External batteries, or power banks, they can save us from a good one when we find ourselves without a battery in our mobile or tablet and we do not have a plug to charge these devices. However, although they were originally conceived to charge devices when we are away from home, advances in energy storage capacity and other technologies have allowed can also be useful even if we are not outside.
In this article we have collected the best uses that we can give to a portable external battery at home and thus not always depending on charging cables for each device, or plugs throughout the house.
Concepts to keep in mind about external batteries
To charge a device through an external battery, a series of essential concepts must be taken into account: the capacity, the power or power transfer rate (voltage x current), and the amount of energy it is capable of delivering (power x time). The output voltage of each port is also a fundamental part, since having an external battery with a capacity of 3,000 mAh with an output voltage of 3.7 V is not the same as having 12 V. The energy that a battery in the latter case is higher, specifically 36Wh.
In an external battery, USB output is usually 5Vso through their electrical circuit they manage to transform the 3.7V output of their internal batteries to 5V through USB.
In this way, depending on the electrical characteristics of each device that we connect, and the port in which we connect it, your battery will charge better or worse. Below these lines we leave you with some examples.
charge a laptop
If you want to continue using your laptop but you have to be in an awkward spot near the plug to charge it while you use it, a portable battery may help in this case, especially if we are talking about a battery with a large capacity and fast transfer protocols. such as USB 3.0 and onwards, in addition to USB-C connector.
Many laptops have special power plugs, so not all computers will be able to charge without an additional adapter. It is also worth mentioning that the load on some laptops will not be as efficient as we would like. It all depends on the charging protocol, the output power of the laptop and the voltage and amperage that passes through the device.. If the external battery cannot reach the power of the computer, it is very possible that, instead of charging it, it maintains the battery, or it drains more slowly.
Connect USB fans
In summer times, having a fan near us can do us a great job, and if we do not want to use our computer’s battery to charge the fan via USB, we can always have an external battery to leave the fan running during the whole season. session.
The nice thing about this is that USB fans generally don’t draw much power, so a battery with good capacity should power this device for hours.
Use lamps or USB lights
If you want to add some light to your garden or patio and not require plugs, you can always opt for lighting with a built-in battery or lights with a USB port. In this way, with the help of an external battery, we can charge the light when we need it without the need for plugs.
In case the light does not have a battery and must be directly plugged in via USB, we can also power it through an external battery. These devices also consume very little, so they are perfect to combine with an external battery. Christmas lights are a good example in this case, since we would not have to depend on a plug at home to place the tree where we want and without so much wiring.
Charge mice and keyboards
The good thing about these external batteries is their versatility, so we don’t have to rely on a single charger for each device. In this way, These batteries can also be used to charge wireless mice and keyboards..
Nowadays, charging a mouse or keyboard for a short time provides us with hours of use, so using an external battery, in addition to comfort, would also be a good way to not depend on more cables.
Charge and power Bluetooth speakers
There are those who in their day to day, in addition to using them outside the home, also use them inside the home. We are talking about Bluetooth speakers, a great complement for those who want to enjoy music anywhere. Also, if we have the correct plug, we can charge them from an external battery and thus not depend on a plug.
A similarity occurs with smart speakers such as the Amazon Echo or the Google Nest, among others. And it is that if the speaker does not have USB-A or USB-C for charging in an external battery, we can use a suitable adapter for the power plug you use and thus be able to use an external battery to take the speaker to any room in the home.
Console controllers and similar peripherals
If we do not want to depend on the USB connector of our console to charge the controller while we play, we can always opt for an external battery and charge the controller without depending on the length of the cable of load to be comfortable while we play.
Like the controls to play, any other similar peripheral that does not depend on batteries and we can charge via USB from an external battery. Although it is not a definitive and permanent solution, there are cases in which an external battery can be very useful.
