![]() ![]() It’s not easy to separate what works from what doesn’t, or even what kind you actually need for the trip you’re taking. Travel adapters come in a ridiculous range of sizes, styles, and weights, with all kinds of extra features. South Africa is a good example, with two socket types in common use, and a third being rolled out to replace them. Socket compatible with plug types C & O (safe), E & F (unsafe)Īs if all that wasn’t complicated enough, bear in mind that some countries use multiple types of power plugs and sockets at once. There’s further discussion of voltage, and why it matters for travelers, at the end of this article. We’ve included the voltage(s) most frequently used with each socket as well. We’ve listed where they’re most commonly used, but you can find a country-by-country list here. Each combination has an arbitrarily-assigned letter. To know what kind of adapter you’ll need, you need to figure out what kind of socket is used in the places you’re traveling to.īelow are the main types of plug and wall sockets found around the world, used with permission from. But what kind do you need? Main Plug and Socket Types Since plugs and sockets around the world are unlikely to change any time soon, the only way to plug in your charger while abroad is by using an adapter. Even then, it’s going to take 10-20 years to finish switching over. While those internationally-agreed standards for domestic plugs and sockets have existed since the 1980s, South Africa is the only country to fully adopt them. The problem is, really, everyone’s invested in their own system. “There are standards, and there is a plug that has been designed. Gabriela Ehrlich, head of communications for the IEC, told Gizmodo the outlook isn’t great. Things are unlikely to change any time soon, either. They’re ancient in terms of design, not to mention notoriously unsafe, but it’s nobody’s priority to try to replace them. That kind of inertia also helps why wobbly plugs with uninsulated prongs are still used in North America and Japan. Manufacturers weren’t bothered either, as most were focused only on serving their local markets. World War II stopped the effort in its tracks, and the issue was abandoned until the 1950s.Ĭountries had most of their electrical infrastructure set up by that point, which made replacing their plugs and sockets very difficult. The end result was the disorganized mess of plugs and sockets we’ve ended up with today.īy the time organizations like the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) tried to standardize the plugs, it was too late. Each country looked for their own solution to the problem, and because few people traveled internationally, nobody much cared whether those solutions were compatible with each other. As more domestic appliances came along in the 20th century, however, manufacturers realized there needed to be an easier way to connect them. When electricity was first introduced to homes at the end of the 19th century, devices had to be cabled directly into the house wiring. ![]()
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