PDUs vs Power Strips for your Home

A power strip can be simply described as a group of power circuits that have a flexible wire of a certain length that has a plug at its end. Power strips can have any number of power circuits at their end and are also known as extension leads. Power strips are used when more receptacles are needed than are available or simply when the appliances are located further away from the socket and need extra wiring. Almost everyone has come across or used a power strip in their homes or workplaces.

PDUs are short for Power Distribution Units and are used to distribute electrical power, much like the power strips. Having said that, this is where the similarities between the two end. PDUs are much more sophisticated than power strips and offer a whole range of functions. That is why these are mostly used in complex environments like data centers where the demands for data are a little more complicated.

Although we have established that PDUs are mostly used in workspaces, there is no reason why they cannot be used in domestic places. In fact, they can prove to be a great fit for homes, offering greater functionality than regular power strips. Here is a list of reasons why PDUs can be an excellent addition to your home.

PDUs for homes

Cable organization can prove to be a big challenge with power strips. Having multiple appliance chords leading up to the power strip not only look visually loud but can also prove to be a tripping hazard. This is where PDUs enter the picture. You can simply lock the outlet which means that the device that has been plugged into the PDU cannot be accidentally plugged out.

Organization

Today’s appliances are designed keeping the environment in mind and more and more people are turning towards appliances that are conscious of their effects on the surroundings. With PDUs, you can actually gauge how well a power-saving appliance is actually working by measuring the amount of electricity it is actually consuming.

Consciousness

Some PDUs come with the added functionality of having environment monitors on them that can monitor different factors like the outside temperature, humidity, etc. When measuring, if any of the readings are outside the acceptable limits, they can also raise an alarm, alerting you to the problem. This means that you can save your electronic devices from serious damage by simply using PDUs.

Monitoring

PDUs come with the facility of remote access. This means that you will not only be able to access all the devices connected to your PDU remotely but you can also turn each one of them on or off, individually, all through your network.

Remote Access

PDUs offer a much better load balancing facility than regular power strips. This means that even if there are multiple different circuits or sources connected to the PDU, it helps regulate the system, ensuring that neither side gets overwhelmed with the amount of power it is receiving or sending.

Load Balancing

Now that you know what the major differences between PDUs and power strips are and all the different ways in which PDUs can help elevate your residential connections, we hope that you will be able to make more informed decisions! Hardy Racks produces high quality PDUs that serve well as power strips for homes too, with high reliability and safety built to meet data center standards, at prices comparable to your normal home power strips. Contact us for more details today!