> If I have 2 USB ports, from a reality point-of-view, how many devices can
I plug in without sacrificing performance?
> Thanks,
> Ira Wallin

    It depends on what kinds of devices you will be using. Theoretically USB
has a limit of 127 devices. Realistically you will never reach this limit
because of three things:

1. Bandwidth, 127 mice probably would not be a bandwidth problem, 127 video
conferencing cameras would
2. Power, unless you us ALOT of active hubs or self-powered devices a USB
port can only power a certain number of devices. This limit depends on what
types of devices you are talking about, a scanner will consume more power
than a keyboard.
3. Cable length, some active hubs can fix this limitation but any USB cable
run has to be below a certain limit. While I don't remember the exact length
I doubt it is much more than 5 meters, if that long.

So, to sum it all up, what will you be attaching to your USB ports? I
believe USB has a total bandwidth of 12Mbps, not much if you have alot of
high bandwidth applications. OTOH for low bandwidth or periodically high
bandwidth items such as scanners and digital cameras USB is a good solution.
TTYL

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