PortaPow3rd Gen Data Blocker (Pack of 2) - Protect Against Juice Jacking

These are great for stopping a data connection with the computer you're connecting to, they're particularly handy with my iPhone 6s and Macbook pro because I have tethering set up, so if I plug the iPhone in without these my tethering connection is used. I've also used them in the office to connect to colleagues computers when I just wanted to charge my phone.I thought they would improve the charge speed of the iPhone when connected to a Macbook but they don't as it seems that Macbooks already supply the full power to charge a phone even when a data connection is active. I found this out by using another very handy product from PortaPow which is the PortaPow Dual USB V3 Power Monitor with SmartCharge - this lets you see how much power a USB device is consuming and as you can see from the attached photos, with a data connection established the power draw is the same as when using the data blocker (note that the power draw goes up and down slightly, hence the difference). But regardless, these are very handy and do the job well. They're also very sturdy.One note - I tried using this in my Audi S4 and it didn't like it, it kept constantly reconnecting and got very confused, so it seems it won't work in all places.

The plug side of this device has no physical data pins, so it’s definitely going to block data as advertised.It tells the downstream device that it’s connected to a fast charger - it’s not just a dumb power pass-though. The down-side to this is that it knows nothing about the actual charger so ‘fast charging’ speed might be pretty variable in practice. Being type-A it’s only going to support legacy fast charging, not any of the type-C specific stuff like PD, and so it may not work as a fast charger with all devices.It’s still a handy thing to have if you use public chargers and good value for what it is.

Straightforward and simple protection for your data

Ford try to be helpful. In the glove box of my Mondy they have a USB socket, but if you plug in an iPhone lead to charge the phone, the car audio treats the phone as an iPod/USB audio device and plays music out. That's all fine until you get a phone call, when it gets confused (as it doesn't pass on calls over bluetooth, as it's playing out from a USB-connected device). Nice one, Ford.This little beauty solves that problem completely. It allows the phoone to charge, while the car audio doesn't "see" the iPhone as an audio source, so allowing it to connect over bluetooth (as the idiots at Ford should have done in the first place).Result! Plugging this tiny device in line with the phone charger cable solves Ford's genius audio design fault. It's Worth its weight in good stuff.

I hate mains adapters. I have drawers full of them. So for me, it was REALLY irritating when I bought a mains plug socket adapter with lots of nice USB sockets that can supposedly handle 2.4 A per port, and yet I measured my tablet charging from it at just 300 mA. Clearly it was meant for Apple iPad, and my tablet is Google/Android.Same with my computer. I *know* its USB sockets can output 1 A to phones and tablets, but the drivers to allow it to don't work on Windows 10 - they output at 0.5 A at max, and generally around the 380 mA mark. And at work, which supplies "universal" slots that are meant for Android, not Apple, and barely charges my iPhone. Some ports, like on TVs, won't supply any power to a phone or tablet at all, not even enough to trickle charge.A whole mythology has built up around "good cables" and "bad cables" and it's not hard to see why.The little PortaPow fixes these issues for me and allows charging by devices at the same speed as the original charger (confirmed with a USB test stick), with the added benefit that my embarrassing stored pictures don't pop up on the desktop of a rather large screen the moment I plug in my device at work, thanks to its "USB condom" functionality.Yes, you can produce similar effects by shorting out the data pins on a USB cable (or buying one that does so), but this brute force method won't help you if the charger only allows full current draw when detects specific devices, as many appear to now do. The PortaPow, in "spoofing" that your device is Apple/Android/Samsung and picking the best output no matter what it really is, is a much more elegant solution.I only have two criticisms. My first, smaller one is that PortaPow could be a bit shorter if it was arranged better inside - it can be a bit awkward when added to the length of the cable going into it, like a long stick hanging out of a USB socket. My second isn't to do with the PortaPow itself, but its intended usage: by bypassing the data pin negotiation, you can potentially draw more current from a USB port than was designed for. I don't know if PortaPow is safer than any other hacky "fast charge" cable/dongle in this respect. Many devices are clever and will cut off or lower current if necessary but some may not be and could potentially blow out something inside, so I would advise using PortaPow carefully.

All good

Not sure why the devices use power from a battery pack when no phone or device is connected. But if it blocks data being transferred whilst charging that's fineBut drawing power on it's own?

Power only USB A, they work and you can be sure while using power in any location that you will not be at risk of juice jacking.