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Whether you want to use your laptop on the patio without worrying about it running out of battery, or keep an outdoor security camera connected to power during a rainstorm, you’ll need a set of outdoor plugs.
Outdoor plugs look and work the same way power outlets in your home do. The difference is they’re coated in a thick shielding to prevent water from getting inside damaging them. You should always exercise caution when putting electronics near water, but outdoor plugs can reduce your risk of creating sparks or electrical shorts.
If you’d like to use gadgets on a deck or porch, we’ve collected the outdoor plugs you should consider.
What You Need to Know Before Buying an Outdoor Plug
There are many factors to think about when choosing the right outdoor plug for you; below are the most important ones, which we considered while we were researching this list.
Durability: An outdoor plug is designed to keep your tech safe from hazards like water, which means they need to be durable as possible. Water resistance for electronics is typically measured on the IP (Ingress Protection) scale, but some companies don’t rate their outdoor plugs that way.
In that case, we considered the materials used to make the outdoor plugs, and any additional protection (hinged doors to shield outlets, for instance) when creating this guide.
Smart Features:Many outdoor plugs released recently can connect to your WiFi network, and be controlled via your smartphone, or a smart speaker like the Amazon Echo.
These smart features allow you to set the gadget that’s connected into your outdoor plugs on a schedule, which can be useful if you’ve got outside lighting or a bug zapper that only need to be on at night. Automating a schedule means you’ll never have to worry about forgetting to turn them on or off again.
