What are the Best Surge Protectors for Projector Use?

Your projector kind of requires a proper surge projector or power strip. Why? It’s likeliest to fall victim to power surges in light of how it operates. It needs to be hooked up to an HDTV, cable/satellite box, PC or laptop, DVD/Blu-Ray player in order to function.

All these different devices plugged into an unprotected octopus connection will also spell doom to all of them when power surges occur. With that in mind, what’s the best surge protector for projector use anyway?

Keep on reading to find out.

The Top 9 Surge Protectors for Projector Use

There’s more to shopping for the right surge protector for your projector or home theater use than cherrypicking maximum surge rating in joules. You also need to consider price, features, materials, and size.

ECHOGEAR Rotating Surge Protector

The ECHOGEAR Rotating Surge Protector is a highly rated rotating surge projector with mounting holes, a long cord, and a flat plug. It’s a power strip with 8 AC outlets and heavy-duty surge suppression. Cable management is easy as well since it’s built-in as well.

 

How useful is the ECHOGEAR or EchoGear power strip for projectors? It’s highly useful, especially when hooking up cords and plugs for your HDTVs, sound systems or speakers, and your media sources like your BD/DVD player or your cable/satellite box.

Don’t Waste Covered Up Outlets No More

Maximize your projector and home theater setup by investing in a quality surge protector or power strip like EchoGear. The strip includes 6 rotating and flexible outlets that allow you to hook up power adapters and keep them out of the way. For good measure, it includes two fixed side outlets as well.

Furthermore, you can keep track of the cords in an easily manageable manner with the built-in cable management hooks on the ECHOGEAR. You won’t have to worry about untangling cords or fussing with spaghetti wires. The 2160 joule rating is also top-notch and worth the investment.

Notable Features

• Compact design.
• Plug at any angle.
• RFI/EMI noise filtering.
• 8-foot long power cord.
• Safely tested and certified.
• Single black surge protector.
• Built-in circuit breaker switch.
• Max spike current at 6KV or 144,000A.
• Fireproof MOVs (Metal Oxide Varistors).
• Amazon’s Choice in Surge Protectors by ECHOGEAR.
• 5-year warranty (25K connected equipment promise).
• Item dimensions are 13.5 inches by 2.25 inches by 1.8 inches.

APC Smart Plug Wifi Power Strip with USB Ports PH6U4X32W

The APC Smart Plug Wifi Power Strip with USB Ports might understandably alarm some. The concept of Wifi or Wi-Fi power strips can be overwhelming to those who can’t wrap their minds around the concept of smart devices in general, but we’re in a modern age of technology and information.

 

Yes, Of Course, There’s Such a Thing as a Wi-Fi Power Strip

The APC Smart Plug PH6U4X32W has 3 Wi-Fi smart plugs that work with Alexa and 6 outlets in total. You don’t need a smart hub to power this power strip. What does the addition of Wi-Fi add to a power strip? For one thing, you can control the strip with Amazon’s Alexa.

You’ll also get to maximize your cords and power outlets thanks to this well-designed product. It even has 2 USB charger ports (2.4A shared) as well that you can control via an app. You can turn on and off the device or schedule when outlets turn on by voice commands for Alexa, in other words.

Notable Features

• 05 pounds.
• UL Certification.
• 6 outlets in total.
• 2,160-joule rating.
• No smart hub required.
• About $35 (originally $60).
• Wi-Fi connection power strip.
• APC white corded electric power strip.
• Comes with 1 Smart Surge Protector, User Manual.
• 3 Wi-Fi smart plugs or surge-protected smart outlets and 2 smart USB charger ports.
• The USB charger ports can be independently controlled by the APC home app or Alexa.
• Auto shut off via the APC home app available in both Google Play and Apple App Stores.

Belkin 8-Outlet Power Strip Surge Protector

The Belkin 8-Outlet Power Strip Surge Protector is a good fit for many a projector as well as home theaters, appliances, refrigerators, computers, and various office equipment from device-damaging power surges.

 

Extra Joules Rating for PCs and Projectors

The lifetime warranty ensures double protection in a manner of speaking. The $100,000 connected equipment warranty gives you additional guarantees of consistent excellence. With that said, surge protectors have protective components that eventually wear out.

The more the surge protectors are used, the more over-voltage spikes will ruin the components instead of the devices they’re connected to. Therefore, you should replace power strips every 3 years or every time an over-voltage spike happens (like a thunderstorm).

Notable Features

• Flat plug.
• 5 pounds.
• Less than $20.
• 8-feet or 2.4-meter cord.
• A flat AC plug fits easily in tight spaces.
• 2,500 joules of maximum surge rating.
• 8-outlet power strip and surge projector.
• Works mostly for protecting office equipment.
• 6,000-volt maximum spike that caters to voltage AC 15A, 125V, and 1875W.
• Backed by a lifetime warranty and protected by $100,000 connected equipment warranty.

TESSAN Desktop Power Strip with USB and 5 Feet Extension 1700J

The TESSAN Desktop Power Strip with USB and 5 Feet Extension is characterized by its widely spaced AC outlets about 6 in total. They can fit the biggest plugs and the boxiest of adapters without blocking each other. Even with its wide spacing, it’s also stylish in design and compact in size.

 

Wide Spaces Per Outlet Yet Still Compact

This surge protector mainly used to protect office accessories and home appliances has widely spaced AC outlets to fit the biggest of plugs. However, almost paradoxically, it’s also quite small and compact. You’ll know what we mean when you see it. It found a way to accommodate big plugs design-wise.

It didn’t need to be cumbersomely huge itself to keep adapters from blocking each other. It’s mostly intended as a desktop PC power strip, but it works excellently with projectors and home theaters as well as various appliances. It also comes with its own USB Charging Station.

Notable Features

• 5-feet cord.
• Costs about $20.
• 6 widely spaced outlets.
• Black-colored power strip.
• 4 rubber feet at the bottom.
• Compact size and stylish design.
• Maximum surge rating of 1,700 joules.
• Amazon’s Choice in Power Strips by TESSAN.
• 65 inches by 4.65 inches by 1.1 inches item dimensions.
• A USB charging station that has 3 USB ports (5V/2.4A max charging current).

JACKYLED Power Strip Tower Surge Protector

The JACKYLED Power Strip Tower Surge Protector only offers 900 joules of maximum surge rating, right? So that means it doesn’t belong on this list! Not necessarily. It has many other things going for it, from the fetching light walnut paneling to its whopping 18 AC outlets. It’s also an energy saver.

 

The Tower of Power Saver Surge Protector

The surge protector serves as your power saver as well. It works best for use in dorms, offices, and homes, particularly laptop PCs but should also be serviceable for projector use. You should be able to save electricity with it because every layer has an independent switch.

Turn that switch off when those other outlets aren’t being used to save power. Because of different voltages in different areas, the surge protector power strip tower is designed for use for 110 volts to 240 volts. If it’s used under 125 volts, the maximum power should be 1,624W.

Notable Features

• 900 joules.
• Costs about $34.
• 18 AC outlets total.
• Energy-saving power strip.
• USB charging station (4 ports).
• RoHS, CE, and FCC Certificates.
• 5 feet (16 AWG) extension cord.
• North American Type B 3 pin power plug type.
• Heavy-duty construction and thick cord insulation.
• The USB ports can charge 2 smartphones at once or 1 iPad, digital camera, tablet, or MP3 player.

Belkin 12-Outlet Pivot-Plug Power Strip Surge Protector

The Belkin 12-Outlet Pivot-Plug Power Strip Surge Protector is a device capable of reaching the maximum surge rating of 4,320 joules and possesses an 8-foot extension cord. It’s also one of the highest-rated surge projectors on this list for good reasons—its surge rating and its price.

Power Bar with Phone Line Protection

It has telephone or fax protection 1-in-2-out RJ11 to allow you to have a continuous and open phone line via this device. It doesn’t only safeguard voltage surges but also interferences when it comes to your landline calls. It even protects your coaxial cable protection to safeguard cable/satellite boxes.

Rust, impact, and fire protection achieved through the power strip’s damage-resistant housing. The device also saves space with its compact pivot outlets. These rotating outlets were developed in order to allow AC adapters and charger bricks—the boxy ones—extra breathing room.

Notable Features

• 45 pounds.
• 12 AC outlets.
• 125V of voltage.
• Costs about $30.
• Gray power strip.
• EMI/RFI Noise Filter.
• Pivot Plug surge protector.
• 8-foot or 2.4-meter extension cord.
• 4,320 joules of maximum surge rating.
• The compact pivot outlet tech helps save space.
• 4 stationary outlets and 8 rotating outlets (125V, 1875W, and 150 KHz-100 MHz).

Anker Power Strip Surge Protector (2 × 4000 Joules)

High ratings all around for the Anker Power Strip Surge Protector (2 × 4000 Joules)! Not only does it have a fetching price of less than $30. It’s also a 4,000-joules power strip (or PowerExtend Strip, as the company calls it) with 12 outlets spaced in a way to give room for Ac adapters and the like.

 

Jack-of-all-Trades with Masterful Specs

Many users sing the praises of the Anker power strip due to its high-quality specs across the board. It’s quite lightweight at 0.57 pounds. It also comes with a flat plug and well-spaced AC outlets (12 in total). You’re assured of safeness due to having twice the surge protection and flame-retardant casing.

It gives access to more outlets with its long extension cord and well-spaced outlets. You’re also assured of all-around safety with the device’s fire-resistant exterior, grounded protection, and overload protection all at the same time.

Notable Features

• 57 pounds.
• 12 AC outlets.
• All-around safety.
• You can mount it anywhere.
• UL-V0 flame-retardant casing.
• It accommodates larger plugs like AC adapters and PC cables.
• You get twice the 4,000-joule surge protectors with PowerExtend tech.
• 18-month warranty and lifetime* $300,000 connected equipment warranty.
• Dual surge protection for safety against electric surges minor and major (hence 2 x 4,000 joules).

Witeem Power Strip or Surge Protector with 12 Outlets

The Witeem Power Strip or Surge Protector with 12 Outlets is a quality power strip right up there with the likes of Anker and Belkin. It’s practically the third-best one out of this top 9 list of power strips. Why is that? Let’s take a closer look!

 

The Proof is in the Pudding

The proof is in the pudding, and the pudding, in this case, is how this wall-mountable overload protection outlet features things like 4,360 joules of maximum surge rating, 4 USB charging ports, and 12 outlets of the 1875W/15A variety.

It’s designed to power various heavy-duty devices, including projectors. It’s a perfect fit for various projectors as well as home entertainment staples like Blu-Ray or DVD players, cable or satellite boxes, PCs or laptops, and smartphones or tablets.

Notable Features

• 12 outlets.
• Wall-mountable.
• 6-foot extension cord.
• 6 kilograms or 1.32 pounds.
• 4 USB charging ports (5V/6A, 30W).
• White power strip or surge protector.
• 4,360 joules of maximum surge rating.
• Amazon’s Choice in Power Strips by Witeem.
• Safety shutters on the power strip is childproofed.

AUKEY Power Strip with 4 AC Outlets and 4 USB Charging Ports

The AUKEY Power Strip with 4 AC Outlets and 4 USB Charging Ports is the humbles of the power strips, starting with its 1,500 joules of maximum surge rating (only JACKYLED Power Strip Tower Surge Protector is weaker) and ending with its 4 AC outlets.

 

A Budget Option to Be Sure

Consolidate your home theater and projector rig with this and a matrix switcher for good measure. If you lack plugs, you can buy two of these or go for the more premium-grade option available above. Whether you’re using it for your HDTV or kitchen appliances, it truly delivers the goods.

This power-saving device nevertheless made it to this list because of its consistently high ratings among Amazon users, even in light of its 1,500 joules of maximum surge rating.

Notable Features

• Weighs 12 ounces.
• 5-foot extension cord.
• 1,500 joules of maximum surge rating.
• 4 AC outlets and 4 USB charging ports.
• A white power strip (also available in black).
• Works with various appliances at school, at home, in the office, and much more.
• Defends against overcharging, overheating, and excessive current or power surges.
• USB helps charge smartphones, tablets, and various other mobile devices (up to 2.4A per USB port).

Comparison Chart

Surge Protectors for Projector Use	Electrical Rating and Number of Outlets	Maximum Surge Rating	Materials	Item Dimensions
ECHOGEAR Rotating Surge Protector	15A, 120VAC on 8 AC outlets	2,160 joules	Metal, fireproof MOVs (Metal Oxide Varistors), insulator cord material (PVC)	13.5 inches by 2.25 inches by 1.8 inches
APC Smart Plug Wifi Power Strip with USB Ports	6 AC outlets, 3 smart outlets, and 2 smart USB charger ports	2,160 joules	Metal, plastic, and insulator cord material (PVC)	10.5 inches by 4 inches by 1.44 inches
Belkin 8-Outlet Power Strip Surge Protector	AC 15A, 125V, 1875W and 8 outlets	2,500 joules	Metal and insulator cord material (PVC)	80 inches by 3.63 inches by 1.62 inches
TESSAN Desktop Power Strip with USB and 5 Feet Extension	100~240V for 6 widely spaced AC outlets and USB charging station	1,700 joules	Metal and insulator cord material (PVC)	4.65 inches by 4.65 inches by 1.1 inches
JACKYLED Power Strip Tower Surge Protector	125V (110V-240V) for 18 widely spaced AC outlets and 4 USB ports	900 joules	Metal, light walnut flame-retardant panels, and insulator cord material (PVC)	5.67 inches by 5.67 inches by 16 inches
Belkin 12-Outlet Pivot-Plug Power Strip Surge Protector	12 AC outlets 15A (4 stationary outlets and 8 rotating outlets), 125V, 1875W, and 150KHz-100MHz	4,320 joules	Metallic damage-resistant housing and  thick insulator cord material (PVC)	3.97 inches by 1.1 inches by 11.4 inches
Anker Power Strip Surge Protector (2 × 4000 Joules)	12 AC outlets for 1875W output and 2 4,000-joule surge protectors in one power strip	4,000 joules	Metal UL-V0 flame-retardant casing and insulator cord material (PVC)	2.44 inches by 2.44 inches by 2.44 inches
Witeem Power Stripor Surge Protector with 12vOutlets	12 AC outlets for 1875W or 15A output and 4 USB charging ports (5V/6A, 30W)	4,360 joules	Plastic (PC) shell and insulator cord material (PVC)	14.06 inches by 6.77 inches by 2.09 inches
AUKEY Power Strip with 4 AC Outlets and 4 USB Charging Ports	4 AC outlets and 4 USB ports (up to 2.4A per USB port)	1,500 joules	Metal, plastic, and insulator cord material (PVC)	10.4 inches by 2 inches by 1.1 inches

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Now for some of the most frequently asked questions about this subject.

How many joules is a good surge protector?

2,000 joules is a good maximum surge rating for your surge projector. Naturally, the joules of a power strip can go as low as 1,500 joules or even 900 joules. In such cases, you get what you pay for but sometimes you can only afford so much so in this case, it’s better to have some protection than none.

However, when it comes to safeguarding the safety of your projector, you DVD player, your BD player, your cable or satellite box, your PC or laptop, or your mobile devices, it might be prudent to splurge a little and get that bare minimum 2,000-joule projector power strip.

What is the best brand of surge protectors?

According to this article full of surge protector reviews, the top 3 surge protectors in 2021 are Anker Power Strip Surge Protector, Belkin 8-Outlet Power Strip Surge Protector, and Witeem Power Stripor Surge Protector with 12 Outlets.

They excel in various ways, from having double the required joules to even getting double the surge projectors in one power strip. Anker in particular has 4,000 joules x 2 since it has two surge protectors with a 4,000 joules maximum surge rating with them.

A special mention goes to Tripp Lite 12-Outlet Surge Protector (TLP1208TELTV). It shares the auto shut-off feature found in several of the power strips on this list.

What is a Type 3 surge protector?

Type 3 or Type-3 surge protective devices include things like plug-in adapters, power strips, and protective receptacles. They’re developed for the sake of shielding things like your HDTVs, projectors, gaming consoles, smartphones, and PCs from surge-related harm.

Anytime you have multiple appliances plugged into every available electrical socket and extension cord, you risk a power surge from happening. It’s only prudent to only use power strips as your extension cord for safety purposes.

Do you really need a surge protector?

Yes. You never know when a power surge could turn your thousand-dollar home theater investment into malfunctioning bricks of metal and plastic casings. Power surges are more dangerous than you think. You don’t have a reason to get a surge protector since many of them cost under $30.

Surges can ruin fridges like no one’s business and there’s a non-zero chance of them ruining your projector too. Why? Projectors are typically connected with various other appliances, from your stereo system to your media players.

You cannot risk a surge ruining your projector along with everything else.

In Summation

The Anker Power Strip Surge Protector is celebrated for its excellence by more than 3,000 users on Amazon for good reason—for about $30 or so, you get 4,000 joules as its maximum surge rating on a 12-outlet power strip.

In contrast, Belkin 8-Outlet Power Strip Surge Protector gets the second highest rating from the most number of Amazon.com users mainly because of its maximum surge rating of 2,500 joules on an 8-outlet surge protector.

Third place is Witeem Power Stripor Surge Protector with 12 Outlets. All are dependable when it comes to safeguarding your projector-based home theater from the perils of power surges.

 

Share this post: on Twitter on Facebook on Google+