These days it’s easier then ever to buy your gadgets from all over the world, especially from countries like China, with their very lucrative export conditions. But when you buy gadgets out of a different region it’s possible that their power adapters and plugs are incompatible with the sockets in you region. To prevent disappointments, it’s worth looking into whether the gadgets you are about to buy can be plugged in the sockets in your home.
For example the very popular Xiaomi Home Gateway uses a China Type 1 plugs. So If you want to use it outside of China you need to perform a DIY hack on it, or even simpler: just buy the right converter plug.
There are many converter plugs available, and you can even go a bit more extreme on the adapters: you can buy a power junction box that fits multiple foreign power plugs and connect it to a converter.
For more info about different types of sockets and power plugs check out this link.
A bit of backgroup: when power was introduced into the house environment it was just used for lighting. After a while it turned out to be a good alternative for heating and other appliances. In 1920, the first two-prong electric plug made its appearance. AFter a while the third pin (earth) was introduced for safety reasons. In case of short circuit, a fuse blows and disconnects the supply. After the initial period a lot of countries developed a plug of their own, instead of adopting one standard. This lead to up to 15 standards of power plugs.
