Want to connect your iPhone or Android device to your projector to have a look at your family picnic snaps? Or want to connect your PS4 to the projector to enjoy an immersive gaming experience on the big screen?
Thankfully, projectors nowadays provide numerous options for connectivity to the input source, whether for images or video. You can hook up your laptop, iPhone or PS4 (maybe you are already using the PS5) to your projector through a wired connection and enjoy your movie or gaming experience in only a few steps.
Steps to connect your device to a projector using a cable
Step 1: Switch off your projector.
Step 2: Plug the appropriate side of the cable into the projector input port. This could be the VGA, HDMI or USB port as per the cable type.
Step 3: Connect the other side of the cable to the output connection of your image source or input device whether it is a laptop, mobile or gaming device.
Step 4: Switch on the projector.
Step 5: Your projector will have an input search button most likely viewable in the settings through the remote. Either the projector will automatically select the right input source or you will have to manually select one. This may be VGA, HDMI, or USB mode depending upon the port you have connected the cable to. The image from your input device will now appear on your projector screen.
The above are the five simple steps for connecting your device to the projector whichever type of cable or connection port you wish to use.
But be aware. There’s many a slip twixt the cup and the lip. To be able to easily complete these steps you will have to verify one important thing beforehand.
Which types of connection ports are available on the projector and on the input device? Are they both the same or are they different types?
So let’s do some further exploring
Wired Connectivity options on the Projector side
There are quite a few ways to connect a projector with a device through a wired connection. Wired connection ports and cables can come in the following forms:
- VGA
- HDMI
- USB
- MHL (Mobile High-Definition Link) cable
Before you can connect your device you will need to check which type of connections your projector supports. Reading the projector manual and a quick look at the ports available on the projector will make things clear.
Wired connectivity options on phones, laptops and gaming devices
Just as you need to know what ports are available on the projector, you also need to check what connection type you have on your input or source device.
Laptops are likely to have all four connection types listed above. HDMI connections are the simplest to arrange and provide one of the best image quality transfer.
However, phones will only have USB connectivity. An Android phone will have either a micro-USB or a USB-C port. An iPhone will require a cable with the standard 8-pin Lightning connection. Based on the projector USB port, the other side of the cable will most likely need to be the regular USB rectangular type A connector.
The ports on your gaming device depend upon the device itself. If you have an Xbox or a PS4, you will find both an HDMI-out port and a USB port to connect your cable. Once again, HDMI cable connections are the easiest to use.
MHL cables are designed to have a micro-USB or USB-C connection on one side for the phone and an HDMI connection on the other for the projector.
If the Connections ports differ
There is always a possibility that your projector does not have a USB port making direct cabling between a mobile phone and projector difficult. This issue requires that you will need an adaptor that will act as a go-between for the change in connection types.
You will be covered by adaptors if you are facing the following connection interface
- Micro-USB or USB-C on an android phone and HDMI on the projector. You will need either an adaptor or you can use an MHL cable.
- Some android phones, tablets and laptops have a micro or mini HDMI connection. You can easily purchase appropriate cables with micro/mini HDMI connection on one side and a full HDMI connection on the other side for the projector.
- Lightning connector on the iPhone or iPad and HDMI on the projector. You will need a Lightning to HDMI adaptor
- Phone to VGA on a projector. USB to VGA or Lightning to VGA adaptors are available in the market
- HDMI on laptop or gaming console and VGA on the projector. You will need an HDMI to VGA adaptor. Both
VGA, HDMI and USB data transfer speeds
VGA ports are an older connection type (data transfer speed of 6.75 Gbps) while modern projectors will have an HDMI port and/or a USB port which are faster speed connections.
HDMI generation 2.0 cables can transfer speeds of up to 18 Gbps.
As far as USBs are concerned, the latest and now most used USB connection type is USB-C. C refers to the shape of the connection and is considered the interface type.
USB ports have seen some speed improvements since the USB 3.0 was launched as the first to transfer videos. The speed specification is referred to in numbers e.g you will mostly find USB 3.1 and the more advanced USB 3.2 (data transfer speed of 20 Gbps) on a lot of modern projector devices.
USB 3.2 cables transfer at speeds slightly higher than HDMI 2.0. Next-generation USB4 cables are also now available providing data transfer at 40 Gbps.
In order to achieve full data transfer speeds, the source device ports and the projector ports both need to be compatible with the speeds for which the cables are designed. Otherwise only a maximum speed based on the bottleneck port will be achieved.
Conclusion
Whatever connection ports you find on your phone, laptop or gaming device, you can find the right cable or adaptor to hook it up to your projector. Making the connection is a matter of 5 easy steps which we have outlined above.