What are USB internet connections?

[Rak]

I have seen many ads of companies offering internet connections over flash drives. Just wanna know what these actually are and whether they are fast enough for daily use

[bundygil]

USB internet connections are where the modem connects through the computer's USB port. They work fine, but cannot be set up with a router so only one computer can use the connection.

[simon_marchese]

There are two main types. One is a USB ADSL modem which will connect to the internet via wired broadband. The other is a USB 3G adapter which will connect to the internet via a mobile phone network. The advantage of the 3G "dongle" is that you can take it anywhere but the speed and download limits will be less suitable for big downloads like videos.

[sldng-ptr-jngl]

Both of the other responses are correct but not complete. Your question was a broad one so here you go.

1. some modems let you connect to them with a USB cable instead of your ethernet. Let me remind you that as the other poster mentioned, this doesn't allow you to hook most routers up. they typically use ethernet. USB also isn't as stable of a connection AND it is much slower then ethernet.

2. You do have the 3G cards as mentioned which are typically wireless internet that goes across your cell phone providers network. Give them a call for speeds, prices, and availability.

3. You have wireless dongles which allow your computer to connect to wireless routers. This is pretty much the wireless version of ethernet, but not near as fast or secure.

4. There are ethernet adapters that plug into a usb port. These are usually used when someone is scared to open their case to add an ethernet card (usually necessary for REALLY OLD systems) or when there just isn't enough slots on their motherboard to add another card. (sometimes your ethernet gets burned out and you need to replace it. most laptops don't allow you to physically replace the ethernet built into it.)

5. There are also ways to connect PC's to one another using USB cables, but this is a major headache, slow, and just not worth doing...soo technically they would be capable of internet using the internet connection sharing as well.