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Study guide · 1.2

Identify digital devices and connections

Hardware devices either send data into a computer (input), present results from it (output) or do both. This guide helps you sort common devices into those groups and recognize the cables, ports and wireless links that connect them.

A study feature written by ExamDragon, not part of the real exam. Each heading is one of Certiport's skills for this objective.

1.2.1Identify input devices

  • An input device sends data or commands into a computer. Examples: keyboard, mouse, touchpad, microphone, webcam, scanner, game controller, stylus.
  • Sensors are input too: a fingerprint reader, a barcode scanner, or a phone's GPS and motion sensors.
  • A touchscreen is both input (you touch it) and output (it shows the picture).
  • Ask which way the data flows: if it goes from you or the world into the device, it is input.

Example: In a video call, your microphone and webcam are input devices because they capture your voice and image and send them into the computer.

1.2.2Identify output devices

  • An output device presents results from a computer to people or to the outside world. Examples: monitor, printer, speakers, headphones, projector.
  • Haptic feedback, such as a phone vibrating, is also output.
  • Some devices combine both roles: a headset with a microphone, a touchscreen, or a multifunction printer that also scans.
  • Storage drives are usually classed as storage, not as input or output devices.

Example: When you print a boarding pass, the printer is an output device: it turns data from the computer into a paper copy.

1.2.3Identify cables, connectors, and connections

  • USB connects many devices; USB-A is the older flat rectangular plug, USB-C is the smaller reversible one that can also carry power and video.
  • HDMI and DisplayPort carry video and audio to a monitor, TV or projector.
  • An Ethernet cable (RJ45 plug) gives a wired network connection; a 3.5 mm jack connects many headphones and speakers.
  • Lightning is the connector used on older iPhones; newer iPhones use USB-C.
  • Wireless connections include Wi-Fi (network and internet), Bluetooth (short range devices such as earbuds, keyboards and mice) and NFC (very short range, such as tap to pay).
  • Pairing is the one-time step that links two Bluetooth devices.

Example: To show slides in a meeting room you connect your laptop to the projector with an HDMI cable, and pair wireless earbuds with your phone over Bluetooth for the trip home.

Key terms

Input device
Hardware that sends data into a computer, such as a keyboard.
Output device
Hardware that presents data from a computer, such as a monitor.
Port
A socket on a device where a cable plugs in.
USB-C
A small, reversible connector that can carry data, power and video.
Bluetooth
Short range wireless technology for linking nearby devices.

Easy to confuse

  • Calling a touchscreen only an output device; it is both input and output.
  • Mixing up HDMI (video and audio to a screen) with Ethernet (wired network).
  • Thinking Bluetooth gives internet access by itself; it links nearby devices, while Wi-Fi joins a network.
  • Classing a webcam as output because it is about pictures; it captures images, so it is input.

After this guide: You should be able to classify a device as input, output or both, and name the cable or wireless link that suits a given connection.