USB charging hub: compatibility ?
 

Hi
We are going to buy a USB charging port to take to Europe. Our question is can we buy one in the US that will work in Europe with an adapter or do we need to buy a European voltage charging station.

Is a USB charging port like a hair dryer, or does it not matter?

It will almost certainly be dual voltage

janisj: I've read so many times that dual voltage appliances, like hair dryers aren't always the best way to go.

I guess what I'm asking is that if this is an issue with charging ports.

Hair dryers tend not to be dual voltage because they draw lots of power.

A USB charger draws very little power, like a phone or camera charger, so it's almost certainly going to be dual voltage. Still, check the specs before buying to be sure; make sure it says 110v-240v or something like that.

I bought one of these last year. All it needed was an adapter. I can't imagine that another brand won't also work with just an adapter.

https://www.amazon.com/Anker-4-Port-.../dp/B00VH8G1SY

The issue with dual voltage hair dryers bought in the US is that they don't work very well on 220v.

Try something like this that is an adapter with built in USB charging ports

https://www.amazon.com/Adapter-World...p/B00Y6NXU18/r

Plug adaptors are a dime a dozen. Usually around $1, or even less. Most, if not all devices (cell phone, camera, iPad, lap top) made today are dual voltage. A simple plug adaptor is all you'll need.

If you happen to be using anything from Apple, then you can purchase the plug needed for the EU at any of the Apple stores, Best Buy, or online.

The charger spec is on the charger itself in very tiny prints many people don't read.

I take multiple chargers made by different vendors after testing them thoroughly at home. I found the reliability of cheap chargers abominable. Not all the smart chargers are not smart at all. Multple output port plugs vary in what they do if you use more than one port at a time. Some can supply spec current to all the port while others ration across all the ports. I didn't know how bad they were until I started using an USB charge monitor meter to realy show how much current each port was supplying. Many also stopped working while on trips.

We've used an Anker usb charging port on several overseas trips, as well as using it at home every day. It's invaluable for charging phones, iPads, and Kindles.

Going through security, we always take it (and our other cords) out so they can look at it separately, especially at LHR because you don't want to get stuck in a secondary search there. YMMV.

Wonderful information. Thank you all for this. We use single ports at home and while traveling but as we accumulate more devices, a hub seems necessary.

Everything we have is Apple except for some of my husband's photo equipment.

We have plenty of adapters, and I'm adding a couple of those booster things (name?) for our next trip.

"Going through security, we always take it (and our other cords) out so they can look at it separately"

Really? I have never bothered taking out anything except my iPad. And I have never (so far...) been pulled for screening for adapters, chargers, cords etc. Even at LHR.

I won't buy a hair dryer unless it's dual voltage, and a lot of them are, even cheap ones, just fyi.

I also don't sweat cords and chargers and such when going through security. I have never seen it required to remove them, and I think that deciding on one's own to do so just slows down the process.

tuscanlifeedit: >>janisj: I've read so many times that dual voltage appliances, like hair dryers aren't always the best way to go. <<

Chargers are an ENTIRELY different animal than hair dryers or flat irons.

Your iPhone, lap top, tablet, whatever . . . their chargers are all dual voltage as is the USB hub.

Well, that's true, they are different appliances, but I have never had a problem with either dual voltage hairdryers or dual voltage straightening irons.

"Really? I have never bothered taking out anything except my iPad. And I have never (so far...) been pulled for screening for adapters, chargers, cords etc. Even at LHR."

"I also don't sweat cords and chargers and such when going through security. I have never seen it required to remove them, and I think that deciding on one's own to do so just slows down the process."

I'm glad to hear you haven't had a problem. We travel with several pieces of equipment for work with lots of cords. Additionally, our carry-ons are the clam shell/double layer type.

After getting "pulled over" and watching them take an excruciatingly long time to unwind and inspect every cord and every other item in the case, we simply started putting the electronic related things in a pull out mesh packing "cube" and having it go through the scanner separately. For us, it solved the problem.

>>>The issue with dual voltage hair dryers bought in the US is that they don't work very well on 220v.<<<

Actually, they work just fine. You just need to remember to set it to the voltage (often there is a tiny screw/switch) and use on low setting. Hair dryers and curling irons on low setting perform as if they are on high setting (high setting seems to cause overheating).

>>Actually, they work just fine<< . . . <i>most</i> of the time. But when they do fail it can be spectacular.

But the possible issues re dual voltage hair dryers and such as nothing at all to do with chargers/hubs.

They are separate issues, but I agree with kybourbon, there's no reason to avoid dual voltage dryers and straighteners. Any appliance can fail.

I don't know what your issue is but I just take a small single port USB charger that plugs into the electrical outlet in the wall when I go. It's only a couple inches in size, bought it at CVS for about $5, I think. I use that in the US when traveling, also. When going to Europe, I put the small adaptor plug on it to fit their socket, of course.

I think the charger said on it that it was dual voltage or I wouldn't have done that. I only have one thing that needs charging.

I have also never been asked by security to take out cords to show them. I think they have asked my tablet be out of its case and laying in the tray. But I don't have tons of stuff, either, so am not very suspicious, as I said. I have one small tablet and a small cellphone. I think an entire case of electronic equipment does raise more scrutiny.