Review: Power2U AC Wall Outlet with USB Charging Ports

The NewerTech Power2U, a wall-outlet receptacle replacement that includes built-in USB ports, intrigued me when I first heard about it a few months back. The idea of having a convenient USB charging outlet next to my nightstand had a lot of appeal for a gadget junkie like myself. OWC shipped my Power2U within a few days, but I didn’t get around to installing it for well over 3 weeks.

The Power2U package comes with the replacement receptacle and faceplate, already assembled. The package also includes a double-page set of directions. Before attempting the install, I familiarized myself with the install process, and also watched the OWC How-To video on the Macsales.com website.

I’ve never actually performed any electrical work on my house, so I was very curious to test OWC’s assertion that the Power2U was a 20 minute Do-It-Yourself install. To be upfront, the install took me a few hours, owing mostly to the wiring in my house than the Power2U itself. You’ll need a Philips and/or a standard (flathead) screwdriver and electrical tape. I also had an outlet tester and a pair of wire-cutters on hand (more on that soon).

It’s best to do this type of install during the daytime, so you can shut off the power mains and still see what you’re doing. Regardless of what time of day you plan on installing the Power2U, you NEED to make sure that the power to the wall outlet is OFF. Failure to do so can potentially kill you, because that’s what electricity can do to you.

Removing the old receptacle was easy enough, but things got tricky with the wiring. The Power2U documentation takes into account black, white and copper wires within the junction box, but my outlet also had a set of red wires. Unsure of what to do, I called up OWC for technical assistance. The person I spoke with was courteous, but he couldn’t help me out with determining where to connect the red wires to on the Power2U. Instead his recommendation to me was to call an electrician.

Fortunately for me, I had an electrician friend named Tony. The red wires, we determined, went to the wall switch. As I wanted the Power2U to be “always on”, I capped the two red wires together and placed a plastic wire cover to keep them from touching the other wires in the box. The physical connections to the Power2U were easy and straightforward. Putting the Power2U back in the wall housing was not. I ended up having to trim the white, copper, and black lines to a shorter length using my wire cutter, to get the Power2U to fully fit in the housing.

The other area I had difficulty with was in screwing the Power2U receptacle back into the wall housing. The included directions within the Power2U box don’t really cover this process. I had to manually remove the 2 faceplate screws first and use the supplied longer screws on the back of the Power2U to connect it to the wall housing. I wish this was better articulated in the documentation; it would have saved me some frustration. To be fair, the aforementioned OWC video shows the faceplate already detached from the Power2U receptacle, but I still think this step should be reinforced at the beginning of the video.

Putting the wires and Power2U back into the wall-housing took some effort as well; in the end it was a tight fit. Reassembling the faceplate was straightforward, and the moment was upon me: I was ready to test the installation.

I threw the breakers back on and expected a spark or two. Thankfully, instead, I had a working Power2U. I used a small socket tester to confirm that the connections were, in fact, correct. Next, I subjected my old iPod Touch as the guinea pig and plugged it into the Power2U’s left port. After success, I tested the right USB port. Success all around.

I learned a few new things during this install. I got my hands dirty and went off the beaten path trimming electrical wires and such. If you’re not feeling as adventurous, I’d strongly recommend you to go with a licensed electrician. But, if you’re a geek at heart, and practice safety and patience, you’ll find the satisfaction of doing it yourself to be a worthwhile endeavor. To be perfectly honest though: If I had to do it again, I’d probably call an electrician.

The Power2U retails for $27.99 at Other World Computing. Overall, I’m very happy with the unit; but the Power2U gets one star off for its documentation. The NewerTech Power2U earns 4 out of 5 Bob Weiners.

-Krishna