This is the era of technology. We are living in a fast-paced world. Constantly moving from one place to another, we are relying on technology only. Moreover, mobile phones are a dimension to the digital world for us.
The internet and entertainment resources keep us busy in using the smartphones. Therefore, we need power at any place and at any time possible. Hence, there are many gadgets developed just for the sake of our ease. That includes power banks, solar chargers, and car chargers.
All these gadgets are designed specifically to give us power when a wall outlet is not available. They are designed for the sake of an emergency.
What is Car Charger?
Most simply, car chargers are the transformation of electrochemical energy from your car's battery into the smartphone. This has become a must for all car companies and users. This phenomenon is done with two batteries.
This is because the base battery of the car has a very high voltage. Therefore, the electrochemical energy flows from a higher energy rate to a lower energy rate. There are additional aspects too but I kept it as simple as possible.
Charging phone from Car Battery? (U.S.B)
U.S.B has become a standard of chargers. Hence, you can use the same cables for different purposes. However, while data cables are designed to transfer both data and power, it doesn't necessarily mean that all car chargers are designed for the purpose to charge phone batteries.
Moreover, there's always a risk of compatibility issues of your phone and the U.S.B port.
In some vehicles, the USB port is specifically designed to transmit data. That certain type of USB port allows us to either install software or play music via USB of the car charger.
Since these types of data cables cannot transmit data, you should not expect it to charge any device. If you're unsure about the type of charger your car has, then you can check it by reading the car's manual. Moreover, you can also check by trying out a variety of data cables. If none of the data cables charge your phone then it means that your car has a data cable support not charging cable. What's the difference between both anyways?
Difference between Data Cables and Charging Cables
There are four terminals in the USB standard. Terminal one and four are responsible for charging while the other two are for transmitting the data.
Most USB cables allow direct connection to the terminals. Therefore, the chargers can transmit both data and power.
Now the main difference is that the data cable has only two and three terminal while charging cable has one and four. Thus, both can only do their single job. However, it's a little more complex than what it seems.
There's a specific cue which tells the computer or any other source to provide a high ampere of charge. There is a way to turn things upside down.
You can short terminal two and three to make it Charging Cable only. This is how you can try your innovation but you should not.
USB ports in Cars
Most USB ports in cars are connected to the infotainment system. Therefore, even if the vehicle has a power port, the primary source will still be transmission of data. Here's a problem though.
If the infotainment system fails to recognize your phone, in addition to not transmitting data, it'll not even charge your phone even if it's capable of charging.
This issue is most probably going to happen only when you have data cable that is specifically designed for charging. This type of USB cable is incapable to transferring data and even charging your device. However, you phone will still receive power from the USB port.
Moreover, if your car recognizes the device and will connect it in data transmission mode, there's a high change that the provided power will not be enough to charge your phone. To avoid this issue, you should only use cables that come with your phones.
Car Charger Doesn't work?
We are too much dependent on mobile phones. To charge them, we have to make them dependent on some power source too. Therefore, car chargers are one of them.
There are some of the problems that can occur to your car charger.
The cigarette lighter sockets are all 12V sockets. Therefore, you can put a car chargers in them. When the socket stop working, these are some of the reasons:
- Source of energy isn't working or is malfunctioned
- Charger isn't connected right
- Source is not fast enough
- Charger is defective with a low quality
How to fix the Car Charger
First of all you should check fuse to the outlet. If it's the problem with fuse then there's no way to fix it. You will have to get it replaced as it uses the wire. This occurs due to excessive use of charger that the fuse cannot handle.
The second step is to clean the lighter charging space. This will make sure that your car charger port has good contact with the charger itself.
The third step is to replace the fuse itself. You will have to find the fuse or get it replaced by some service center.
Even after all these steps, you charger is not working then you should buy a new charger of course. But as I've mentioned above that there is a huge risk in buying chargers. Therefore, you should avoid these mistakes
Mistakes to avoid while buying car chargers
Here is our guide to avoid the mistakes while buying car chargers.
Gallium Nitride transistors are revolutionizing the car charging game. Not just car charger it applies to all other chargers too. In terms of reliability and speed, this technology excels everything.
In future, old chargers will be replaced by this new technology including car chargers. Therefore, let's move on towards our guide.
Avoid Wrong USB Car Chargers
The first step is, know what you're doing. There are total of four car chargers, they are:
- USB A to Lightning Cable for iPhone
- USB A to Micro USB for Old Android smartphones.
- USB C to USB C for new Android smartphones
- Wireless Car Chargers for Some New android and iOS devices.
Most people know the data cables that they can use for their phones. Even though, I just wanted to remove all the confusion away.
Avoid Dangerous USB Car Chargers
USB C charger is prone to danger. If we talk about USB A, it can charge basically anything if you have the right cable available. However, USB C car chargers are specifically designed to charge a USB C device.
But if the cable isn't quick charging cable or the charger does not have any type of quick charge capabilities then chances are that they will only charge according to the pace of your regular USB A chargers.
Moreover, USB C can actually damage your smartphone.
Therefore, it's always recommended to read reviews about a certain cable that you're going to be using for car.
Avoid Cheap and Wrong Fast Charging Cables
Fast chargers for smartphones enables the smartphone to be charge at a rapid speed than usual. Devices like Samsung Galaxy S10 or iPhone 11 Pro can charge at a very faster rate than our usual smartphone that does not support any type of fast charging.
However, here's the tea. There are two types of smartphone charging standards. One is quick charge by Qualcomm and other it USB C Power delivery.
Devices like Google Pixel or LG or even iPhones use Power delivery. On the other hand, Samsung uses QUALCOMM’s quick charge. The weird thing is that, these two technologies are not compatible with each other. But in future, we might see these two technologies merging as one and supporting each other.
Quick charge 4.0 supports USB power delivery though. It means that both of these technologies can get along with each other quite well. Therefore, you should keep in mind buying data cable and charger. A little problem here and there, you might lose the capability of fast charging device.
USB IF Certification
Are you tired of having damaged data cables and you're concerned about damaging your device? That's where USB IF comes from. It's a nonprofit organization that offers the authentication and certification of USB C chargers and devices.
Charger without the certification are prone to damage your phone. Therefore, you should always look for the USB IF certification if possible. It's an evidence that your device won't damage or hurt because of a mere charger.
Recommended USB Car Chargers
If you're looking for a good charger to buy them in my opinion you should buy Dual USB Car Charger Adapter by Variety sell. It is a dual USB charger that charges your device to its full potential. Therefore, travelling has never been this easy. It is pretty cost friendly and you can get it on sale right now. How cool is that? Moreover, it can charge both Android and iOS devices at the same time.
It provides a convenient super charge to you phone. So it's a pretty good product in my opinion. It just makes USB charging less stressful
Moreover, if you want an All-in-one package for your iOS device, then I will recommend 2.4 AMP Dual Car USB by Variety sells. It's an all in one package, means that you will receive a lightning MFI certified cable with the car charger. MFI certification is essential these days. Therefore, you don't have to worry about any damage to the phone. Coupled with Dual Car charger, it's a great package. It's a bang for buck I'd say. The best thing is that, it's a 4 Feet cable. How cool is that?
If you want the same package with Micro USB, then it's possible too. Here I will recommend Micro USB 2.4amp Vehicle Charger. You will get a USB cable with a 2.4 Ampere charger. It is smart and compact for easy travel. The best thing is that, it also has fast charge support. So if your device supports fast charging, this is the way to go. It contains a 4ft cable and works with devices that have a micro sub port. These were some of my most recommended cables.
Final Words
In this article I've talked everything from head to toe. From troubleshooting problems to fixing the problem. Therefore, you should always buy certified cable and high quality cable. It's a onetime investment that you'll find worth buying and they won't disappoint you.