Hardly a week goes by without someone asking us about the type of danger posed by USB-C charging cables – but also USB type A or B, or even Lightning – and asking us if there is more prudent to buy a shorter charging cable to safely charge a smartphone or laptop. Longer USB (or even Lightning) cables are believed to be more likely to ignite or present a risk of overheating, especially in the event of an electrical overload at the port, but also exposure to water or other liquid materials.
When we ask the caller about the source of this fear, he often admits to having heard or read something about the “increased resistance” of the cables and how it can cause overheating when these cables are under tension and plugged into a power source. And for this reason, they should choose the shortest cable possible.
Rest assured, this is absolutely not true. We currently use a setup that heavily uses Anker’s 3-meter USB-C to USB-C cables to charge our computers (including a 16-inch Apple MacBook Pro M1) and this charges the battery in our devices at 94W, which is close to the maximum charge achievable using USB-C charging (unless using the 140W MagSafe cable).
Excess cable harms health
Suffice to say: the USB cable is impeccable and nothing is to be noted concerning its condition, whether it is powered on and connected to a device or not. It simply works, poses no risk or danger of any kind, and does not heat up or even heat up. We also tested longer cables, including the MicroConnect USB-C cable with a maximum range of 5 meters, which also supports 100W on your devices. These cables also worked very well.
As a reminder, from a fire safety point of view, two things should be avoided:
- Long cables of unknown brand: the experience with these is often variable, despite prices that are attractive to say the least. They also seem to suffer from a risk of premature death when they are pushed to the bottom or exposed to splashes of liquid products or any material.
- Damaged charging cables: 100W USB-C chargers deliver considerable power, and although USB-C chargers incorporate many safety features, a damaged cable in your sockets can still pose a safety problem.
The fact remains that the long cables that swarm in your installations and your work environment constitute above all another type of underestimated danger. To stumble and fall to the ground. Having long cables plugged in – and a mess of chargers – lying around all over your premises represents a real danger for you or your employees present in the building.
Not only can tripping over a cable injure people, it can also damage the hardware the cable is connected to. Surely you have seen an accident like this before and seen colleagues or laptops stolen, all because of long USB cables. If you’re tempted to buy a long USB (or Lightning) charging cable, ask yourself if you need it or if it’s a “fake” good idea that will actually be inconvenient on the long term.
Source: ZDNet.com