Holiday Gift Idea II: Power To Your People!
mjgraves | November 28, 2012
Hey, here’s a semi-geeky gift that they’re sure to get a charge out of…a high-current USB charger built into a common household receptacle. You may recall that I installed a couple of the FastMac USockets
At the time these things were comparatively rare so I ordered them directly from FastMac. Given my past history in construction and renovation I was able to install these myself. However, the fitting the USocket into the outlet box wasn’t the easiest thing to do. The USockets depth made it difficult to fit the wiring back into the box. I ended up replacing the box with a deeper one in the end.
While on a visit to our local Lowe’s I recently found that they have a similar product made by Cooper.
Like the USockets, they replace the existing outlet so you’re going to need to have some facility with tools in order to get them installed. They come in the Decora style so you may need a new cover plate. I see that Amazon has them In several colors, too.
If you’re not so handy with tools around electricity you might consider this alternative from RCA
Unlike older USB chargers, all three of these devices provide enough current to satisfy a tablet or high-end smart phone.
I like the fact that these device can’t go missing simply because someone needs to charge something else at the other end of the house. I especially like the fact that I no longer need outlet strips everywhere to accommodate all the chargers.
