Roam charging

Thank you James for very fast answer! 

T. Mika

I cannot seem to charge the roam via an apple standard plug!

There is no Apple “standard” plug. Apple has made dozens of varying voltage/amperage plugs. You should be able to read the voltage/amperage on an Apple plug between the tines. What does that say?

This is the source for Apple chargers info (my old eyes can’t read that small print on the plug - but they blow it up here):

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210133  

This is their old 10 watt charger (for older iPads).  It works great with the Roam:

Any charger for newer iPads has even more wattage.   But the very latest are only USB C (not A).   The old 5 watt apple plug for iPhones won’t be enough.

As I recall, early on, there were less than 5W chargers, too...equally as non functional for the Roam.  Not sure why I thought all that data was between the tines, though...apparently, it isn’t, necessarily. But I’m old, and my memory is weak. 

Can I leave my roam in it’s wireless charger over time (even if fully loaded) without it affecting the battery performance?

Yes.

power is voltage x current.  The old USB standard of 5V/1A could put out a maximum of 5 watts, which does not appear to be enough to charge the Roams, especially over a Qi charger.

7.5 Watt or 10 Watt charging adapters are really required.   10 Watt charging adapters are relatively inexpensive.  Most modern smart phones need that much power to charge quickly.  

Qi charging is not going to be as fast as plugging in the USB-C cable directly though.

Have just set up the Roam.  Sound is good but the charging issues (and battery life) are both concerning and very annoying.  Tried charging it through my laptop charger (Anker 4-port multi charger) and it warned it me it was going to overload.  Can SONOS please tell me what sort of USB plug is compatible with this speaker in order to safely charge it?  I have no intention of spending and extra £45 for a charging base!! 

Hi @JdeW, we recommend charging Roam with a 10W (5V/2A) USB power adapter. While Roam is capable of charging with a 7.5W (5V/1.5A) USB power adapter, you may see slower results.

I agree with this. I have an older wireless charging pad (Anker PowerPort) that does not seem to be able to charge the Roam. I also have tried charging it with several of the older battery banks I have lying around. None of them will charge it. (And, yes, they’re 1A or 1.5A chargers.)

There are a number of frustrating limitations and difficulties with charging, given the Roam is a portable speaker. Combined with the relatively short battery life, which is compounded by the battery drain during standby, I can absolutely envision wanting to be able to charge with a battery bank. I’d go so far as to say I can envision needing to, if charging a portable speaker can ever be called a “need.”

With the Roam, there’s a good chance that the battery bank that I have with me (or that one of my friends has with them) won’t charge the speaker.