why is this happening?

The fact is that the advanced devices based on "Android" have impressive functionality and are able to replace a number of tasks that only a computer could have managed before. For example, using a smartphone or tablet, a user can browse the web, watch movies, play games, type text. In addition, cheap models cost only a few hundred dollars, which means that almost everyone can afford such a device. Of course, for complex tasks such as programming, editing video and photos, complex mathematical calculations, PC will be more suitable, but not everyone does it.

What "can" mobile devices?

The power of modern gadgets is quite impressive. Many of them have processors with four cores and frequency over two GHz, several gigabytes of RAM, an excellent video accelerator, capable of processing games with incredibly beautiful graphics, etc. All this allows you to play HD video, process images from high-quality cameras, play Games and much more. To store content, smartphones are equipped with built-in hard disks (often 64 GB), in addition, almost all models support flash cards that can expand the gadget's memory several times! Not impressive? Let's go further! Almost any modern device can be connected to a TV, a printer, a camera, a flash drive and other equipment. How? The most common way is to connect devices to the USB OTG-standard. Of course, there are other ways, such as Wi-Fi, NFC, Bluetooth, but these are wireless standards, which, while more convenient, are not so popular due to the high price of devices supporting them.

What is USB OTG?

This is an extension of the well-known USB 2.0 communication standard, which is designed to allow the user to easily connect between peripheral devices without using a computer. Which is very, very convenient. The full name of this technology is OTG USB 2.0, as it was already possible to guess.

And what's the catch?

The USB OTG technology requires investments from the manufacturer. It needs a more "fancy" socket for connecting a USB cable. By the way, often in this connector is connected and a charger. Naturally, gadgets that come bundled with such equipment are more expensive. On the so-called "budgets" the buyer is unlikely to find this function. At the same time, almost all mid-level devices are equipped with USB OTG.

Where to go and where to look?

USB OTG-cable is extremely rare to find in the box with a brand new gadget. But do not get upset, because in almost any more or less solid electronics store you will be provided with a large selection of such cables. There you will find both Chinese "rattles", and well-proven adapters from famous manufacturers such as Samsung, LG and Sony.

How to choose an adapter, and is it always necessary?

First of all, it is worth paying attention to the type of socket in your smartphone or tablet. Most often this is a small 2 to 7 mm connector, called Micro-USB. The cable required in this case, respectively, will be called Microusb USB OTG. Older devices can be equipped with mini-USB. This is a little more physically nest, which requires another cable. The second important point is the choice of length. Think about why you need a USB OTG-wire? In case you will connect such devices as USB flash drives and other drives to your smartphone, you should not take a long cable, because the extra wire will constantly disturb you. If you want to connect a gadget to a TV, for example, you might want to think about a longer version, so you do not have to constantly approach the TV to rewind or pause the movie. In addition, a long cable is needed if you are going to play games on your smartphone, displaying the image on the TV (so you do not have to control the characters sitting 20 cm away from the TV screen). It is worth mentioning that in some tablets sometimes even a standard USB-socket, such as on a computer, is found. In this case, the adapter is not required, because the peripheral device can be connected directly to the tablet.

What is the USB OTG adapter?

This is an ordinary USB-wire, which has a connector on one side for connecting to a smartphone or a tablet PC, and on the other - a chip, to which you can connect a full USB 4 to 12 mm. In principle, USB OTG-cable simply increases the physical dimensions of the connector for connecting devices, making it standard. Why, then, do not modern high-end devices come equipped with full-fledged USB? The fact is that each manufacturer tries to make the gadget as thin as possible, compact and, consequently, mobile. Installation of large size connectors is simply not practical. That's why the above mentioned mini- and micro-USB-connectors were invented.

Devices that can be connected to mobile devices

The function USB HOST OTG uniquely allows you to connect flash drives up to 32 GB in size to almost any gadget. However, with large drives, such as portable hard drives, which can reach up to two terabytes in size, only powerful devices can handle it. Printers and cameras are connected without problems, but often you need to install additional software for this. Mice, keyboards, joysticks, even a game steering wheel can also be connected to modern gadgets. The connection to the TV or monitor is established through a system of two cables. In addition to the Micro-USB OTG, you also need an HDMI cable or a Micro-USB-HDMI adapter. Interestingly, there is nothing to prevent multiple devices from connecting to a tablet PC using such a connector.

The complex of devices of modern man

Well, here we have reached the most interesting! What can you turn into anything, except entertainment, a useless (as many think) tablet or smartphone? In a practically full-fledged computer, which has a lot of advantages over a simple desktop PC! So, we need a smartphone or tablet, an OTG cable, a USB splitter and a bunch of peripherals. It is worth mentioning that the Chinese "trinkets" are unlikely to withstand the load from the complex, which will be described below. For this reason, it is recommended to pay attention to the adapters of manufacturers with a worldwide reputation. For example, Samsung USB OTG cable and USB splitters Apacer or Asus.

Well, shall we begin? It is necessary to connect the OTG cable to the device, to the wire - a splitter, and to it there is a keyboard, a mouse, a printer, a monitor, etc. In a word, everything that the soul desires. In the end, we get an alternative to the computer!

What gadgets "pull" this load?

Devices that the user intends to use as described above must be powerful. But this is not the main parameter of choice. Yes, the superfluous core of the processor or gigabytes of RAM does not hurt anyone, but they are useless if the USB port supports connection of only one device. Be sure to check the service manual before purchasing and find the relevant information. The choice of the device is complicated by the fact that, in view of the still small number of enthusiasts trying to "create" a full-fledged computer from mobile gadgets, sellers are often very poorly aware of the OTG function in general, let alone the exact specification of a particular port. Unfortunately, in most cases, the buyer will have to "rummage" himself in the instructions, but it's mandatory, otherwise, as they say, you can stay with your nose.

Advantages and disadvantages of the alternative solution

There is only one obvious disadvantage of this system: impossibility to perform resource-intensive tasks that require programs that are developed exclusively for desktop versions of the Windows operating system. Pluses are much more. First, the electricity. A phone or a tablet PC consumes fewer times the energy than the system unit of a full-fledged PC. Secondly, mobility and access to data anywhere. The tablet, and even more so a smartphone, you can always take with you wherever you go: work, school, university, trip, etc. Thus, your data, movies, music and other content are always with you, And you can control it even while sitting in a trolley or subway. No less important factor is the absence of noise in the house when using the mentioned system. There are only a few tablets that have coolers, which, of course, make noise, but they can be attributed to experimental samples, so the average user does not have to worry because of extraneous sounds.

Price of issue

Finally it is worth noting that the price of many gadgets is very modest. There are even models that have decent functionality with a price tag of only $ 200. Of course, this will be Chinese or South Korean devices, but do not be afraid. Recently, their products have become much more reliable, and the word "China" in the electronics store should not scare an informed buyer. The modern leader in the field of mobile devices, definitely, Samsung and Apple. Despite the fact that the top devices of these companies have different operating systems, they have similar functionality, but the cost is different with the cost. Samsung Galaxy S5, for example, can be found for 25 thousand rubles, or even less; A similar situation with tablets. As for Apple, their products for some reason are very expensive, especially in Russia, in Russia. Prices for tablets can reach up to 40 thousand rubles, or even more. This is due to the fact that the goods are brought to us from America, and sellers have to pay, in addition to transportation costs, also a duty.

Modern standards

In 2008, the USB 3.0 specification was introduced. This is a modification of the existing USB 2.0 data transfer technology. It allows much faster transfer of information, but requires more current. Unfortunately, this technology was adopted rather sluggishly. Only three years later, the standard was widely applied to computers. Prior to mobile devices, the turn came just recently. Therefore, devices that are compatible with the third USB standard, so far. Of course, there are also OTG USB 3.0-cables, but they are not so easy to find. Naturally, if only it is possible, it is desirable to choose this standard of wire communication, and this applies to simple computers. USB 2.0 sooner or later will go out of the way, just like laser discs, it's only a matter of time. Let us only agree that we should not focus on this point. Choose gadgets with USB 3.0, despite the fact that they are much more expensive alternative version. But! For this characteristic, you can give 500 rubles for the power, if the manufacturer "scrolls" more for the function, feel free to choose something else, as the above standards are fully compatible with each other and differ only in the speed of information transfer.

Conclusion

The market for mobile devices has overtaken even the computer market. Technologies continue to develop. The number of cores is raster, smartphones are equipped with displays of incredible resolution, which sometimes exceeds even HD, internal memory can be equal to 64 GB, operative - four. And this is not the limit! The wide possibilities of tablets and smartphones will soon become unthinkable, because already now a "box" that easily fits in your pocket can replace a computer, entertain us with movies and music, tell us the way through GPS and much more. And various devices, such as USB OTG-adapter, will help to expand the functionality of gadgets even more.