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What Is a Port Expander

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So what exactly is a port expander ,the author of this essay asks? A port expander is basically a device, that can be connected internal through the motherboard or an external connector, witch allows you to connect multiple devices to a single port. The way the port expanders works is it literally act as an add on for other devices. Think of a port expander like a modern surge protector. A surge protector has a single prong on the end of it to plug into one outlet but the surge protector also has several connector points on its other end to expands the one electrical unit to about several different units. This is the same idea for a port expander. The port expander has on connector port that goes into the receiving computer port and on the other end of that connector port are about several ports that can be used with the single connector port.
Port expanders are very much so universal, simply because the ports themselves are universal so there aren't any specific expanders, or another that port expanders are called is a hub, for specific computers and they are generic devices that will work with any computer. So with ports there are some good reasons or advantages for them but just as there is good you also have the bad or disadvantages for them as well. One disadvantage or the major disadvantage would be because that one port is be shared with so many devices it will definitely cause slower connection speed between transmitting information between the ports. To offset that disadvantage, an advantage would be that port expanders are external so meaning if you computer that only has one USB port in the front, and is limited to internal expansion, than you can absolutely use a hub (Port Expander) to plugin multiple devices. Lastly, port expanders are really common so the demand for them is not too high and they are made from different companies, with that being said the price range is pretty inexpensive they range from 10.00 dollars to about 30.00 dollars.

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