o Charging a laptop

Imagine you are driving out of town for a weekend getaway. Maybe you are going to a friend's wedding or a family trip to the beach or maybe camping with your friends. You decide to bring your laptop because it's nice, movies stream, get work done, or play a PC game in your free time. A laptop can help you feel at home when you're on the go.

Oops! When you're unpacking in your hotel room, you realize you forgot to pack your laptop charger (or worse, you accidentally left it in the airport outlet). Your laptop only has a 10% charge left, so it looks like you'll have to do without it on this trip. That important email to the boss will have to wait.

But wait! It doesn't have to be this way. Believe it or not, you can actually charge your laptop without a standard laptop charger. It's really quite simple, and you should learn how if you're a roommate of the 21

Here are not 1, not 2, but 3 different ways to charge your laptop if your laptop charger is MIA.

How to charge a laptop without a charger

Every laptop has an internal battery. To charge the battery, all you have to do is provide it with some power. Most of the time we plug our laptop into an outlet at home and the power flows through the cord and into the battery.

A laptop charger is arguably the most effective way to transfer power to your laptop battery, but there are other ways to do the same. All you need is:

A power source

A way to transfer the energy to the battery

Let's get into that.

Can you charge a laptop with USB?

One of the most common questions I get is

"Can I charge my laptop with a USB port?"

This actually depends on the type of USB port you have on your laptop.

USB Type A is not a launcher

If you're currently using a wired mouse or keyboard and unplug one of them, you'll see that there's a rectangular connector at the end of the cable—the piece of metal that you insert into the computer. This is called the Type A connector.

It's the most common USB connector, and when someone says "USB" you can reasonably assume they're referring to USB Type A. Most likely, your phone charger also has a USB Type-A connector. While you can use Type-A to power smart devices, unfortunately you can't use it to power your laptop.

Type A can exchange a significant amount of data, but is unable to transfer the massive amount of energy required to charge your laptop battery. Type A simply cannot deliver enough watts.

USB Type-C is a powerful ally

However, USB 3.1 introduced a new type of connector called USB Type-C or “USB-C”. Unlike Type A, USB-C has a more oval shape. It is designed for high-wattage connectivity, which means that it far more power than Type A, and at higher speeds.

Much

More quickly:

Type A (USB 3.1): speeds up to 10 Gbps

USB-C (USB 3.2): speeds up to 20 Gbps

It gets even better

USB4 will be released in 2019 and the associated USB-C connector can transfer data at speeds of up to 40Gbps.

In short, you can't charge your laptop with USB Type-A, but you can charge your laptop with USB-C.

1. How to charge a laptop with USB-C

If your laptop has a built-in USB-C port, you can charge your laptop using a USB-C cable - you just need to make sure the cable has a plug adapter (the box-shaped plug on the end of your phone charger than plugs into a power outlet can be plugged in).Some laptops actually use a USB-C cable as the primary charger.

To charge your laptop via USB-C:

Plug one end of the USB-C cable into a power outlet

Plug the other end of the USB-C cable into your laptop

That's it! Easy as pie, as long as you have access to a USB-C cable. But that's the glaring problem - what if you don't have access to it? Unfortunately, ordering a USB-C cable doesn't get any easier than ordering one a new laptop charger. And a stop at a computer supply store might not be an option, especially if you're stuck on a Caribbean island this wedding weekend.

Plan ahead for options

However, if you're looking for a new laptop, you should seriously consider buying one with at least one USB-C port

The USB-C connector is becoming increasingly popular

It's safe to assume that in the future most laptops will come with USB-C ports, and we might even see USB Type-A going away. The point is, more people are likely to have USB-C cables in the future so there is a better chance that someone can lend you one if you lose yours on a trip. Currently you would need to find someone who happened to have the exact same type of laptop charger as you, which can prove more difficult.

Almost all of our popular HP laptop brands have at least one USB-C port:

HP Chromebook 11

HP EliteBook

HP ProBook

HP Specter

HP ENVY 13

HP ZBook

Note:

Always check product specifications before purchasing.

2. How to charge your laptop in the car

A car has electricity, right? And whether you're driving your own vehicle or renting a car, when your plane lands, you can use the energy generated. It's pretty easy to use it to charge your laptop. You will however need two things:

Power adapter (USB Type-A connector on one end USB-C connector on the other end).This

USB Type-A to USB-C adapter

is perfect for use in a vehicle

USB car charger

It's as easy as one, two, three. Here's how to charge your laptop in the car:

Turn on your engine

Plug the car charger into your vehicle's charge port (you may not even need a car charger as many newer vehicles have USB ports that you can plug in).

Plug the USB-C connector into your laptop

Note:

Never leave your laptop unattended in a vehicle and in plain sight. This could make it more susceptible to theft or damage from overheating.

3. How to charge your laptop with a power bank

One of the easiest ways to charge your laptop is with a power bank. A power bank is basically a portable battery for your laptop. All you have to do is connect the power bank to your laptop. The best thing about power banks is that when you charge your laptop, they don't turn on must be connected to an electrical outlet.

Power banks come in a variety of different models, and they don't all come with the same charging capacities. You can use a USB Type-A power bank to charge lower-powered laptops. If you want to charge a more powerful laptop,

like a mobile workstation

, then you have to a

USB-C based power bank

.USB-C power banks can also power other USB devices such as your smartphone or tablet.

Most likely, your power bank has enough charge to only charge your laptop battery once or twice, especially if you're charging a more powerful laptop. Remember to plug it into an outlet and charge it. If your power bank is dead, you won't be able to use your laptop charge more with it.

So it's best to reserve your power bank only for when you really need it - like if you accidentally lose your laptop charger. Always keep your power bank in your laptop bag.

Get a laptop bag or case

Whenever you're on the go, whether you're traveling long haul, backpacking around Europe, or just going for a weekend getaway, you should always have one

Laptop bag

or backpack. A laptop bag is not just for storing your laptop. You should also store accessories in it that will allow you to charge your laptop in case you lose the power cord. In fact, you should store accessories that will charge all your electronic devices be able.

The first thing a laptop bag does is protect your laptop. Many HP laptop bags are made with weather-resistant fabric and zippers that withstand rain or hail. The interior of the bags is usually padded with soft, shock-absorbing materials that protect your laptop when you accidentally drop it or when your road trip gets rough and your laptop bag bounces around in the back seat.

Arguably HP's most rugged laptop case, the HP Specter 13.3 Split Leather Sleeve is tough enough to endure an Indiana Jones-caliber adventure.

The best bags also have special protections against RFID readers. If you carry credit or debit cards, you should know that there are devices that can scan your card information at close range. Correct. A cyber thief with access to such a device could stand in line behind you at the coffee shop and scan your personal and financial information directly from your card without you knowing.

You might not do it in a coffee shop because that would be hard to do without drawing attention to yourself. But it often happens on the street or on public transport. Many HP laptop cases have zippered external pockets that are resistant to RFID scans . Whether you're traveling around the world or across town, you can keep your credit and debit cards safe in your pocket without worrying about being hacked by a cyber ​​thief.

It's not a bad idea to get one either

full-blown backpack for your laptop

.A backpack is slightly more ergonomic than a laptop bag and allows you to store a range of other electronic devices inside.

What to pack in your laptop travel backpack

If you're traveling, make it a habit to have one

laptop backpack

That has all the supplies you need for a successful tech-packed journey while you're away from home. Here's what to put inside.

1.

First and foremost, keep your laptop there. If you want to be on the safe side, put your laptop in a laptop sleeve first and then your laptop bag in your backpack. You never know when the road will get bumpy. Therefore, you should take every measure to protect your laptop. Keep in mind that you probably have a lot of sensitive or valuable work information or personal information stored on your laptop, e.g. B. Work projects or family photos. Don't risk losing them.

2.

Second, you should a . insert

fully charged power bank

.Try not to use your power bank unless you really have to. It should mainly be for emergencies in case your laptop power cord has failed.

3.

Third, bring a

travel adapter

.If you are traveling internationally, you may end up in a country that does not have power outlets compatible with your laptop. A travel adapter has interchangeable plugs that allow you to plug into a foreign power outlet.

When traveling abroad, fully working electronics can be key to your safety and ensuring you don't miss transport arrangements. Pack one of these when you leave the country.

4.

Finally pack up

USB port hub

.A USB port hub is an incredibly useful device when you are traveling with your laptop. Its main function is to give your laptop a greater number of available USB ports. Typically, a USB hub has 4 to 7 additional USBs -Ports so you can easily connect all your USB devices when you're away from the organized workspace in your home office.

There are powered port hubs and unpowered port hubs. Powered port hubs are great as they provide power to your connected devices (so your devices don't have to draw power from your laptop). If you only have a limited time To charge your USB devices, you can use a powered hub to charge them all at once, and you don't even need a superfluous number of outlets. Some HP-powered hubs come with SD card slots and USB-C ports .Learn more about USB port hubs here.

Remember, if you lose your laptop charger and are in dire need of re-powering, you can always:

Charge your laptop via USB-C. on

Use an adapter to charge your laptop in a vehicle

Charge your laptop with a power bank

Any of these methods can save you a weekend without a laptop while traveling.

About the author

Zach Cabading is a contributing writer for HP® Tech Takes. A content creator based in Southern California, Zach creates a variety of content for the technology industry.