UK Power Adapters You Should Have in Your Home
| Reuben Howe
There are many reasons to have a stock of power adapters: devices which can offer a wide variety of different ports, power ratings, plug types and cable lengths. Having an array of adapters will mean any new tech, old tech, foreign gadgets or international holidays are stress-free.
When it comes to home plug adapters the main benefit it USB power. USB has become a mainstay for power, charging everything from your laptop to your TV, or even your watch!
However, it is only in the last decade that USB-only cables and ports have become popular. This means many homes still rely on traditional 3-pin plugs, which can cause incompatibility with shiny new tech. The last thing you want is to get home and find you can't charge your device, so having an adapter or two handy is, well, handy!
Pick up these adapters for your home mains sockets and USB devices to reduce the stress of incompatible devices.
Adding USB to Mains Sockets
The easiest solution to this uptick in USB-only devices is to adapt your current 3-pin UK power plug into a powered USB mains socket!
Your radial or ring electricity system provides mains electricity directly to your 3-Pin ports, but in modern homes there are banks of USB A ports powered in this way.
Using a USB mains plug adapter you pass that mains power delivery through to a USB port, changing your 3-Pin into a USB-A. What this means is any USB charging cable can be plugged in to your mains, without needing to install a new USB socket.
This also ensures you have USB power permanently from your mains, without having to rely on portable power banks or having another piece of hardware such as a PC or games console.
For older homes that aren't filled to the brim with sockets and tech, these USB and plug adapters provide an easy and simple way to "catch up" with modern progression to USB-only charging, while saving money on expensive electrics work or replacing your devices.
Universal Power Socket Adapter for International Tech
With Amazon providing international products at the tap of a button, the world's gotten far smaller. You can easily find tech that, by default, would use a 2-Pin European plug or even an angled US one!
Having a worldwide power adapter to hand can ensure you are ready for tech from all over the world. Universal adapters work by having the pins available for multiple mains plug types at once.
A European plug adapter, for example, will have the UK as well as the two-pins for Europe, and they will extend or fold out depending on what you need.
Lightning Cable Solutions
If you're prepping for some Apple technology, or just want to have the option available for guests or unexpected circumstances, then a Lighting cable will be required. The key thing is to make sure any and all Lightning cables you use are officially up-to-standard. You can identify fake Lightning cables easily by following our guide here.
In general, you want to keep an eye out for MFi certification, and there's some other checks if you are unsure.
USB to USB C for Plug Adapters
Finally, we have seen that powered mains USB ports are becoming more and more common. However, there is a simultaneous change going on overlapping this, which is the replacement of USB-A (A standard USB port) with USB-C (The smaller, flat connector used for mobile phones, tablets etc).
The ultimate goal is that the "normal" USB port actually becomes the shape of USB-C, saving space and improving performance for devices across the board. What this will mean is USB-C power delivery for all kinds of devices, and even the possibility of USB-C-shaped mains sockets!
With all this change going on, having a backup USB-C to USB-A port converter is handy.
These take advantage of USB-C speeds to provide a USB 3.0 port, which can then connect to any of your current USB cables.
Facilitate the Old, Prepare for the New
By using a USB mains plug adapter, universal travel adapter and USB-C to USB adapters you can keep using all your current tech while also future-proofing yourself for the conversion to USB-C ports becoming the norm.
Regardless of how much tech you use, adding a simple USB adapter to plug sockets can add new possibilities for recharging or powering devices. Small bedside radio or wireless Bluetooth speakers can be recharged and used 24/7 once you add a few mains-powered USB ports to the house, for example.
Make sure your home is all spruced up with power, wireless connectivity and wonderfully easy HDMI set-up so that every bit of your audio and TV experience is seamless. Explore all our home management tech in our mega list here for cheap and cheerful gadgets that actualise your home's potential.
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