So, you’re on a camping trip with your friends. You plan to watch a movie on a projector from your laptop. Or you’re doing a PowerPoint presentation in a meeting at work. You have your laptop and projector ready.
Just before the movie or presentation starts, to your surprise, the laptop has no VGA port! Panic starts to set in. Now you’re wondering, how to connect laptop to projector without VGA port!
Well, your laptop doesn’t have a VGA port, which indicates that you have the latest model that does have an HDMI port. You can use that port to use the projector!
Okay, let’s give you the remedy for your pain and show you how you can connect your laptop without a VGA port.
What is A VGA port?
A VGA port is a socket in your computer or monitor that is used to accept VGA (Video Graphics Array) connectors. It is an old technology that has been around for decades after being introduced in 1987.
VGA was also common in televisions, projectors, as well as other devices. At the time it was introduced, it had a higher resolution than the interfaces that it replaced. It also had more colors than its predecessors.
A VGA connector comes with a 15-pin connector.it also has an analog component. The VGA connector was a standard plug for monitors and computers after it was introduced. You were not able to plug it in when your devices were running.
When you’re looking at the latest technology in laptops, you should be looking for HDMI ports instead of VGA. The reason is, HDMI offers more than just graphic data transfer, you can transfer HD (4k) data alongside the audio.
Most laptops for outdoor use that you might use for such projection, will come with an HDMI port, possibly paired with a display port as well.
Do All Laptops Have VGA Ports?
It is more common to see HDMI and USB ports on modern laptops nowadays. HDMI means High Density Media Interface which does everything and more than VGA ports.
If you see a VGA port on a laptop, it will probably be an older laptop. It’s also useful for connecting to other older devices like monitors and projectors.
How To Connect A Projector To A Laptop Without VGA Port?
While VGA is analog, HDMI is a digital interface. The signals in VGA will be in the form of waves. The signals in HDMI will be binary.
You can use a standard HDMI cable by using an HDMI to VGA adaptor or converter. Make sure to buy the HDMI to VGA one and not a VGA to HDMI adaptor or converter. They are only usable in one direction.
Method-1: Using A VGA Adapter
- Turn off the laptop
- Plug the HDMI side of the adaptor into the same port of the laptop.
- Connect one side of the video cable into the adaptor
- Connect the other to the projector
- Make sure that the connection is secure otherwise you might see a blank screen
- Turn on the projector
- Then turn on the laptop
Converters are different from adaptors in that the converter will send both audio and video signals. Converters are also called scalers. They are used in the same ways as adaptors. They may also come with a DC jack or USB cable, however.
Both converters and adaptors have their limitations. HDMI supports a higher resolution than VGA. What this means is that if the resolution of the video is higher than what the VGA supports, then it won’t be able to be transferred through the adaptor.
Make sure you buy a high quality cable as well. If you’re watching a video presentation or movie, you’re going to have issues with the video quality.
You can use a USB cable with or without using an adaptor. You’re going to need a cable with a USB type A connector on the laptop side and a USB type B on the projector end.
Method-2: Using USB Cable
- Turn on the projector and laptop
- Connect the USB type B side into the projector
- Then connect the USB type A side into the laptop
- When a dialog box on the laptop comes up, then, click “Agree”.
- The laptop will then take a few minutes to upload the required drivers.
- The next time it’s connected you won’t see this dialog box come up.
If you don’t have a USB type B port on your projector, then a USB to HDMI adaptor can be used instead. Most current projectors will have an HDMI port.
Method-3: Use HDMI adapter
- Connect the adaptor USB end to your laptop
- Then connect the side with the HDMI to your projector.
- Connect the other HDMI side to your adaptor
- As in the previous method, you will see a dialog box come up on your laptop.
Conclusion
To sum up the issue, you should have a clear understanding of how laptops connect to projectors.
If you’ve gone through the different ways of how to connect laptop to projector without VGA port, you won’t fall behind connecting your computer.
You won’t have a problem watching your movie or making your presentation. However, make sure to buy quality equipment, or you won’t get HD projection quality.
