As a necessary evil, gadget batteries, require charging from time to time and in this era where gadgets now dominate our everyday life it has become difficult to even find room to even plug them all in. For the most part longer battery life and charging stations have been the answer, but thanks to Newer Technologies there is a much easier solution to this problem and it is as simple as changing the wall outlet you plug everything into already. Follow me as I take a look at the do it yourselfers’ solution to the charging problem, the Power2U AC/USB wall outlet.
Product Name: Newer TechnologyPower2U AC/USB wall outlet
Review Sample provided by: Other World Computing
Written By: William
Pictures By: Brennon
Voltage: 125V
Amperage: 15A or 20A
Grounding: Self
Standards : NEMA 5-15R or 5-20R, NEC Tamper Resistant
Pole: 2
Wire: 3
DC Power: 5.2V, 2500mA, 12.5W
Face & Body Material: Polycarbonate
Colors: White, Light Almond, Ivory, Black
2. Packaging
The Power2U outlet comes in a very simple yet effective package. The majority of the front face is dominated by the actual device and faceplate that you will see on your wall once you’ve installed the outlet and a bright red circle in the upper right-hand corner denoting the circuit amperage the outlet is rated for. Since the Power2U is available in four colors (White sample provided), you can easily choose the one that is right for your home. As always, verify whether the outlet you are replacing is connected to a 15A or 20A circuit in your breaker/fuse panel before purchasing to save yourself some headaches.
As a word of warning, never work on electrical circuits live. Find out which circuit in your house the device you want to replace is on and turn the breaker off or pull the fuse out before touching anything. That being said, installing the Power2U outlet is quite simple and Newer Technologies provides an installation guide with the product as well as links to their website where you can download a video installation guide and FAQ video if that is more your style.
The real purpose of the Power2U outlet is to provide the ability to charge two USB devices while still functioning as a standard outlet and to that end Newer Technologies does deliver. The output wattage capability is equivalent to a standard Apple USB wall adapter meaning your iDevices will get the power that they require without the need to purchase any extra hardware. Because of the decision to innately charge power hungry Apple devices, the USB on the Power2U outlet actually provides the same output as you would find plugging your device into a USB 3.0 "Super Speed" port meaning faster charging for everything else.
The last thing to take a look at was the "Smart Power" switches meant to make the Power2U outlet energy efficient, turning off the USB ports when nothing is plugged in to them. This is done through shutters which act as guards for unused ports as well as a power switch and they did work as intended. With each USB port providing 12 watts of potential power, having the ability to shut it off easily is a great addition to save some money on energy costs.
5. Overall and Final Verdict
My overall thoughts on the Power2U AC/USB wall outlet are quite good. On the whole the installation is just as easy as any other wall outlet you would pick up at a hardware store. A word of warning though as the device is quite large as older and smaller device boxes will be unable to fit it. The written and video instructions provided by Newer Technology are simple and to the point, adequate enough to help anyone safely install the device which is great this to find. The simple and direct packaging is just icing on the cake and at no point did I ever feel inconvenienced or overwhelmed.