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The USB ports in your PC can be used for a lot more than portable drives or peripherals like keyboards and mice. USB stands for Universal Serial Bus, after all. If you have a vacant port or two, you can plug in a host of different items, including some new and exciting gadgets. It often matters what type of USB ports you plug into, so pay attention to the generation — USB 2.0 is slower than USB 3.1, for instance, delivering less power and slower data transfer speeds.
Back to the gadgets in question. Say the weather is warm and you want a fresh breeze: You can plug a fan into a free USB ports on your PC. There are tabletop fans that go on your desk, or more portable options that plug into a laptop USB port (like this ONXE clock fan). Now that you’ve cooled off, let’s explore some interesting new gadgets that can utilize those extra USB ports.
A USB foot pedal for more hotkeys
Sure, a PC has a lot more variety in terms of controls than something like a smartphone. The keyboard has a multitude of keys and key combinations, and if you have a gaming mouse with extra buttons, enough said. But what you may not know is you can use a foot pedal to add another set of quick access hotkeys, of sorts. Traditionally designed for transcription when you’re typing a mile a minute to keep up with audio dictation, a foot pedal can also function as a hands-free shortcut with full customization in other circumstances.
The Elgato Stream Deck Pedal gives you three customizable macro footswitches, which you can assign to different functions within certain apps. Mute your microphone or step-to-talk in game, toggle cameras or live feeds on and off with a quick foot step, or trigger actions within apps — like playing the next track in Spotify, or playing a sound effect during your livestream.
A mouse jiggler to keep you active
As many people started working remotely from home during the pandemic, adoption of mouse jiggling software and gadgets increased. The premise is simple: This gadget makes the mouse register movement every so often, keeping the PC from entering sleep mode and spoofing your presence at your workstation. Some use them to keep their character active when playing an MMO, preventing one from being booted for inactivity. Others use the tool to make it look like they’re still sitting at their desk, attentively working. However, software-based mouse jigglers are easy to detect. If you have an empty USB port you can use a hardware one, instead.
The Meatanty metal USB-C tiny mouse jiggler is a good choice, and simple to use. You just plug it into an available USB-C port, turn it on or off, and adjust the mode as needed. There are three modes, each offering different ranges of movement. It’s also “100% undetectable” according to the product listing, and shows up as an “optical USB mouse” when plugged in. A memory function retains and auto sets the last used mode the next time you plug it in.
A mug warmer to keep your drinks ready
Do you drink a lot of coffee at your desk? When things get busy, it’s easy to forget you have some left — and that results in cold coffee. There is a better way. Introducing the USB mug warmer, a small heater plate designed to keep your mug of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate nice and toasty.
This affordable mug warmer from Smart Tech uses thermostatic controls to keep the beverage ready and works with any 5-volt USB port. You could plug it into a desktop, laptop, or even a power bank. Plus, it’s compact and portable, so you could easily pack it inside a bag or briefcase to take with you between work and home, if you commute. Of course, if you don’t like the design of this one, or simply want something with different features, there are a ton of alternatives.
Monitor light bar for extra lighting
If your office or desktop space is dark, or if you want to brighten it up in the evenings, you can get something called a monitor light bar designed to rest atop your display. This device showers light down onto the desk below, presumably upon your keyboard and mouse. The Monster smart color duo is a fantastic example of this tech, and you can plug it right into your desktop. It works with any 5-volt USB port. The multi-position mount makes it easy to attach to your monitor, regardless of size, and allows you to direct the lighting as you prefer. You could turn the fixture around, with the lighting pointed behind the monitor, if you so choose.
On top of that, this product offers full RGB lighting with Razer Chroma personalization. You can also use the Monster smart lighting desktop app if you’d rather. Beyond that, touch controls are implemented directly into the light bar. You can change to an all-white light for higher brightness with a quick tap.
An electric screwdriver for gadgetry
While technically not fully USB-powered — they simply charge via USB — electric screwdrivers are another excellent tool to have near your desk for various DIY projects. The HOTO 25-in-1 mini electric screwdriver is perfect for working around electronics and smaller devices, saving your hands a lot of extra work as there’s no twisting necessary. You could use it to swap out the shell or case on a handheld console, change broken screens, undo battery cover screws, and much more.
Smart magnetic storage keeps all the bits safely tucked away inside the case when you’re not using them. It charges via USB-C and has a 350mAh rechargeable battery, which should last for up to two hours of continuous use. It’s simple to operate as well, with a single two-sided button — one for tightening, the other for loosening.
These options barely scratch the surface, though. There are a ton of other great ways to use your PC’s USB ports with the right add-on devices, such as for biometric authentication, extended wireless connectivity, or upgraded network speeds. Free ports are the only real limit. Then again, you could even grab a hub or install more USB ports via PCI-e.
