Belkin 4 Way/4 Plug 2 m Surge Protection Extension Lead Strip, White

Product Information

Get access to a total of 12 AC outlets and five USB Type-A ports with this power strip from Auopro, which boasts an octagonal prism shape, four sides of which house the outlets. It's an extremely effective design that keeps things compact while allowing you to plug all your devices and then some. And it's just the thing a small team needs. For the technically inclined who want to know: it’s small electronic components called Metal Oxide Varistors, or MOVs for short, which are more often used for this filtering of surges. Other types of filters are gas discharge arrestors which are often seen in antenna protectors, but most of the time, MOVs are used, often in combination with other components like capacitors. While this ExtraStar lead surge protector doesn't say exactly how much protection it offers, this is a great option for budgeting households that doesn't have very demanding plugging needs. This is a cheap yet realiable extension cord perfect for smaller bedrooms and kitchen, especially with that 3.3ft cord - it just means you don't have a lot of cord length to put away when you're working with a tighter space. And note, not all power strips offer surge protection. Some act as nothing more than an extension of an existing wall outlet. Some might add a layer of minimal surge protection. So, regardless of shape or size, all units on this list will give strong levels of protection.

Very few manufacturers are willing to risk money to meet their sales promises. TrippLite is one exception. They offer lifetime exchange warranty on many of their products, as well as an insurance coverage for most of their surge suppressors. Insurance amounts vary according to the model. As for your charging needs, there are 12 AC outlets on hand, with enough space between each outlet to accommodate all your devices, as well as two USB Type-A ports and one USB-C with power delivers for fast charging - allowing you to fully-charge your iPhone in an hour. Just bear in mind that the USB and USB-C port do share output so if you're using all three at once, it will slow down all three to just 15W. Finally, some surge protectors are equipped with fail-to-safe conditions, also known as automatic shutdown technology and "fail to shutdown". When the surge protector experiences a surge and the arrestors reach their end of life, the device stops sending power to your devices, telling you in no uncertain terms that it's time to replace it. How to choose the best surge protector for you When you first plug in a surge protector, make sure the status lights don’t report any problems. Most protectors have a single grounding light that indicates whether there’s a ground fault. If there is a fault, call an electrician as soon as possible to determine whether you have a wiring problem. A ground fault could fry your devices, electrocute someone, or start a fire. Most people don't need a kitted-out power strip with surge protection, and if you're one of them, you're better off choosing something that's affordable like this one from Anker that offers 2,100 joules of protection. That's more than enough for your basic devices like smartphones, laptops, and printers, which is what most people have in their offices.Surge protection devices help to protect devices and equipment against changes in the electrical current running through the system. Current spikes or transients can cause significant damage to equipment and is also a safety hazard. You can learn more in our guide to industrial surge protection. What are surge protection devices used for? So why do you need surge protection anyway? We've all got lots of electronics we want to plug in, with power strips upon power strips branching out like stubby snakes from every outlet. OK, maybe it's not that bad in your own house, but even beyond the convenience of extra plugs, the best surge protectors can actually prolong the life of your gear. They can, as the name suggests, protect electronics from the power surges that can slowly wear down the delicate hardware inside all modern electronics.

Don’t plug a space heater into a surge protector. Space heaters and other appliances with an open heating element (such as toasters or hair dryers) use a lot of power, increasing your chances of overloading the outlet. A surge protector adds even more resistance that can allow heat to build up, potentially catching fire or damaging the device. To be on the safe side, plug any open-heat electronics straight into the wall. Chris was a PCWorld columnist for two years. He founded PCWorld's "World Beyond Windows" column, which covered the latest developments in open-source operating systems like Linux and Chrome OS. Beyond the column, he wrote about everything from Windows to tech travel tips.How well a surge protector shields connected devices depends on many factors, chief among them being the design. Most options on the market use efficient and cost-effective Metal Oxide Varistors (MOVs) which receive and divert excess voltage from your equipment. But this causes them to take the brunt of the surge, making them degrade over time---they're essentially sacrificial components.