Anyone that has had dinner with the family lately knows that mobile devices are important to today’s youth. REALLY important. All joking aside, almost all of us use mobile devices on a daily basis. That means charging those devices regularly. Anybody out there had the pleasure of trying to find a USB charging adapter and not being able to? Yeah, we have too. But now there are wall outlets made that include one, two or four (or more!) USB charging ports and it just requires a bit of planning to get them installed.
How Do USB Wall Outlets Work?
There is very little difference in a standard wall outlet and a USB-enable wall outlet. The wiring is altered to accomodate the plug for a USB charging cable. Thus, no more adapters. Usually you are going to replace one or more of your existing wall receptacles. However, to do that, you might need to modify your wall. Also, make sure you have the proper outlet. If you have a newer device with USB-C connectors, you’ll need to have those ports. The overwhelming majority of USB wall sockets are still USB-A which is the larger style connector. As USB-C will become more popular in the future, it may be a good idea to get at least some sockets with ports for USB-C even if you don’t have any USB-C devices at all. We don’t generally change wall sockets very often so think about the future.
Either way, you can standard sized wall sockets that are direct replacements from TopGreener. They have models that have both USB-A and USB-C and combinations of each as well. And, although you can theoretically install this yourself, we always advise you to get professional help if you haven’t done something like this before. Or…
Get a Plugin USB Adapter
There are numerous extension blocks that include both plugs for normal power cords and additional USB ports of various flavors. You can get multiple ports from these add-on type blocks and may be a good “no install” option. Some even come with the fast charge option that is available on more modern telephones. Make sure you stick with brand names with plenty of reviews from verified buyers. Names like Belkin and Anker are good places to start.
