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Plugging into a random usb port is bad security
Not really bad if you use a power-only cable. If the data pins aren’t even wired up, can’t move anything other than power.
Not sure if that works with USB-C at anything other than legacy 500mA power draw though, probably not since the device can’t communicate for what it supports.
If your device has good software, it will only allow power unless you authorize a data connection.
* Assuming there is no bug, zero-day, or other vulnerability on the current version of your fully updated device.
Having a power-only cable removes that as a possibility.
Still gotta worry about stuff that could send a ton of current to fry the ports too. USB condoms can help here too but your own power adapter is best.
Ton of voltage. You push voltage and pull current.
I only push imperial current electron flow style.
Nah, I won’t worry about such problems until there is a chance of it actually happening.
Now if only usb cables were labeled like Ethernet cables.
It amazes me how given the complexity of the USB specifications, where everything looks the same but it is not the same, nothing is ever labeled.
Some things are but the labelling is stupid and tiny. Many laptop ports are labeled but people aren’t familiar with the icons (and the icons are often confusingly similar)
Well–to bring it back to the security point, you can’t trust the icon on the port anyway. You need a well-labeled cable, and, good luck
Happy Cakeday! 🍰🎂
A power only USB-C cable is a violation of USB spec, has to be USB 2.0 at the least.
That’s never stopped companies from making something, like A to A USB cables.
Until you find that person who wired a 48v USB plug, just for you.
USB-PD standards push 50v. Go with wall voltage (110-220v 60/50hz) to be sure.
With this arrangement, they probably can’t steal your data. But they can absolutely destroy your phone with a string electric shock, if that’s the sort of malicious plan they have.
Not really bad if you use a power-only cable.
Or a USB condom. But I never really hear about those anymore.
There has never been a proven case of juice jacking, anywhere, ever.
But I have seen multiple phones get harmed by a really bad charger. Although these chargers were not for public use.
Still, it’s not a bad idea to bring a power bank. And then charge that, if you need to.
At least that’s what the juice jackers want us to think.
Bangs42 thinks they’re slick, but we all know that’s what a juice jacker would say.
So’s leaving the house.
Stay in, bolt the doors, board up the windows, stay safe.
Except that isn’t even safe, just paranoid. Sometimes accidents happen because you’re trying to prevent accidents
That’s what USB-A to USB-C cables are for. Most of those outlets don’t provide any fast charging anyway.
Faster than nothing at all tho
So you plug an A to C cable into them (or hang an A to C dongle off the end of your usual cable) and charge from them.
I still run across them that charge at 1.0 speeds. I’m pretty sure if my phone isn’t turned off they can’t actually keep my phone from dying at idle.
“6hrs 12min until full charge”
My car had USB for Android Auto and it barely provides enough enough power to maintain my phone’s charge while in use.
Thankfully wireless charging makes that an easy problem to bypass.
Wait. I thought they were saying it’s annoying that there are now USB-C outlets replacing USB-A, which would be a waste. They actually want USB-C outlets?! I’d guess at least half of all USB-C cables are USB-A to USB-C. There’s absolutely no reason to switch from A-outlets.
USB-c are more convenient and have a wider range of uses. We should be moving to that for everything.
Actually I was disappointed last year …. After reading for so long that Apple was the last remaining holdout for usb-c, I switched my phone and watch, and have been wondering where everyone else is. Why is it still the minority to find USB-C power strips and chargers and power banks and outlets and random devices? In my case, it means I don’t have a clean switch from Lightning to USB-C but now have to buy legacy cables too
USB-c are more convenient and have a wider range of uses.
How? Since USB-C has been around for so long, A-C cables have been the norm from the start. Everyone has them already. I don’t see the downside.
You cant use USB PD with USB A
I had to look up what that means. Does it really matter that much? We have fast chargers using A-C cables for phones since far back. Is PD that much better?
Is PD that much better?
Yes, it really is. The USB spec for Type A connectors is 5V @ 1.5A for a max energy output of 7.5W. USB PD 3.0 (which requires the Type C connector) specs for 5V @ 3A (15W), but also provides additional optional mixes of 9V @ 3A (27W), 15V @ 3A (45W), 20V @ 3A (60W), and 20V @ 5A (100W). Adding to this, there is also now USB PD 3.1 EPR (Extended Power Range) which adds 28V @ 5A (140W), 36V @ 5A (180W), and 48V @ 5A (240W).
So, 7.5W of available power vs up to 240W (supposing device and cable support), plus flexibility on negotiated power. This means that there is far more energy available to charge faster and the ability to power many more types of devices that require different voltages.
But wait, there’s more. USB PD is also used to enable negotiation of USB Alternate Modes. Currently, only Thunderbolt, MHL, and DisplayPort alt modes are maintained but that’s still pretty awesome.
The symmetry and not needing to glance at the end of the plug (or rotate it several times to figure out if it’s rotated wrong or just isn’t aligned properly) is nice.
Not nice enough to switch though
Sure, but recently (the last two years actually sound about right) we have been starting to replace A-C cables with C-C cables and often with fast and small GaN powerbricks that are USB-C out.
Those of us who never had to buy them now have to for backward compatibility. That especially includes us iPhone people who are new to the party and have to buy both the newer standard and the older. There are a lot of iPhone people.
For anyone, you have to carry double the number of cables. You might find a modern charger or you might find an older one.
Are you asking why USB-C is more convenient? It’s smaller, it’s reversible, it carries more power, it has faster data …. How’s it not more convenient?
Those of us who never had to buy them now have to for backward compatibility. That especially includes us iPhone people who are new to the party and have to buy both the newer standard and the older. There are a lot of iPhone people.
That’s more of an Apple issue than a USB issue, imo.
For anyone, you have to carry double the number of cables. You might find a modern charger or you might find an older one.
I agree that’s annoying. But again, once the transition started, C-C cables came with A-C adapters. Those still exist.
Are you asking why USB-C is more convenient? It’s smaller, it’s reversible, it carries more power, it has faster data …. How’s it not more convenient?
The size difference is minimal. If you’re saying you can bring a C-C cable but not an A-C cable, I don’t believe you. Reversible is just a matter of flipping it if it’s wrong. USB-A still has up to 30 W. Do you really need fast charging in public outlets? Data is moot, since we’re talking about charging and ideally even using non-data cables to avoid unintentional data transfer.
I want to bring only one cable that does everything, and I don’t want to worry about plugging it in backwards
Do you really need fast charging in public outlets?
I always bring my own charger or power pack with me for security and speed, but “yes”.
If I’m using a public outlet my device is nearly dead and I probably only have limited time to hang out and charge it.
You’ll know we’ve made it when people are carrying around usb c thumb drives
Both the ones on my keychain are
Has this guy somehow not learned of type A to type C cables?
It’s not so much the connector; but the power delivery standard.
Type A maxes out at 5v 3a = 15w and is often limited closer to 5v 1a = 5w for public-use charging ports.
Type C and its power delivery standards can get as high as 50v 5a = 250w (though usually closer to 20v 5a = 100w)
Then again… The negotiation for what voltage/amperage to supply happens over the data lines which you don’t want connected on a public charging port…
I dont really see a good solution here.
Carry a power bank.
Yes, obviously that’s always been an option.
I dont see a good solution for the topic we were actually talking about: creating high-power public use charging ports.
Charge the powerbank with the public charger. No data to steal, no expensive phone with sensitive electronics to break.
One day, I’m sure there will be a defcon talk about reprogramming powerbanks to fry devices.
The same could be said about power adapters
Of course they have heard of those cables. They very likely own a few themselves.
It would be nice to only have to carry a single C-C cable in your bag though.
Idk. Like all the usb ports were capped at like 5v 1a with shorted data lines. I always used my own charger just because it would take 6 hours to charge my phone using the built in usb plug.
This is why next to my couches are multi-port chargers.
The ones I’m using currently have 8 ports; 2 at 65W, 3 at 30W, and 3 at 20W. The 30 & 60 are USB-C, 20W is USB A. The 65W is plenty for laptops, tablets, and phones. 30W for tablets and phones if the 65W is in use or headphones, eBook reader, etc. 20W for all that miscellaneous simple device charging, anything micro USB, etc.
Way better strategy than built in IMO. Easy to replace, old one goes somewhere else (or given to family members), etc.
Takes forever to bring the charge up; but perfect for maintaining battery while you watch/scroll on trips.
Also great to squeak a little battery in if your phone was flat and you needed to make a call.
This.
I still see these in the gym!
I was looking to book a hotel recently and one of the hotels listed “Every room equipped with iHome radio dock” as an amenity.
What year is it?!
I still rock an old iPod. At a gym I’d imagine it’s more for those than phones at this point.
As an anarchist I’m so glad we also made the word universal useless by making all kinds of different power and data transmit standards that ports and cables may or may not support. As a Satanist I also love that there is no system for labeling anything to know what cable will support what protocol.
We do, we just decided not to label anything.
The bus is universal, the port is standardized but not universal.
The cereal has yet to arrive
That’s why USB ports are always worse than a proper outlet. Just take your charging brick with you, what’s the problem?
travels internationally
You’ve got to start traveling with one of these bad boys:
When you’re advanced, you carry two: one powers your stuff, and the other is for your karaoke machine.
Just throw some backpack straps on that and off you go
Once you flip it, everyone gets envious on the plane.
Chargers are almost always compatible with any a/c voltage and only need a physical adapter to plug into a wall socket in a different country. Or bring a power bank with you
I’ve got a brick for EU/UK/USA/AUS plugs with 3 type a and 1 type c and an international multiplug ac/ac pass through.
USB ports on a wall outlet or power strip are usually much more space efficient than a charging brick.
They’re also much less capable though. Have fun finding a USB-C PD port anywhere when you need to charge your laptop - a power outlet is much more useful.
I basically end up using power bricks for laptop and phone, and ports built into a power strip for everything else. Most stuff doesn’t need full PD support (but most anker power strips actually support it, just not at very high wattage).
Does nobody have usb to usbc cables?
best i can do is a usb-b to usb-c adapter :D
what about USB mini a to USB c?
I don’t think you can do the PD standard from a USB a port. Edit: Reading the Wikipedia page, it sounds like usb-a supports PD 1.0 but not 2.0+ and the higher power requirements.
I’m a PD evangelist. Imagine a safer power delivery system that can go directly to the device you want powered. Scale that with fact most of the world could be and should be DC with AC being good just for niche applications like microwaves and mid range transmissions.
You say most of the word should be DC I till you realize that you need a 3cm thick cable to move 2000w 30m. DC is really bad outside of low or ultra high power transmission.
The calculator I used says for 48v with an acceptable drop of 3v at 50 amp (2400-2250 watts) would be a 0 (1/0) AWG or .82515cm diameter diameter wire to handle the current (oversized really but it’s napkin math lol) for 30m.
Tell me you don’t understand how electrical transformers work without telling me you don’t know understand electrical transformers work.
Listen I don’t wanna just rag on you, because you came at me with bait and what feels like an a condescending attempt to sound smart.
Do you mind just explaining what you are thinking and we could just talk about it? Transformers are fucking awesome, fucking magmatsm and shit, tons of uses. I think there is some interesting discussion here if you actually want to have it.
If you think USB A vs C outlets are a problem, wait until you see how much of a struggle getting the entire world to use DC instead of AC is like you’re suggesting lol
Oh man no doubt, EVs, campers, boats, and some super scaler’s get interesting with midscale DC, but trying to find codes of electricians that know about or the safety code for it is a challenge.
Yeah. This is the problem with trying to enforce standards on industries that historically move at glacier speed, with standards used by tech moving at breakneck speeds.
The only happy part of USB-C in this context is that, at least right now, the USB-C connector doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon, so if things get updated to USB C, we should be okay for a while.
Personally, I carry a whole assortment of USB cables with me everywhere. C-to-C, A-to-C, even A-to-lightning, and A-to-microB. I don’t use an iPhone, nevermind one that needs a lightning cable. And I have moved away from most accessories that require micro.
I also have a power brick in my pack with the cables, it’s a GaN power brick from Anker, with over 100W of output, two USB-C outputs, and one USB-A. At least one of the type C ports supports enough power output to charge my laptop, the other USB C port for my phone, and the USB A port for anything else that might need it. I don’t recall the exact power capacity of it, but if memory serves, it will take 100-240V, 50-60hz AC input, so at most, I just need to get one of those cheap converters for the receptacle type used wherever I may find myself.
I work in tech, so being without power is a huge problem. My work laptop also takes USB C for charging, so I don’t need to have two power bricks with me. I usually have both, but I don’t need to have both.
As long as there’s power available and is sufficiently clean and stable, I’m good. I have a few accessories that are not USB C compliant, some have USB C ports but won’t trigger a proper USB C charger to deliver any power, which is why I have USB A to C cables, and there’s two devices I have that uses a proprietary cable (a Bluetooth headset and my smart watch), which I’ve obtained spares for which I keep one charging cable at home and one in my kit. My kit also includes a USB A/C power bank. It’s not powerful enough to charge my laptop, but it’s fine for everything else.
USB C has simplified the cables I carry. I still have a few odds and ends for edge cases, but for the most part, I’m okay with it.
My only big issue with USB C at this point is that it’s not just for power+usb data anymore. It’s thunderbolt, and display port, and… Ugh. So many things using the same connector that I don’t know what will work anymore when I get to a new device, because though it looks like USB C, it might be USB C QC, or PD, or thunderbolt, or display port, or… FML.
Worth it though. USB-C is way better
Yeah, let’s please stay here for a while.
Everybody get ready for the dual release of USB-360 and USBONE. USB-360 is gonna be shaped like an octagon, but only two orientations work. USBONE is a nonagon but slightly larger so USB-360 just fits inside because fuck you.
Pure evil
Seems like a reasonable chance, kind of the first universal end, and it doubles as a two sided option. Micro was nearly there if it hasn’t been so horrid on the physical hardware side.
USB-A ports have been outdated since at least 2017, when it started seeing very widespread use. It’s everyone else that’s late
Dude your mom’s been outdated since at least 2017
I have a piece of furniture with a snap in power station and it probably has USB 1.0 ports on it. I don’t care how cool the tech is, if you’re trying to incorporate it into a long lasting product like furniture, it really needs to be a standard module that is easy to upgrade. Mine snaps out but I have no idea if an updated version exists anywhere because there’s no standardization and this furniture company doesn’t show anything on their website.
I’d prefer non-corporate internationally approved standards over modularity. We were able to do it with CAT/ITU …
Non-corporate internationally approved standards… For furniture inserts?
rented a car a couple weeks ago. it didn’t have usb-a OR a lighter outlet-- had to go buy usb-c to usb-c cables
incidentally, if you’re in the market for a new car, don’t buy a mazda cx30. and not even for the usb issue, it just all-around sucks
yea, the car I was given just had a cover plate over that,. no outlet
This is hilarious!
USB A to C is pretty standard
I thought usb-a to usb-c or whatever you have is standart everywhere what do they mean by useless?
I never used any public ports. Reality is if i have a cable with me, I’m just as likely to have a power bank, and it charges my phone faster. It also gives me more freedom of movement as I don’t have to be wired to a wall.
