Outlet Planning
Count the plugs before you buy anything that has one. A screen wall runs out of outlets long before it runs out of sound, and the repair afterward is always a cord going somewhere it should not.
The device count
Walk the wall and count every box that ends in a plug: the screen or the projector, the bar, a separate subwoofer if you have one, a streaming stick that needs its own supply, a console, a disc player, the router if it lives on that shelf.
Then add the one you do not own yet. Rooms gain devices and never lose them, and the spare socket is the cheapest thing in this whole plan.
One duplex outlet
Most rooms give you a single duplex outlet behind the stand. That is two sockets, and the strip you are about to buy takes one of them. If a lamp lives on the other, your real starting point is zero.
Measure the height of that outlet off the floor while you are down there. A strip that has to sit above a baseboard heater or behind a bracket needs a different cord length than one lying flat on the floor.
USB, counted separately
Remotes, headsets, a phone that lives on the arm of the sofa: these charge over USB and they do not compete for AC sockets unless you give them a wall block, at which point they do. Count them in their own column.
The listings on this site state how many USB ports each strip has and which of them are USB-C. They do not all state what those ports deliver, so a port is a place to plug in, not a promise about charging speed.
Cord before purchase
Run a tape from the outlet to the spot the strip will actually occupy, along the path the cord will actually take. Around the back of a stand is not a straight line, and the difference is usually several feet.
Buy the next length up from the number you get. A cord under tension pulls its plug part of the way out of the socket every time somebody moves the furniture.
Limits of counting
This page counts sockets and measures cord. It does not tell you what may run at the same time. Load is a question about your equipment and your wiring, and the answers are printed on the equipment and in its documentation, not here.
If you find yourself wondering whether a circuit can carry the plan, that is the point to ask an electrician rather than to add another strip.
Outlet and cord planner
Inputs
Range 1 to 8
Range 0 to 8
Range 1 to 20
Result
- AC outlets to plan for
- 5
- USB ports to plan for
- 2
- Minimum cord length
- 11 ft
One per device, plus one spare so the next box does not need a second strip.
Buy the next length up, not the exact figure. A cord pulled straight is a cord that gets unplugged.
This counts outlets and measures cord. It does not calculate electrical load, and no number here says what is safe to run at once. For that, read the ratings printed on your own equipment and see What Not to Plug In.
Formula
- AC outlets = devices that need an AC plug + 1 spare
- USB ports = devices that charge over USB
- Minimum cord length = distance to the outlet + 2 ft of slack
- Add 3 ft more when the cord has to reach around the back of the stand
Does not account for
- Wattage or current drawn by any device
- Total load on the circuit
- Age or condition of the house wiring
- Whether the outlet is switched, shared, or on its own breaker
- Physical width of plugs and power bricks on the strip
Common errors
| Error | Consequence | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Counting devices but not the strip's own plug | The strip claims the second wall socket and the lamp that used to live there has nowhere to go. | Add the strip to the device count before deciding how many wall sockets are free. |
| Buying a cord that only just reaches | The plug sits under tension and works loose every time the stand is pulled out. | Measure the real path, add slack, then buy the next length up. |
| Treating USB ports as spare AC outlets | A console power brick arrives and there is no socket left that it fits. | Keep AC devices and USB devices in two separate counts. |
| Planning around the equipment you own today | The next box needs an outlet that was never left free, so it goes on an extension. | Leave one AC outlet unassigned in the plan and keep it unassigned. |
Before starting
Stop
This page counts outlets and measures cord. It does not calculate electrical load. If you are unsure whether a circuit can carry what you plan to run, that is a question for an electrician.