HomeExplainedWi-Fi chargers and chargers with no network connection
Wi-Fi chargers and chargers with no network connection
Networked Level 2 listings on the ENERGY STAR list have a median standby draw of 3.78 W, against 2.93 W for the 56 listings with no network connection. The networked group is much larger, 368 listings, and the two groups overlap: some networked chargers draw less than most non-networked ones.
How the list marks a network connection
Each listing says whether the charger has a network capability and, if so, which kinds of connection it offers. Among the 368 networked Level 2 listings, 337 list Wi-Fi or Ethernet, 157 list a cellular link and 61 list another LAN type. 153 list more than one kind, and 30 rely on cellular alone. The remaining 56 Level 2 listings have no network connection at all.
The listing does not describe what a connection is used for, such as an app, scheduling or a utility program. It records only that the hardware can connect. This guide compares the two groups on the values that ENERGY STAR measured.
The two groups side by side
| Measure | Networked | No network |
|---|---|---|
| Listings | 368 | 56 |
| Brands | 126 | 25 |
| Median standby draw | 3.78 W | 2.93 W |
| Median idle draw | 6.18 W | 5.865 W |
| Median standby allowance | 6.5 W | 5 W |
| Median allowance used | 64.7 % | 60.2 % |
| With an RFID reader | 50 % | 39 % |
| With a revenue-grade meter | 14 % | 30 % |
| With a high-resolution display | 21 % | 7 % |
Level 2 listings only. Medians are per listing.
The networked group draws more at rest: a median of 3.78 W against 2.93 W. It also has a larger allowance, with a median of 6.5 W against 5 W; the allowance is set per feature set. Measured against their own allowances, the networked listings use a median of 64.7 % and the others 60.2 %.
The listed features differ more than the draw does. 50 % of networked listings list an RFID reader, against 39 % of the others, and 21 % list a high-resolution display, against 7 %. A revenue-grade meter is the exception: it appears on 30 % of the non-networked listings and 14 % of the networked ones.
The groups overlap
A network connection does not fix where a charger lands. The lowest networked Level 2 listing, the Pando Electric Pando 001 Smart Outlet, draws 0.75 W, close to the lowest non-networked one, the Topband TB-AC240US at 0.72 W. At the other end, the Elinta Charge CityCharge V2 has no network connection and draws 11.58 W. 22 of the 56 non-networked listings draw more than the networked median.
The non-networked group is also shaped by a few brands. SOARING SUNSHINE has 16 of its 56 listings and Lite-On has 5, and its most common rating is 80 A with 20 listings. Medians for a group this small move with the brands in it.
Networked share by rating
At every common rating, most listings are networked. The share is lowest at 40 A and highest at 50 A; at 50 A, Autel holds 26 of the 44 listings.
Rating by rating
Splitting the comparison by rating changes the picture. At 32 A, 40 A, 48 A and 50 A, the listings without a network connection have the lower median standby draw. At 80 A it is the other way round: the 20 non-networked listings have a median of 7.135 W, above the 4.84 W of the 92 networked ones. Most of those 80 A non-networked listings come from one brand, SOARING SUNSHINE, with 16 of them.
| Rating | Networked | Networked median, W | No network | No-network median, W |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32 A | 21 | 3.48 | 4 | 2.665 |
| 40 A | 60 | 3.04 | 16 | 1.555 |
| 48 A | 123 | 3.57 | 11 | 1.86 |
| 50 A | 41 | 3.49 | 3 | 1.08 |
| 80 A | 92 | 4.84 | 20 | 7.135 |
Level 2 listings at the five common ratings. Medians per listing.
The small groups deserve care. At 50 A only 3 listings lack a network connection, and at 32 A only 4, so a single listing moves those medians a long way.
Kinds of connection
Among the networked listings, the 184 that list only Wi-Fi or Ethernet have a median standby draw of 3.43 W. The 30 that list only a cellular link have a median of 3.465 W. The 153 that list more than one kind of connection have a median of 4.66 W, the highest of the three.
Idle draw, with a car connected but not charging, differs less between the two main groups: a median of 6.18 W for networked listings and 5.865 W for the others.
By year of certification
The share of networked listings has stayed high through the years on the list. Among certification years with at least 20 Level 2 listings, it ranges from 81.5 % in 2025 to 89.8 % in 2022. Every Level 2 listing certified before 2022 is networked; the first non-networked Level 2 listings on the current file were certified in 2022.
Models that have left the list are not in the file, so the years describe the list as it stands, not every charger ever certified.
Cellular links
Across all 461 listings, 174 can connect over a cellular link. The cellular page sets them against the rest; their median standby draw is 4.555 W. Like the network field itself, the cellular field says only that the hardware is there, not how it is used.
Both groups have their own pages: chargers with no network connection lists all 72 such listings across every level, sorted by standby draw. The standby guide covers the full spread of standby values.
Sources
- U.S. EPA, ENERGY STAR Certified Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (AC-Output), data.energystar.gov, as of October 27, 2026.
- Computed figures are defined on how to read the data.