Windows

USB Selective Suspend Powers Down Idle Devices

A USB device can stay connected even when it has nothing useful to do. A fingerprint reader may wait for occasional input, a card reader may sit empty, and an external adapter may spend long periods without transfers. Keeping every attached device fully active during those gaps wastes power and can also keep other parts of the computer busier than necessary. USB selective suspend addresses that idle time. Instead of suspending an entire USB bus as one unit, the operating system can suspend an individual device or port while other devices on the same hub continue operating.