Friday, March 29, 2024

The best surge protectors of 2019

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Surge protectors. Everyone needs them, but picking one can be a hassle. Instead of grabbing the first one you see at your local supermarket, why not spend a little time and pick the best one? These are your treasured electronics and office equipment that you’re protecting!

At Digital Trends, we know our way around surge protectors — it’s part of the job. If you’re shopping for a new model, we have some top picks you need to try out. Our favorite is the TP-Link Kasa strip, which does a little of everything, but be sure to check out all our options.

Today’s best surge protectors don’t just protect electrical devices: They also enable all kinds of useful connections. This excellent TP-Link strip, for example, has six smart outlets that can each be individually controlled with an app, giving protection while allowing you to customize devices and set schedules and automatically turn them on or off. It’s also compatible with voice commands via Alexa, Google Assistant or Cortana. Three USB ports provide alternative connections for charging other devices too. And if all this wasn’t enough, the strip also has energy monitoring features, measuring how much energy everything is consuming so you can decrease power use if necessary.

APC Desk Mount Power Station

This professional U-shaped protector is designed to hook onto the edge of a desk, for much easier access than trying to position a strip on the floor (you can also put it over a cubical wall, etc.) It provides 18 Joules of surge protection. This model is also one of the few available with a USB-C charging port, as well as two USB-A ports for other connections, making it a great fit for many offices.

Teckin Smart Power Strip

Teckin also has a competitive smart power strip that you can control via app, perfect for larger entertainment systems or complex computer layouts. You can set timers and settings for each individual outlet, as well as setting shut off times to fully power down/up the power strip and save energy. In addition to compatibility with Alexa and Google Assistant, the strip also works with IFTTT, ideal for those who prefer the customizable platform for their smart gadgets.

Belkin BE112230-08 12-Outlet

With many years of experience working with outlets and plug-in solutions, Belkin has experience making durable surge protectors. This 12-outlet model is a great professional piece with multiple options for cord length, sliding safety covers, and a 3,940 Joule energy rating that’s high enough to protect even the largest office equipment. There’s also detachable cord clips to route all your cords through for better organization.

Tripp Lite 10-Outlet

Tripp’s contribution is a “home and office” surge protector suitable for all sorts of different electronic setups. It has handy LED diagnostic lights to warn of outlet status and a built-in splitter that can turn one RJ11 jack into two for a modem, fax (hey, some people still use them), or telephone/DSL line. Four of the outlets are spaced widely apart to fit more awkward adapter plugs, a feature we particularly liked.

There’s no choices for cord length here – you are stuck with the average 8-foot cord – but you can choose a version that comes with gold coaxial connectors, which can be used to help protect and coax TV connections you may be using in your home.

Belkin 6-Outlet SurgeMaster Wall Mount

This Belkin model offers a wall mount option for those set-ups where you neither need nor want a surge protector that lies on the floor and gets in the way. Plug this model into a wall outlet and it provides 6 separate, protected outlets for you to use, each with a 1045 Joule rating – enough for most average electronic devices. While you shouldn’t use this with big appliances, it’s a great solution for garage worktables, kitchens, home offices, and so on.

Globe Electric 7732001 6-Outlet

Chances are good you haven’t seen a surge protector like this before. With a choice between 6 and 8 outlets (we liked the 6-outlet model because of how much space it saved), this model has a vertical swivel feature that allows you to turn the two separate outlet columns in different directions. It’s a very effective solution if you have a weird electrical setup that requires a lot of cord/adapter space and could really use outlets pointed in all directions. The device is also rated for larger office equipment, so don’t worry about giving it big-boy appliances to take care of.

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