How to Charge your iPod, iPad & iPhone faster no matter which Laptop or Desktop you have
If you already have an iPad there's a big probability you already are facing issues while trying to charge it with the USB cord from your Desktop or Laptop. This is normal because mobile devices as tablets or smart-phones sometimes need more power to charge themselves. My Samsung Galaxy S II, for example, is very picky while being charged, and if I don't stop using it while charging, it barely keeps its battery.
If you have an iPad (2nd Gen, 4Th Gen or even iPad Mini), then there's a big chance that you encounter the "not charging" message every time you connect it to the PC or your laptop. It doesn't mean it's not being charged, but it won't charge until it gets to the sleep mode (screen off). And even if it's being charged, it will charge much slower than when you connect it to the AC power adapter.
Explain me why!
Well, this is simple. USB, or also known as Universal Serial BUS, is a common interface with electrical standards. For USB 1.1 & USB 2.0, their all work with 5V and a maximum practical current of 500mA. This means the total power you can get from those USB ports is 2.5 watts, while the AC adapter might be rated up to 10 watts.
There are some high power USB ports which can give you more than 1A at 5V, and this kind of ports automatically detect when you're connecting a power-hungry device so they can change their function to a high-power state and keep working like that until you unplug the device.
How do I "fix" it?
Well, there are some programs which will help your PC or Laptop detecting high-current devices. This kind of applications can be installed in almost any PC no matter which brand/model you have, and it will make your iPad charge much faster (or at least you can forget about the "Not charging" message at the top of your status bar), and also will help you charge your iPhone /iPod up to 40-50% faster depending on your PC.
Download
You can get one of those applications from the motherboard vendors like ASUS, GIGABYTE or MSI. You'll find the software in the following pages:
- ASUS Ai Charger: my personal recommendation. I tried this in many PCs including a pair of laptops and works like a charm)
- GIGABYTE ON/OFF Charge: Another software, even though the ASUS Ai Charger says up to 50% faster while this one says 40% faster.
Download and install the applications, and then reboot your computer in order to get the software running properly in your OS.
Main Advantages
So, despite the marketing about being 3x faster, the reality isn't that different. Your iPhone will charge up to 50% faster than without the software. Also, you can now be sure that your iPad or Android tablet will be charged faster or at least it will be charged while you're syncronizing your music/photos etc.
Additionally, both of the apps can keep charging your device in stand by mode, suspended mode or even if you shut down your PC. For this, you'll need to connect the device you want to charge before you turn off your PC, and when your computer detects the device and the program is enabled, you can turn off your PC and verify your device is being charged still.
This is good, specially for those who don't have the AC adapter, as this means you won't need to turn on the PC anymore just to charge your device. You can even go to sleep at night and left your iPad charging without wasting tons of watts overnight.
Did you try it?
Sure I did. at the right you can see a little screenshot of my Desktop with the ASUS Ai Charger software installed. When I connect the tablet, the small icon automatically changes to enabled (I marked the icon in a red square) and if I turn off the PC my tablet is still being charged. Cool!
As I've told you before, I even tried in a pair of laptops I have and it works. ASUS is telling their customers this software works on any PC, and luring a little bit more, I found that it should work in any Intel Core iX motherboard or with any AMD AM3/AM3+ series. If you find yourself having this kind of problem then test these applications and let me know if they worked for you. You really can't loose anything, so don't worry about the ports or the devices. If your USB port is not capable of being a high-power cord, then it just won't work. That's all.
