Your Car’s USB Ports Could Be More Useful Than You Think in WA.

If your car is less than 6 or 7 years old, it probably has a USB port, maybe more than one. With all the computers in our cars now, it had to happen, and you can use USB ports in your car to do a bunch of different things.  

According to msn.com,
‘Some of those devices will be supported by your vehicle, while others may not be recognized, and compatibility is going to vary from device to device. Nonetheless, your car's USB port can do more than you think, undoubtedly. However, just because you can plug in virtually any USB-compatible device to a car's USB port doesn't mean you should, and for a variety of reasons.’ 

Where is the CD player? 

I primarily use mine for music. It's been several years ago, but the last time I tried to buy a CD player to put into an older vehicle, the car audio store didn't even have a CD player anymore; it was basically an in-dash radio with a USB port. 

Some people plug their phones directly into the USB port to charge the phone and access their music; others will just use Bluetooth, but I prefer to get a USB thumb drive, put all my music on the thumb drive, then I can just leave it in the car all the time. 

Keep in mind that some car audio systems will only support certain types of audio files. The first new car I got (this was 8 years ago) wouldn't playback wave files, but it would playback MP3’s and Windows Media player files. My latest car plays back pretty much anything. (No, I haven't tried FLAC files.) 

Dash cams are another popular accessory that people are using that requires a USB port. Right now, my daughter is shopping for a camera system for her car that looks both front and back and records video. 

What USB ports do you have? 

If your car is one or two years old, it probably has multiple types of USB plugs. Including USB 2.0 and USB-3. One thing to keep in mind though is just because you have USB ports in your car; it doesn't mean you need to plug everything into those USB ports. Different types of ports will supply different types of voltages. Those ports are a direct draw off your 12 Volt System in your car, including your battery. 

USB-2 will give you about 2.5 watts; USB 3 will give you 4.5 watts, but you need to keep in mind that some devices draw even more power than that. There's a new standard called USB-PD which can draw up to 70 watts. An example of what you would use that plug for would be to power your laptop for instance. Keep in mind that there's a tremendous drain on your electrical system and your battery at that level. You don't want to leave it plugged in after you park the car. 

Another device you don't want to leave plugged into your USB port after you park the car is a USB hub. Most USB hubs are active, which means they're drawing current even when you shut the car off. 

Whether we like it or not. USB plugs are in newer cars, possibly your newer car. If you have any questions on what to do with them and whether they're safe to plug your device into, maybe you should read the owner's manual,
and that's a good idea; I may just do that. 

Don't Plug These Gadgets Into Your Car's USB Port 
Your Car's USB Port Can Do More Than You Might Think 
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