Choosing a charging station for the home: which features are particularly important and what you can save money on

In order for the charging station for the home to fully provide electricity for several hours, it must have certain characteristics. Let's consider what parameters of such equipment are especially important. What options can be saved on?

Key characteristics of charging stations for home

The main parameters to which it is worth paying attention are:

• Power.
• Capacity.
• Battery type.
• Weight of the equipment.
• Price.

The charging station can only deliver a certain power and provide electricity to electrical appliances. This characteristic is specified in watts. To correctly calculate the necessary power of the charging station, take into account not only the constant consumption, but also the peak power.

It is best to make a list of all electrical appliances in the house that need to be connected to a portable station. This will help to determine the average power. Take into account that several appliances will be turned on at the same time. Often, you need to power the refrigerator, boiler, lighting fixtures, charge smartphones, tablets, computer.

Other important characteristics of charging stations for the home:

• A capacious battery is needed to use electricity from the charging station for as long as possible. The optimal value is from 120,000 mAh. Then there is enough electricity to plug in several appliances for several hours.
• The LiFePO4 battery type is one of the latest developments. Charging station with such a battery can serve up to 10 years. The battery has an increased charge cycle - 2,500-3,500 times. However, such equipment is the most expensive. Conventional charging stations use lithium-ion or NMC batteries.
• It is important that the charging station has standard connectors: USB, Type-A, Type-C, DC-connector for lighting devices, cigarette lighter socket and 220 V outlet.
• If you need a high-power charging station for home from 500 W, it should have safety systems. This is protection against overload, short circuit and overheating. Thanks to such systems, you can prevent damage to gadgets, home appliances and reduce the risk of fire.

What features of a home charging station can be saved on

Non-mandatory charging station options:

• If the portable charging station will be used only indoors, in the house or in the apartment, then increased insulation of the housing from moisture is not necessary. Universal models for home and for the street are more expensive, because they have increased protection of the housing.
• Digital display is necessary to see the amount of charge, but the display of time, air temperature - this is no longer a mandatory functionality.
• Touch control makes the equipment much more expensive.
• Wi-fi and bluetooth, built into the charging station, is needed for its integration into the “smart home” system. If there is no such task, choose equipment without these functions.
• Wireless charging for smartphones. This is not a mandatory feature, but it makes the charging station more expensive.

Choosing a charging station for home, pay attention to reviews on the Internet about the models you like. This will help to identify non-obvious shortcomings and determine how the equipment works in domestic conditions. What malfunctions may occur, whether the actual capacity and charging speed correspond to those declared by the manufacturer.