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Is there a way to find out remotely if a USB port on a Windows machine is powered for charging or powering devices?

leeand00
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2 Answers2

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USB Ports are ON if the computer is ON unless the USB port is faulty. Otherwise they are ON.

If you need to test USB hardware, you need to remote into the machine and check the USB hardware. Diagnostic tools.

On some laptops (mine, for example), USB can be ON if the laptop is plugged in and suspended or OFF; or is running normally. This is Always ON USB and you need to check your laptop specifications if you think your laptop has an Always ON USB.

Normal USB ports are only ON when the computer is ON.

Some computers can turn USB Ports OFF to save power, but they are instantly available if a USB device is plugged in. So I classify this as ON for all practical purposes.

Finally, for connecting devices, the local user must pay attention to what they are connecting. Windows (any user OS) does not know what the user might plug in. A remote connection does not help here.

Your revised question asks "Is there a way to find out remotely if a USB port on a Windows machine is powered for charging or powering devices?"

Windows does not know that. Users are expected to plug in a compatible device. Once plugged in, you could remote into the computer and then see if you can see the device (phone, USB Key, Printer)

John
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  • I mean powered as in you can power or charge a device off of them. – leeand00 Aug 11 '21 at 15:50
  • You can charge a compatible device from any USB. The computer needs to be ON for regular USB. Always ON USB can charge a device so long as the computer is ON or plugged in. I tried to cover all the bases. – John Aug 11 '21 at 15:54
  • Thank you; in my experience there's only one or two USB ports on my machine that actually provide a charge to my device. They have little lightning bolts by them and that's how I know which ones they are. – leeand00 Aug 11 '21 at 15:56
  • Also, not all charging / powering is equivalent, different devices have different requirements. – leeand00 Aug 11 '21 at 15:57
  • It may vary by computer model. I can plug my iPhone into any port for iTunes and it charges. – John Aug 11 '21 at 15:57
  • It is important that the Voltage matches exactly that of the device and that the Amperage is greater or equal to the needs of the device. – leeand00 Aug 11 '21 at 15:58
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    That is why I said "compatible" device. Normally USB are 5 volts plus or minus a bit. – John Aug 11 '21 at 15:59
  • I read that the device in question can be powered by a 7.2V 2amp power supply, that it can be powered by USB and someone tried to tell me I don't need a power adapter, and I'm skeptical. – leeand00 Aug 11 '21 at 16:00
  • That may be a USB-C port if the device is deemed compatible, not a regular USB port. – John Aug 11 '21 at 16:02
  • No it's way older than that. It's a Fujitsu fi-65F scanner. It has the old B-style plug. – leeand00 Aug 11 '21 at 16:02
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    An old device as you mentioned would not be compatible with a 5 Volt 0.5 Amp USB. A user has to pay attention to what they are plugging in. Windows does not control or know this. – John Aug 11 '21 at 16:39
  • This response and conversation seem to have nothing to do with the question posted. This is good information @John (which you always provide). I believe the poster should have asked `Can I power my old Fujitsu fi-65F scanner solely from a USB port?` or similar – Señor CMasMas Aug 11 '21 at 19:52
  • I agree the conversation thread drifted from the Question as posed, but I added a paragraph in my response to add helpful information. – John Aug 11 '21 at 19:57
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First answer, yes, your scanner can ABSOLUTELY run from any direct USB2+ port that isn't sitting on an non-powered hub.

It is listed as a feature of this scanner on the datasheet for this model: The fi -65F’s low energy consumption allows it to be powered by a USB 2.0 cable so you can have high-speed flatbed scanning wherever you may need it.

Datasheet here

What this means is the following

  • Direct to a PC USB port (yes)
  • Direct to a POWERED USB hub (probably)
  • Direct to a non-powered USB hub (probably not).

I had a similar scanner and it worked the same way.

Now, i must ask, is this what you were looking for or do you actually need to find this information out remotely?

Señor CMasMas
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