Surge Protector with USB
When you’re in need of extra outlets in your home, consider going beyond just a power strip and opt for a surge protector with USBs. USB surge protectors guard your devices from electrical currents that could damage them and they take up the same amount of space as a power strip. Learn more about these products below.
What is a USB Surge Protector?
Like power strips, the main function of a surge protector is to provide extra outlets for your devices, but these also come with additional protection to keep electrical surges from damaging your plugged-in items. Surge protectors with USB ports provide spaces for both regular cords and USB cables, allowing you to directly plug in any item that might require a USB port, like a pair of headphones or a smartphone.
Surge protectors with USBs are hardier than power strips, although their level of protection varies based on what style you choose. The units of protection that a USB surge protector provides are called joules - the more joules that the product offers, the more effective it is.
What Can a Surge Protector With USBs Protect My Devices From?
Power surges can come from bad wiring, powerful devices turning on and off in your home or outages caused by storms. Not all power surges put out the same amount of excess energy, and while your power strip can likely protect your devices from spikes caused by outages, most can’t stand up to a lightning storm or direct strike. Surges, even when they don’t obviously damage your devices, can strain electronics like your laptop or notebook computer over time and age them more quickly.
USB surge protectors safeguard your electronics and allow them to last longer by redirecting power and keeping levels consistent across your plugged-in devices. It’s recommended that surge protectors with USBs be replaced every two to three years, as absorbing large electrical current will decrease their effectiveness over time.
What Features Come With Surge Protectors With USBs?
Choosing which USB surge protector works best for you may involve a variety of factors. If you don’t have a lot of space, you might opt out of the power strip style and choose to use an outlet adapter, which is more compact and plugs into your wall instead of using a cord. If you need to move your power source around, you could go for a longer cord such as a 3-foot, 6-foot or 10-foot cord.
You can also choose surge protectors with USBs based on how many devices you’re planning on plugging into it. Options range from 1 outlet to 12+ including USB ports. You can also find different color options including white, black and others to best match your space. Additionally, some surge protectors will have lights included on them to indicate if they’re currently effective against threats, letting you know when they need to be replaced.