With the proliferation of mobile devices, keeping the battery charged can be a hassle if you are only using the supplied wall charger. These chargers usually take up too much room on your electrical receptacles, often covering adjacent outlets. A new solution is to replace a standard electrical duplex outlet with a combination USB charger and receptacle. One example is a Leviton device, such as the T5630-W. It looks like a typical duplex outlet in the décor style, but has only one power outlet at the bottom and sports two USB ports across the top. Incorporated inside the unit are smart electronics that sense the power needs of the device plugged into it.
These charger/receptacles can easily be installed anywhere there is a duplex receptacle already in place. Locations could be in the kitchen, bedroom, a home or work office, even the home shop. Just about any mobile device, such as cell phones, tablets, game machines, digital cameras, e-readers, and Apple devices can plug into the charger. The power output available is often greater than from the charger that comes with the device, so your battery comes up to full charge faster.
The cost is reasonable at around $20 and they are fully compliant with electrical codes. Also look for restaurants and bars to incorporate these charging ports in strategic locations throughout the premises. When shopping for such a device check that is offers both USB 2.0 and 3.0 protocols. This will ensure that the device plugged into the charger will receive the appropriate current level, and to top if off, the skills necessary to make the changeover are easy to learn if you don’t already know how, and while you’re at it, verify that GFCI protection is in place where it’s required.