Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Aug 14, 2014 10:40 pm Has anyone put USB powerpoints in their home? Are you glad you did? I love the idea, especially in the bedroom for charging a phone and also in the study. I was thinking of only putting in about 4, in case they become obsolete. are they the same as data points that people refer to. Cheers Re: USB powerpoints 2Aug 15, 2014 9:32 am They're not the same as data points. Clipsal are about to or perhaps already have brought out a 2.1 A version as well as their existing 1 A version. HPM already have a 2.1 A version. I will be buying a few of the Clipsal 2.1 A version, so that I can put one in my office/radio shack, kitchen, and bedroom at the least. Perhaps another in the home theatre and in the living room near the TV. The good thing about these is that you get the face plate with the hole there, which may be sold with a switch already in place, that you can just push out and replace it with the usb charger. Standard disclaimer : they must be installed by a licensed electrician as they involve connection to the mains. Owner Building at Jimboomba Woods in Logan City Qld. Blog : http://bandlnewhomebuild.blogspot.com H1 thread : viewtopic.php?f=38&t=68283 . Re: USB powerpoints 3Aug 15, 2014 9:56 am Thanks bpratt. I've had a look at the Clipsal design. It was my sparkies idea and I think it might be worthwhile. Re: USB powerpoints 4Aug 15, 2014 2:54 pm We just use the plug that takes the USB. Having a specific usb pp sounds like overkill - not sure of costs. Are they common - I've never seen one. Re: USB powerpoints 5Aug 15, 2014 8:52 pm I used sockitz for my build and it's great. The only complaint I have is the blue glow from the USB ports. Re: USB powerpoints 8Aug 16, 2014 9:41 am I haven't built before so I'm not sure what Ethernet is. I was thinking no matter how advanced we get, we still have to charge these devices. I think its just a PowerPoint that will make life a bit easier and can be easily changed. Surely we are stuck with these for another 10 years. I can't wait for the day we may never have any cords lol Re: USB powerpoints 10Aug 16, 2014 11:36 pm For me, I wouldn't jump into this usb powerpoint thing. These kind of connectors change from time to time. It may be good for this year and next year. But you can't be sure if your new devices from third year onward can use it. I'll stick with the normal power sockets. ps: new phones can use wireless to charge already... and I am using it. Re: USB powerpoints 11Aug 17, 2014 12:42 am Snowing I just googled the wireless charging system for my phone and it's available. The charging pad still needs a USB but it's pretty cool. Just put your phone down on the mat and it charges. Hmm I want one now lol Re: USB powerpoints 12Aug 17, 2014 10:38 am I don't think USB charging is going to disappear for quite a very long time. USB on computers has been around for many years, and not likely to disappear and devices will always try to interface the most common connectors. Except for apple who just refuse to stick to standard anything, preferring to do things their own way. Owner Building at Jimboomba Woods in Logan City Qld. Blog : http://bandlnewhomebuild.blogspot.com H1 thread : viewtopic.php?f=38&t=68283 . Re: USB powerpoints 13Aug 17, 2014 10:52 am I got some of the Sockitz ones. One broke and it was replaced no questions asked. Thumbs up! Only improvement I'd like is an external switch to turn of power to the USB bit so you could leave a cable plugged in. Re: USB powerpoints 14Aug 17, 2014 11:35 am bpratt USB on computers has been around for many years, and not likely to disappear and devices will always try to interface the most common connectors. Except for apple who just refuse to stick to standard anything, preferring to do things their own way. Yeah the same thing was said about AT keyboard connectors, PS/2 mouse and keyboard connectors, serial ports, parallel ports and the USB connector itself which underwent standard USB to mini USB to micro USB, floppy disks, CDROMs, IDE connectors, various types of SCSI connectors.... technology changes constantly and it's not "evil Apple's" fault either. Make no mistake - USB charging WILL be superseded. It's not a matter of "if" but a matter of when. Those USB ports on power points will be useless in the near future but the power sockets won't be. However you can always just replace the power point with whatever technology replaces USB charging down the line if you feel the need. In the meantime you'll probably get a number of years use out of them before they become obsolete. Completed a knock down and rebuild in northern Melbourne. Handover completed 27/09/2013 and now moved in. Re: USB powerpoints 15Aug 17, 2014 10:19 pm joannek Snowing I just googled the wireless charging system for my phone and it's available. The charging pad still needs a USB but it's pretty cool. Just put your phone down on the mat and it charges. Hmm I want one now lol There are some that use standard powerpoint as well. Not as common thou. I have quite a few of those since I was doing some testing for my friend's company before. Some of those even have stands where you can watch movies while charging. lol I won't bet on USB powerpoint for charging thou. However for those that are keen on trying that out make sure the powerpoint is compatible with your device since some devices require 2.1A for charging while some batteries will overheat if using 2.1A to charge. So just becareful. Re: USB powerpoints 16Aug 18, 2014 7:59 pm great idea, will get a bank of them for existing devices in new pad. When tech changes, replace with new or normal powerpoint. Re: USB powerpoints 18Aug 19, 2014 1:39 pm Bluesuede bpratt USB on computers has been around for many years, and not likely to disappear and devices will always try to interface the most common connectors. Except for apple who just refuse to stick to standard anything, preferring to do things their own way. Yeah the same thing was said about AT keyboard connectors, PS/2 mouse and keyboard connectors, serial ports, parallel ports and the USB connector itself which underwent standard USB to mini USB to micro USB, floppy disks, CDROMs, IDE connectors, various types of SCSI connectors.... technology changes constantly and it's not "evil Apple's" fault either. Make no mistake - USB charging WILL be superseded. It's not a matter of "if" but a matter of when. Those USB ports on power points will be useless in the near future but the power sockets won't be. However you can always just replace the power point with whatever technology replaces USB charging down the line if you feel the need. In the meantime you'll probably get a number of years use out of them before they become obsolete. For those in doubt of the likelihood of the current USB connector's demise: http://www.extremetech.com/computing/187882-reversible-usb-type-c-connector-finalized-devices-cables-and-adapters-coming-soon And yes, it's not backwards compatible and will therefore require an adapter, and no it's not coming from Apple. Completed a knock down and rebuild in northern Melbourne. Handover completed 27/09/2013 and now moved in. Re: USB powerpoints 19Aug 19, 2014 7:48 pm Have to agree with Bluesuede. I've been in IT industry for over a decade. There are simply too many time people take vows that certain technology will never "die", certain connectors will "live happily ever after". But the truth is connectors and technologies are having shorter and shorter lifespan. So while a USB powerpoint might seem to be a must have for today, it might well be "not favored" as close as next year. So in case of choosing to use these kind of powerpoints, make sure it can be changed to something else fairly easy. Re: USB powerpoints 20Aug 19, 2014 8:45 pm The good thing is that you will still be able to use adapters to continue utilising these charging ports. Owner Building at Jimboomba Woods in Logan City Qld. Blog : http://bandlnewhomebuild.blogspot.com H1 thread : viewtopic.php?f=38&t=68283 . |