The Anker Powerhouse 200 is a compact and useful item to take along on your outdoor trips. It provides 200 watt-hours worth of portable battery power. It will keep your laptop computer, camera or smartphone charged and ready for work or play.
Anker Powerhouse 200: Overview
The Powerhouse 200 might not have enough battery capacity to power things such as an electric fan or ordinary light bulb for more than two or three hours. Nevertheless, it can be a powerful little companion if you understand its advantages and limitations.
The Powerhouse 200 is a portable, mobile, silent, rechargeable, battery powered generator. It stores power in its internal 57600mAh lithium-ion battery. Recharging the battery is achieved via 12V DC car outlet, AC outlet or USB-C. You can also combine it with a foldable solar panel charger and recharge the battery with the power of the sun. Please note that it is only compatible with 5-22V DC output solar chargers.
The Powerhouse 200 is like a power bank, but it puts out more power due to its 200Wh internal battery. You can choose between a few different outputs, but you cannot use them all at once. Here is a list of its power output ports:
- 12V DC outlet
- USB-C power delivery port
- Two high-speed USB-A charging ports
- 110V AC outlet (pure sine wave)
It is possible to use more than one charging port at a time in the right combination. For example, using a USB port at the same time as the AC outlet or using the 12V DC outlet and a USB port. However, do not use the 110V AC and 12V DC ports at the same time due to possible temperature problems. The Powerhouse 200 supports pass-through charging when connected to an AC outlet or DC vehicle outlet.
USB-C Power Delivery Port
The Powerhouse 200 has a USB Type-C power delivery port for charging certain compatible USB-C devices. The USB-C connector system can transmit both data and power on the same cable. The USB-C output delivers up to 30 watts for charging devices. It has a 60-watt input for recharging the internal battery.
There are a few things to consider before using the USB-C port. This type of USB connection is only compatible with USB-C devices such as the MacBook, iPad, iPhone 8 and Android smartphone. If the laptop computer requires more than 30 watts, then it is not compatible. It is also not compatible with devices that require an input below 50mA. Please check the specifications of your device to see if it is compatible or not.
Please note that the USB-C PD port can work both ways. Therefore, be careful to follow the instructions when charging a USB-C device with the Powerhouse 200. It seems like you have to press the PD button before you connect the device. Otherwise, the Powerhouse might actually draw battery power from the device instead of the device drawing power from the Powerhouse 200! Not only will the device not charge, its battery might also suffer damage.
Recharging the Powerhouse 200
There are a few basic ways to recharge the internal 57600mAh lithium-ion battery: AC outlets, DC vehicle port, USB-C power delivery port or solar panels. It requires about six or seven hours when using the included AC adapter, and only 4.5 hours with a 60-watt PD wall charger.
Portable Size
The Anker Powerhouse 200 is surprisingly small. It is a compact little power provider and measures only 7.5 by 5.5 by 4.7 inches. It weighs in at only 6 pounds: as a result, it is easy to carry around. The built-in carry handle makes the unit easy to pick up and move.
Charge Your Devices
Well, 200 watt-hours is not going to power a lot of gadgets for long. For example, it might run a mini-fridge for a couple of hours. It might even power a small electric fan for a few hours, depending on the size and running watts of the fan.
In reality, it performs the best when used for recharging the batteries of a laptop mobile computer, tablet PC, smartphone or camera. Therefore, it is a useful battery pack to take along when you go camping, do a photography shoot or take a long road trip. It can keep your digital devices charged, so you do not have to worry about finding a suitable charging outlet in the middle of the woods or on the side of the road.
Can it run a CPAP machine?
The Anker Powerhouse 200 might run a CPAP machine for only two hours. It might last for up to five hours if you turn off the heating function of the CPAP machine. Nonetheless, the Powerhouse 200 is probably too small for this purpose.
Does it charge a MacBook Pro?
Yes, the Anker Powerhouse 200 can recharge a MacBook Pro mobile computer at least 3 times. The MacBook Pro is the premium model of the Macintosh portable computers. It was introduced way back in 2006 by the Apple company.
Anker Powerhouse 200: Verdict
The Anker Powerhouse might be the perfect portable power solution for keeping your smartphones and mobile computers charged when there is not a power outlet in sight. Also, it might come in handy when severe weather hits unexpectedly, and you need a few hours of emergency power for your various digital devices.
The USB-C power delivery outlet makes the Powerhouse 200 an even more desirable product. Nevertheless, this cannot provide power for your household devices. You will need a large gas powered or dual fuel portable generator to provide enough emergency backup power during extended power failures.
Anker seems to be a trustworthy company when it comes down to portable power products. The variety of available outlets makes it a versatile yet lightweight portable battery for powering your various digital devices. It might even be useful during a short power outage. You can at least keep your phones and laptop computers charged, but you might not be able to power an ordinary light bulb for very long. Then again, an LED bulb will give you much more hours of lighting.
The Powerhouse 200 is easy to understand and use. It is possible to recharge the internal battery while using a port to power a device. However, this only works if the connected device is drawing less power than the battery needs to recharge.
The biggest drawback of the Powerhouse 200 might be its somewhat expensive price. Nevertheless, the overall quality of the product and the good customer support of the company might be worth the extra cash (check price on Amazon).