A computer peripheral refers to an external device connected to a computer and provides input or output for it.
The peripheral is connected to the computer through one of its input and output devices and adds and enhances the computer’s abilities.
The peripheral is also known as an external device.
In this post, I will talk about the most important peripherals like a mouse, monitor, microphone, webcam, speaker, scanner, and input or output devices, and in detail about them and how they work.
To get the most out of the computer, one must be aware of the different peripherals available as input and output devices and how one can use them to get the best performance.
For example, if you want to transfer data from one computer to another, you must have a USB device.
If you’re going to have a display on your computer, you must have a monitor, to name a few.
Let’s get started!
What are Input Devices?
An input device is any hardware or peripheral used to provide data and control signals to an information processing system such as a computer or information appliance.
These days, input devices are all around us.
From the keyboard and mouse to the touchscreen on your phone, input devices come in all shapes and sizes. It’s hard to imagine life without them!
The main function of the input device is to take input signals from the users via its sensors and pass its information electronically as input to the computer for further processing.
What are Output Devices?
Output devices are used to display information.
These devices include screens, printers, and speakers.
If you’re not sure what an output device is, check the back of your computer!
There are a lot of different types of output devices. I’ll describe some of them in this summary.
First, there are output devices that have a USB port.
When you plug them in, they send information to a computer.
You can print documents with them, or you can add a memory card if it has one.
That way you can add music from your computer to it.
Some have a CD player on them so you can play music from a disc.
Some have audio jack ports so you can listen to music you’ve downloaded on your phone through it.
You can even get some of these output devices that connect to your phone and play video and audio directly from it.
Is a Mouse Input or Output Device?
A mouse is a type of input device. A mouse is a small device used in computers to point, click, drag, and move around objects on the screen.
They have a cord that connects them to a computer, and they have a ball in the middle of the device that moves the cursor on the screen when rolled.
It can be a wired mouse or a wireless mouse based on the connectivity.
Is a printer an input or output device?
A printer is an output device directly connected to a computer, phone, tablet, or another device for data transmission.
A printer is an essential piece of technology.
To print anything, like documents or anything else, you plug your device into your printer using a USB cable or another cable.
Then you select the “print” function on your device.
Having one eliminates the need to copy documents by hand or find a copy shop every time you need to print something.
Printers are essential because of their ability to copy written material, although they cannot copy items that are not on paper.
A printer is a necessary piece of technology, so every household should have one.
Is a touchscreen an input or output device?
A touchscreen device is both an input and an output device.
Touchscreens are a kind of input device because they receive information from users.
They are a kind of output device because they display information.
Touchscreens are extremely common in modern devices and are used in daily life.
Whether you’re using a smartphone, a tablet, or a digital screen, you’re using a touch screen to interface with the device and output information such as numbers and written words.
Is a microphone an input or output device?
A microphone is used to the input sound, so it’s an input device.
The microphone is the device that receives sound and converts that sound into an electrical current or signal that can be recorded.
It is used mostly with a recording device.
Some examples of recording devices include an MP3 player, a computer, and a digital video recorder.
Microphones can be used as input devices for various things such as voice recognition software, recording song, recording any type of audio, and e-mail.
Is a monitor an input or output device?
Monitors are considered output devices because they output information to the user.
It shows you what you are typing, reading, watching, and other actions you make with a device.
It is also known as the Visual display unit that displays all the visual inputs passed to it via HDMI or VGA cable from the CPU or your laptop.
Is a webcam an input or output device?
When you hear the word “webcam,” you may immediately think of a way to video chat with a friend, a family member, or a significant other.
A webcam is a video camera that is connected to a computer. It can send data to a computer in the form of a video stream.
The webcam, or video camera, can be used for both inputs and outputs. When used as an input device, the webcam takes in visual data and allows users to show themselves on another device.
This is generally done on computers.
As an output device, the webcam does the same thing but allows users to capture an image of themselves.
You can use these videos to capture special memories of the past.
Is a speaker an input or output device?
A speaker is an output device. It takes an electronic signal and converts it to sound waves so that we can hear it.
They enable the user to hear sound from their computer and can be connected to a computer via a wired or wireless interface.
The first computer speakers could only output sound in mono and were connected via wires.
Now, we can get stereo output from the speakers.
Computer speakers are used to playing sound generated by a computer, video game equipment, mobile phone, or listen to music.
Speakers are available as 2.1, 5.1, 7.1, and also without woofers.
The devices are usually self-powered, although some are designed to be connected to an external amplifier or receiver.
They can be attached using a 3.5mm audio jack to your desktop or your laptop.
Is a scanner an input or output device?
A scanner is an input device. It reads images, text, and objects and converts them to a digital form by scanning them.
Using a scanner, you can easily make digital copies of the documents or any images you have.
It can also be used as a receipt scanner for a store, allowing a worker to enter a product’s barcode to process a sale quickly.
There are different types of scanners. Hand-held scanners are used for scanning books, printed material, etc.
On the other hand, a flatbed scanner is used for scanning documents, bills, etc.
Is a keyboard an input or output device?
The computer keyboard is an input device. It allows us to input data using keys corresponding to letters, numbers, symbols, etc.
A computer keyboard takes input from the end-user and stores it as electronic signals, which it passes to the computer to process. Read more about if a keyboard is an input or output device here.
Conclusion
Let’s conclude whether a computer peripheral like a keyboard, mouse, monitor, microphone, printer, webcam, or touchscreen is an input or output device.
I hope the explanation was well justified to make clear the topic.
I’m Anirban Saha, Founder & Editor of TechBullish. With a B.Tech in Electronics and Communication Engineering, and 6+ years of experience as a software developer, I have expertise in electronics, software development, gadgets, and computer peripherals. I love sharing my knowledge through informational articles, how-to guides, and troubleshooting tips for Peripherals, Smart TVs, Streaming Solutions, and more here. Check Anirban’s Crunchbase Profile here.
