Belkin Travel Power Adapter Review

by Sarah Meyer

Have you ever taken your notebook home from work or school and realized you forgot your power adapter? Or have you ever wished that you could charge your notebook in your car while you're driving, so it had a full battery? Or maybe, like me, you've tried to stuff four different chargers into one bag while you are traveling and ended up misplacing one because there were so many cords and wires.

Well, the Belkin Travel Power Adapter claims to be the solution to all of these problems. I decided to check out the do it all power adaptor to see if it's really useful or if it's just another bulky hassle.

Belkin Travel Power Adapter Specifications

• Guaranteed compatibility for PC laptops under 17"
• USB Power for iPod, PDA's and other compatible devices
• Integrated cord-wrap design
• Battery-expandable
• Input voltage: 100-240V
• Output voltage: 16-24V
• Dimensions: 15.2 x 6.6 x 3.2cm
• Weight: about 15 oz.
• $100,000 connected equipment warranty
• Will send free tip if supplied tips do not work

Design and Aesthetics

Belkin's Travel Power Adapter is white with a gray cord. There is an AC plug and power tip connector attached permanently to either end of the power adapter. The power tip connector is used to connect one of 11 power tips based on the notebook you own.

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The cord is over 64 inches from the AC plug to the base and 72 inches from the base to the power tip so basically you can work on your notebook over 11 ft. from the power outlet.

The car adapter cord is about 20 inches and it attaches to the base of the power adapter. This combination can give you about 7 ft. of length.

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On the base of the adapter is a USB port for devices that can be charged via USB power. For example: an iPod, MP3, PDA, certain cell phones, some cameras, portable DVD player, etc.

The cords can be wrapped around the base and secured by a flexible piece of rubber for easy portability and storage.

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Using the Adapter

The power adapter is pretty simple to use. Depending on where you are (home, car, boat, airplane), plug the AC or DC plug in and choose the power tip that's compatible with your computer. Belkin includes a Power-Tip compatibility list but if you have a newer edition notebook that's not listed in the manual you can check the online version which is updated constantly.

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For USB devices, the adapter must be plugged into a power source for the USB port to be able to charge your device (I know that goes without saying but you never know).

Whether in the car or at home, the adapter worked equally well. I happen to have a Dell - which is the one computer brand that this power adapter will not charge - so I couldn't test how it charged my notebook. I actually got an error message one of the times I plugged the adapter in saying that not only would the adapter not charge my computer but I might not be able to run my notebook normally, although I never had a problem.

Since my Dell was out, we did test the adapter's charging abilities on a compatible computer, my co-worker's Asus R1 Tablet, it took about an hour and half, a little longer than the Asus provided power brick but still decent.

The USB slot worked just fine, and although I don't have many devices that charge via USB port, this adapter could be very handy while in the car or on a plane since it can charge multiple devices.

Also, Belkin has a $100,000 connected equipment warranty. Their policy is that they will repair or replace any equipment (up to $100,000) that is damaged by a surge or a spike in power while properly connected to a power supply.

Conclusion

Belkin's Travel Power Adapter is a great product that you can take with you in the car or use at home. You can charge multiple devices with it and I liked the color much better than a typical solid black. While it is more expensive than getting a simple power brick, it's comparable in price to other multi-use power adapters on the market.

I wouldn't recommend it for Dell notebook owners though. Why spend $120 on a power adapter that won't even charge your computer?

Pros

• $100,000 connected equipment warranty
• Can charge multiple devices, in multiple places
• Portable

Cons

• Won't charge Dell laptops
• Sort of expensive (although comparable with other AC/DC products)

Pricing and Availability

Belkin's Travel Power Adapter is available on Belkin's website for $119.99.

 

I dunno according to the website my dell laptop is a 36, and if the pack doesnt come with it i can have it sent to me for free...

 

I'm fairly sure that Belkin would not just "forget" about Dell.

It looks to be about the same size as our Dell 65W chargers.

Now, if only its a little smaller and came with universal input plugs... it would be a perfect traveling companion. I wish more manufacturers will come up with more EEE PC sized chargers.

 

I have a travel power adapter that does everything this one does and charges dell notebooks without ordering any other tips. also was the same price.

 

It has a Dell compatible tip, and will keep the computer on BUT it will NOT charge a Dell laptop. If you buy the adapter in the Power-Tip Compatibility List it says and I quote: "Only Powers - Does Not Charge." No joke.

 

Wow I can't believe that this charging set doesn't even charge Dell products. I have a Dell M1330 and I HATE the charger that they supply it with. I wish they would just hand out the "old" chargers that just wrap up around themselves.

I wonder what the reasoning is for not being able to utilize Dell laptops? But Sony, HP, Asus, etc. all work.

Odd. Regardless -- excellent review.

 

you guys realize that you can get a dc/ac transformer for like $15, so you can just use your normal charger -- and use it to charge all of your other gadgets?

 

That doesn't help people like me that want a second adapter so that they always have one in their bag. Its nice to not have to worry that you might forget the adapter, or that if you break one you have one, or if its hard to get the power adapter plugged in at your desk you don't have to worry about it.

 

anyone know if this adapter is compatible with Alienware m15x and HP tx2000z?

 

to answer my own question, and in case someone was wondering:

yes and sometimes... it can power the tx2000z fine. It can only suply sufficient power to the m15x if the laptop is running on internal graphics.

This Belkin power adapter is rated for 69W max. On the 8800mGTX, w/ stealth mode on, i hit mid 80s sometimes. With stealth off, i hit 116W while running games or intense applications.

 

Agh. All of the universal power adapters sold in the U.S. suck. They all use resistors in their tips to control the output voltage, so that even if a tip is the right shape for a particular laptop's DC jack, it may not be the right voltage. And so you have to waste a lot of time trying to find exactly the right tip for your laptop.

This one looks pretty good
http://www.computeractive.co.uk/computeractive/hardware/2207828/review-trust-universal-notebook

and more to the point, it has an output voltage selector switch. So instead of needing to choose from 85 different tip part numbers, you only need to look at 5 or 6. I've seen a lot of universal adapters sold in Europe and Asia with selectable output voltage, but none here in the US. I used a Targus universal adapter before; it overheated and fried my laptop at the same time. Now I'm using a Fellowes adapter; it's ok but one of the plugs on one cable broke, and the thing was discontinued a couple years ago. (I bought two at the same time, so after I got home from my trip to Europe I was able to plug in again. But in the meantime I was mostly powerless...)

The only problem with buying a UK universal adapter is their silly AC plugs are so darn bulky. I guess I could just cut off the plug and attach a US plug...

 

Great review, and great pics..

 

I suspect the PSU manufacturers will claim that putting the intelligence in the power tip reduces the risk of users feeding their computer with too many volts when they omit to select the right voltage.

There's no problem with the UK power plug. If you don't want to fit your own plug then buy a new mains cable with the plug you want.

John