Modern laptops come with a dizzying array of ports—or maybe only one, in the case of some extremely svelte ultraportables. But how can you know what they all do, or what you might want in a new system ...

Ports and connectors are not always the first thing you think about when buying a computer, but it's good to know your options and more about the different types of computer ports and their functions.

When you're getting ready to plug an external hard drive or USB flash drive into your favorite device, you have a choice to make. That's because most computers have multiple USB ports, and despite ...

The first USB port hit the market in 1996, and the Universal Serial Bus quickly became the go-to port for connecting peripheral devices to computers. It remains a popular connection port today, with ...

Almost any modern communication need can be handled with a wireless solution. File transfers, streaming video, peripheral connections — all of these can be accomplished without a physical connection.

Connecting a computer running HyperTerminal emulator software to the console port of a router lets you access router information and modify settings without using the device's Web-based configuration ...

A router's wide area network (WAN) port acts as its gateway to other networks, providing an interface for the router to send outgoing traffic over. Computers should not be connected to a router's WAN ...