Peripherals

Peripherals, or peripheral devices, are hardware components connected to a computer that expand or enhance its capabilities but are not essential to the core processing unit. They typically communicate with the computer through a host controller via various interfaces and may be external or detachable. Peripherals include input devices such as keyboards, mice, scanners, microphones, cameras, touchscreens, and drawing tablets; output devices such as displays, printers, and speakers; and input/output devices like external storage, network adapters, modems, and multimedia appliances. Multifunction devices like all-in-one printers and external drives can serve multiple roles.

Common connection standards include USB, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Thunderbolt, HDMI, and PCI Express for internal expansion. Peripherals can be hot-swapped in many designs, and drivers or firmware are often required for full functionality. Performance depends on bandwidth, latency, power consumption, and compatibility with operating systems and hardware architecture.

In computing, peripherals are managed by device drivers and can be affected by driver updates, operating system support, and hardware compatibility. They are a frequent focus of user customization and peripheral manufacturers, offering a wide range of styles and capabilities while remaining distinct from the central processing unit, memory, and primary storage.