If it's a USB-A to USB-C or Micro-B cable, try connecting your smartphone or camera to a computer — you'll know instantly if it's a cable that can accommodate data transfer.

You check in to your hotel and pull out your phone's USB cable to plug it in before hitting the sack, only to discover that the cable somehow broke during the flight.

For testing USB cables, the simply designed but efficient Treedix USB cable tester is available from $15. All methods are simple and suitable for determining the actual performance of your USB ports.

After all, the humble USB cable is merely a conduit between devices, about as unthreatening as a piece of tech could be. But that simple facade may be hiding a lot more than you bargained for.

USB has been on our desktops and laptops since about 1997 or so, and since then it has been the mainstay of computer peripherals. No other connector is as useful for connecting mice, keyboards, web… ...

If it's a USB-A to USB-C or Micro-B cable, try connecting your smartphone or camera to a computer -- you'll know instantly if it's a cable that can accommodate data transfer.