As we were coming to the end of the Ideal home expo yesterday we stumbled upon these guys with a pretty unique offering. It’s hard to make out from the photo but that rail is a power distribution system. Each of those components (a standard UK socket, a light and two direct wire plug replacements at each end) can clip onto the center rail at any point and receive power.

The basic problem it solves is that of never having a power socket where you need it, which means traditionally you’d either take chunks out of the wall to run cables or you have 4 way extension sockets running around the room.

The eubiq power distribution system is a way around this by having a strip attached to the wall that has power running along it’s entire length. It can support as many devices hanging off it as your ring main can power (up to a density of 12 sockets per meter as you can’t physically fit any more than that!) and each power component can be attached, moved and removed at will with a simple twist action.

They’ve also thought about us techie types and put room for a data channel along the top and bottom of the power line. The cat5 connector is not quite as elegent as the power solution – although it still clips to the center rail you still have to crimp the cable as you would any other and once in it’s not moveable. Still, it’s nice to see they’re thinking about us!

The power rail is safe too – the rep I was speaking to jammed his (wet) finger into the power channel just to prove the point. They make the distribution strips in various lengths and you can get them either recessed into the wall (if you want to start cutting channels) or more conventionally surface mounted. The units have just undergone British Standards approval to some number that I was told and immediately forgot which means they’re fully approved for sale in the UK. Expect to start seeing them cropping up soon.

More info at www.eubiq.com.sg There is also supposedly a website in the works at www.eubiq.co.uk but that’s not up at this time.