Track Your Family’s Devices with Centralized Charging

Where do you charge your phone each day/night?  In the kitchen?  By your bedside?  In your office?  What about your husband’s phone?  Your kids’ phones/tablets?  Wouldn’t be nice to have once place to charge everyone’s devices?  Typically this won’t work because there are not enough plugs.

Why a Centralized Charging Station is a Good Idea

A centralized charging station is an ideal situation for a family because it…

• Allows you to keep track of devices and identify faster when one is missing
• It’s convenient, everyone always knows where their phone is when it’s charging
• Reinforces rules…especially if your household rule is that no phones can be upstairs after a certain hour at night.  If you see the phone, you know your child is abiding by the rules
• Gives you easier access…if you choose…to check your child’s phone for offensive texting, downloaded apps, etc.
• You can inspect the condition of your child’s phone more easily…are their any screen cracks?  Unusual wear and tear?
• If you see a device missing, you can help remind the family member so their device gets charged before a new day starts

I have seen solutions before for charging iPads in a business setting.  But they are black and not very attractive.

However, recently, while at the Consumer Electronics Show, I found a great solution for a centralized charging station.  It’s made by Kanex and it’s called a Sydnee.  The Sydnee is a centralized charging station that can charge up to 4 devices (smartphones, tablets, cameras, e-readers, mp3 players) at one time.

And the Sydnee is white, which fits in well with the kitchen, and has some style to it that makes it fashioned for the home rather than for business.

Features:

• 4 ports for charging
• Each USB  port offers 2.1 Amps/10W of power for faster charging
• Built-in short circuit protection as well as protects against electrical surges and spikes
• Smart charge feature which identifies which device is charging to provide the optimum supply of power
• Simplified cord management, only one electrical cord plugs into the wall
• All device cords can be wrapped around a cord holder, located in the back of the Sydnee
• Automatic shut-off – once a device has been fully charged, now more power will be sent to it or drawn from it

They Kanex Sydnee centralized charging station is ideal for any family.  The slots work well for iPads, Android tablets, though you could also put a phone in the slots as well.  The front side of the Sydnee has a slight ledge which works well for phones.  You can easily put 2, maybe 3 phones here.

Pros:

• Great way to keep track of your devices and keep them charged
• Uses only one wall plug!
• Automatic shut-off when a device is charged…no burning out your battery
• 4 plugs will accommodate most households

Cons:

• They Sydnee does not come with charging cords, you need to use your own, which means to travel, you need to unwrap your cord each time
• It’s a little pricey

I have been using the Sydnee for the past 2 months and love how it cleans up my desk area from cords going everywhere.  As I have many devices that I charge and my kids do not have phones or tablets yet, I keep the Sydnee in the office.

Here’s what I charge each day, typically.  You can see our iPad, Samsung Note 8, Lenovo Yoga 8, and my Samsung Galaxy phone.  During the day, when other devices are charged, I’ll charge my Samsung Galaxy Camera, PS Vita, or my daughter’s PlayMG.  I have also on occasion charged my Fitbit on the Sydnee.  Hmmm, looks like I need a Deluxe Sydnee centralized charging station with 8 USB ports!

Any device you own that uses a USB port can be used with the Sydnee, such as your Kindle, Nook, small gaming system, etc..

Oh, and if you’re worried that your phone case or tablet case needs to be taken off to use the Sydnee, no worries.  Sydnee was developed to work around a majority of slim cases.

They Kanex Sydnee centralized charging station sells for $117.07 through Amazon.

A Mom’s Perspective

For me, it was love at first sight.  I have been looking for a home-based centralized charging solution for a while now and the Sydnee fits the bill.  It looks good, it makes the counter look a lot less cluttered, and I can keep better track of our devices now.

My kids know that when they are done playing with our tablets, to plug it into the Sydnee charging station to ensure they will be ready the next time they or anyone else wants to use them.  And I don’t have to worry about the devices overcharging due to the Sydnee’s advanced protocols.

And once my kids begin getting their own cellphones, they will already be trained to charge their devices in our centralized charging station area.  Love it!

Sydnee has already helped me keep better track of our family’s devices…and my kids (I know if they borrowed a tablet because a spot is open).  There have been times when our Nintendo 3DS went missing for months before it was found again.  I don’t want that to happen to one of our tablets.

How do you charge your devices?

*   I was given a Kanex Sydnee in exchange for my honest opinion.  All opinions expressed are my own.