That square-shaped USB socket on the back of your router isn’t just for show. Plug the right gadget into it and the same box that beams Wi-Fi through your house quietly becomes a charger, file server, download assistant, cooling fan, even a print shop. Below are the five most useful “hidden” talents—no technical degree required.

1. Emergency Phone Charger  

Dead phone, lost wall adapter, hotel socket behind the bed—sound familiar? Any standard USB cable stuck into the router gives a slow but steady 5 V trickle. It won’t fast-charge a tablet, yet it will keep your phone alive for calls, boarding passes or that ride-share QR code.

2. Family File Drop  

Slide a flash drive or portable hard-disk into the port, tick “File Sharing” in the router’s menu and every laptop, phone or smart-TV on the network instantly sees one common folder. Holiday photos, homework PDFs or movies collect in one place—no e-mailing yourself ever again.

3. Quiet Overnight Downloads  

Some routers include a tiny “Download Manager.” Paste a torrent or direct link into the settings, pick the attached USB disk as the destination and the router fetches the file while you sleep. Wake up to a finished movie or software update waiting on the drive, no PC left humming all night.

4. DIY Cooling Fan  

Routers hate heat. A palm-sized USB fan aimed at the case can drop the temperature 5–10 °C, cutting random drop-outs in summer or cramped cabinets. The router powers the fan itself—no extra adapter, no electrician.

5. Network Printer Sharing  

Plug an old USB printer into the port, enable “Print Server” once, and every phone, tablet and laptop in the house can print wirelessly. No new printer, no cable swapping, no cloud account needed.

One port, five chores solved. Check your router’s manual—if it has a USB jack, at least one of these tricks is probably waiting in the settings menu right now.