In the power protection world, power strips are the bottom tier. Most typically feature a built-in circuit breaker that helps to prevent power overloads; this offers some limited protection against energy surges caused by lightning strikes and surges of power. As such, power strips are affordable and ideal for powering devices that aren’t critical to your productivity, such as lights, fans, and radios. A power strip is also handy for powering a series of devices that you want to shut off when you leave a room, because you’ll be able to simply lip one switch and kill the power to all the connected devices.
Surge Protectors
Also known as surge suppressors, these power protectors resemble power strips. The primary difference is that a surge protector can detect when power goes beyond what is considered to be an acceptable level. Excess power is routed to a grounding wire and fuse that will burn out if the electricity exceeds the level it can withstand. In addition to power outlets, many surge protectors also include protection ports for your phone, cable TV, and wired Internet lines.
Protection against extra electricity makes a surge protector perfect for connecting your vital devices, including monitors, printers, smartphones, and home theater equipment. Surge protectors feature a joule rating, which is how much energy the surge protector is capable of absorbing before failure. The higher the joule rating, the more electricity the surge protector can withstand.
UPS
Short for uninterruptible power supply, a UPS has an internal battery that keeps your electronics temporarily operational, even when there’s no power. Typically, the battery will provide enough juice for components to run for a few minutes, giving you time to properly shut the devices down. A UPS is an excellent addition for ofice computers, servers, and other equipment where data would be lost or hardware could be injured if unexpectedly turned off.
Another benefit of a UPS is that connected electronics won’t be damaged during power lickers, brownouts, and other short-term outages. Most UPSes also provide a few extra surge protection outlets (these normally don’t provide backup battery power), so you can connect PC peripherals and accessories that won’t need to be protected from surprise shutdowns. In addition to providing backup battery power, most UPSes can protect connected devices from electrical surges.
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| This Tripp Lite surge protector features eight outlets and can handle 3240 Joules of energy. |
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| The Tripp Lite ECO750UPS gives you an extra 45 minutes of energy during a power failure. |
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| This 6-inch power strip from Staples features a 15-amp reset circuit breaker for basic device protection. |
Travel Adapters
International travelers must also consider how their electronics will work when they travel abroad, because other countries have different outlets than the United States. You’ll need to invest in outlet adapters that are designed to operate in the countries where you’ll be traveling. Most travel adapter kits provide you with several different types of outlet adapters and a guide that indicates where each plug should be used.
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