Chances are that nearly every device you rely on daily in your life charges from USB. Phone, tablet, smart watch (yes, some of us have them), fitness band, camera, mouse, keyboard; there’s so much USB can charge, so why don’t we have these built into our wall power points yet?
It appears that change is coming, and if you have loads of devices that take a USB charge, that can only be a good thing.
In Australia, electrical brand HPM Legrand is already working to cater to local needs, providing a minimum of two 10W charge ports per socket in the Excel Life wall warts, which will make it suitable for the Apple iPad and other tablets, while also being ideal for the 5W minimum that pretty much every smartphone pulls a charge from.
The ports will have several options, from taking regular plug ports and USB connections, to taking only USB ports, and depending on how many devices you need to charge, there will be a few varieties you can have installed.
But you do need to have them installed, and this will have to be done by a licensed electrician, as this isn’t just a simple “buy this powerpoint and plug it in” accessory like you normally see.
No, these have to be hard wired, thanks to a level of overload protection which is there to stop devices from getting damaged from an overload of electricity.
Pricing in Australia starts from $50 for the module that goes behind the wall and a $30 starting price for the powerpoint wall piece, though once again, installation isn’t included and is required, unless of course you’re a licensed sparky.
