Joe Levi:
a cross-discipline, multi-dimensional problem solver who thinks outside the box – but within reality™

Best USB Wall Outlet I’ve used

Plugging a wall wart into an outlet is a pain. You’ve got a thing dangling from the wall that drains power whenever it’s plugged in, you have to plug a cord into a thing, then plug that thing into the wall, and those wall warts are prone to pulling out part way because many of them protrude from the wall quite a bit. The solution is in-wall USB outlets.

Five years ago I installed my first in-wall USB outlet. It did it’s job (and still does), but in those several years the way power is delivered over USB has changed. Both voltage and amperage have been upped. A good example of this are tablets that have big batteries (compared to smartphones) and want a 2A charger to recharge them. Phones of the day were 0.5A – you could plug your tablet into these phone chargers but charging them would take lot longer. A. lot. longer.

To address this, various standards were proposed: Qualcomm’s QuickCharge, Samsung’s Adaptive Fast Charge, OPPO’s VOOC Flash Charge, and more. But they all required wall warts – not in-wall USB chargers.

Due to this fact, and not wanting to replace in-wall USB outlets every 6 months, I relapsed. Everything went back to wall warts. I know. I’m ashamed.

Now, however, you can pick up an in-wall USB outlet with Qualcomm QuickCharge 2.0 (even though QC 3.0 is already out). That’s why I finally picked up the TOPGREENER Quick Charge 2.0 TU1152QC 36W 2-ports USB Charger Outlet. Unlike the one I review previously (another brand), this one has quick connect terminals, doesn’t require an extra wire and wire nut, and isn’t nearly as deep. It also is available in black, white, and “faded yellow” (does that color even have a real name?) – all those faceplates come in the same box. Unlike that other in-wall charger, this one takes standard Decora style, rectangular face plates (sold separately).

Installation was really fast and it works just as well as expected. You do lose a power outlet using this product (there’s only one AC outlet and two USB outlets), but I think that’s a fair trade. So far, I’m loving it, and I would recommend this one to anyone who wants an in-wall USB charger.

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