Nomad’s Base Station Pro with Aira FreePower tech finally realizes the promise of wireless charging – TechCrunch

The accessory manufacturer Nomad has long been offering great accessories for iOS and Android devices with high-quality materials and craftsmanship. Now the company is working with the wireless charging technology startup Aira to introduce the first product of what will later become a product: FreePower, a position-free wireless charging technology. Nomad is new Base Station Pro ($ 229) is the first product on the market to feature Aira’s FreePower technology and I had the opportunity to check it out last week to see how it performs.

The basics

The Nomad Base Station Pro is a wireless charger that can be used to charge up to three devices at the same time. It works with all Qi-enabled devices, including the latest iPhone models and most of the latest Android phones, as well as a wide variety of accessories including AirPods Pro and other headphones. In many ways, it’s very similar to what Apple promised with the AirPower Multi-Device Charger, which it debuted and subsequently canceled – but it doesn’t work with the Apple Watch as it uses Apple’s own wireless charging technology.

Credit: Darrell Etherington

The Nomad Base Station Pro is just under 9 inches long and about 5.5 inches wide. It’s less than half an inch thick, which is especially impressive given that there’s so much charging flexibility hidden inside (there are 18 coils inside). As mentioned earlier, the simultaneous charging of up to three devices can be supported. There is a three-light LED display on the side that lets you know how many devices are actively charging at the same time. Nomad includes a USB-C to USB-C cable and a 30W USB-C PD power adapter for connection.

There are plenty of wireless multi-device chargers out there (Nomad even makes a few), but the real benefit Aira’s FreePower technology offers is the freedom to place devices in virtually any orientation on the pad and have them automatically charge . Most Qi chargers require you to place devices in a specific area relative to the coil or the coils contained in the charger. Turning off your device a little can either prevent a device from charging or significantly affect the charging process.

Design and performance

The Nomad Base Station Pro is larger than most wireless chargers, but the entire surface is usable space. And Nomad’s signature dark metal and leather surfaces are both attractive and practical here. With its single cable design, this is a much less crowded and physically more attractive solution to charging than a mess of cables and a multi-USB adapter, for example.

Inside, Aira technology is at the heart of the Nomad Base Station Pro. The charger includes 18 overlapping coils as well as a number of controllers on a circuit board that provide the smarts that allow the position to be charged without position. Basically, the Aira technology automatically detects which type of charge a device can take on the pad, directs the required juice in its direction and at the same time optimizes the magnetic field between the device’s built-in charging coil and the coil array in the Base Station Pro for optimal power delivery.

When tested, it worked as advertised and recognized my iPhone XS Pro Max no matter what orientation or where I placed it on the pad (assuming the phone’s own coil was entirely on the pad, of course). The same is true when I added a second iPhone as well as AirPods Pro and another set of wireless earbuds. I have a Qi-enabled charging case. You can even slide the iPhone across the surface of the pad and it will keep charging without losing connectivity as the field tracks the device.

The ironic thing is that while it feels like magic, I really imagined what wireless charging would be like before actually using wireless chargers. The current standard Qi-based charging is more like a slightly more convenient but essentially solid dock, while Aira’s FreePower technology really lets you down and reliably charge your device.

Bottom line

There are some limitations to this technology: First, it is not officially Qi certified – but that’s only because, according to the company, there is currently no standard for vacancies. They ran extensive testing to confirm they were meeting Qi standards for compatibility, thermal management, and more. Aira is working with the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), which owns and manages the Qi standard, to create a standard that covers charging from vacant positions.

However, when tested it works well and reliably charges Qi-enabled devices with the added convenience of being able to place them anywhere on the pad. That doesn’t seem like a big deal, but it really improves the experience a lot. When you add support for three devices, Nomad’s Base Station Pro quickly becomes a one-of-a-kind (albeit a bit expensive) wireless charger that’s hard to beat.

Aira now has big plans for FreePower, including making the technology available to a number of partners in both consumer and commercial markets. It’s easy to imagine how well this could work in situations like coffee shop counters, which are completely wireless charging areas, for example, or in cars with charging centers. The company has big plans, but if this debut is any indication, these should pay off with big benefits for consumers in everyday life.