dongle
Sign in to savethumb|A dongle (center, in white) allowing an ethernet cable (left, in grey) to be connected to a Thunderbolt port on a laptop (right). A dongle is a small piece of computer hardware that connects to a port on another device to provide it with additional functionality, or enable a pass-through to such a device that adds functionality.
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9 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- Examples
- Copy protection
- Small peripheral appliances
- Adapters
- Other
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thumb|A dongle (center, in white) allowing an ethernet cable (left, in grey) to be connected to a Thunderbolt port on a laptop (right). A dongle is a small piece of computer hardware that connects to a port on another device to provide it with additional functionality, or enable a pass-through to such a device that adds functionality.
In computing, the term was initially synonymous with software protection dongles—a form of hardware digital rights management in which a piece of software will only operate if a specified dongle—which typically contains a license key or some other cryptographic protection mechanism—is plugged into the computer while it is running.