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C14 to UK socket extension for a small UPS

Updated: October 2026

The router's plug-top will not go into the UPS. The UPS outlets are IEC C13 kettle sockets, and the power supply on the router, the switch, or the broadband box is a British 3-pin plug. A C14 to UK socket extension is the lead that sits between them: a C14 plug into the UPS, and a block of BS 1363 sockets for the devices. The [UPS extension lead comparison](/hub/sockets-and-extension-leads/ups-extension-lead) includes two leads that have no UK sockets at all, and those are the wrong object here. Products Compared read the amazon.co.uk listings and the captured reviews on 16 October 2026. A qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The router's plug-top will not go into the UPS. The UPS outlets are IEC C13 kettle sockets, and the power supply on the router, the switch, or the broadband box is a British 3-pin plug.

Our top picks

PRO ELEC PRO ELEC 2 m C14 to 4-gang

Best overall

PRO ELEC PRO ELEC 2 m C14 to 4-gang
8.2/10about £5.19
View offer
UINCLU Computer Spares 1 m C14 to 4-gang

Rank 2

UINCLU Computer Spares 1 m C14 to 4-gang
8.6/10about £11.49
View offer
PRO ELEC PRO ELEC 1 m C14 to 4-gang

Alternative

PRO ELEC PRO ELEC 1 m C14 to 4-gang
7.3/10about £5.19
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Why a kettle outlet will not take the router plug
  2. 2.The five 4-gangs in this comparison
  3. 3.Four sockets, one 10 A feed
  4. 4.What buyers reported going wrong

Why a kettle outlet will not take the router plug

A C13 outlet accepts a C14 plug. A BS 1363 plug will not seat in a C13. That is why a kettle lead from a PC is easy on a UPS, and a plug-top router is not. The lead you want has the C14 on the UPS end and the UK sockets on the device end. Kenable calls this shape 10 A, unfused, with a BS 1363 block.

The five 4-gangs in this comparison

PEL01204 is 1 m at £5.19, with 4.6 from 207 reviews. PEL01206 is 2 m at the same £5.19, with 4.8 from 79 reviews and an input-current line that also says 5 A. PEL01205 is 1.5 m at £10.58. Mercury's white lead is 1 m at £7.11, with 4.1 from 10 reviews. The Computer Spares lead is 1 m at £11.49, with 4.7 from 647 reviews and 10 A and 2,400 W that agree. It is the top pick when you want that review sample within 1 m. PEL01206 is the best-value pick for 2 m if you have seen the 5 A line. The best UPS extension lead page says who should skip each of them.
PRO ELEC PRO ELEC 2 m C14 to 4-gang

Testsieger

PRO ELEC PRO ELEC 2 m C14 to 4-gang
8.2/10about £5.19
View offer

Four sockets, one 10 A feed

The C14 is the 10 A coupler. Everything in the four sockets adds up on that one inlet. Use 10 A, or 5 A if the PEL01206 label shows that. A 13 A stamp does not multiply by four. Leave a kettle or a heater on the wall. Schneider Electric UK FAQ FA158852 recommends against extension cords on APC Back-UPS and Smart-UPS outputs. A 4-gang is what you use so a router stays up in a power cut, with a small load. It is not a PDU. If your PC uses a kettle lead and only the router needs a UK socket, you can put a C13 extension on one UPS outlet and this 4-gang on another. That split is the C14 to C13 or UK sockets page.

What buyers reported going wrong

On PEL01204, one review says two of four sockets failed on both of two units. On the Computer Spares lead, several reviews call the plastic brittle, and one unit arrived broken. If a socket is dead when the lead arrives, do not keep it on the UPS. The job of this page is the mismatch: UK plugs, one C14, one shared 10 A feed.

Common questions

Will a UK plug-top router fit a UPS C13 outlet on its own?
No. The plug-top is a BS 1363 plug. The UPS outlet is a C13, which takes a C14. You need a lead with a C14 on the UPS end and UK sockets on the router end. A kettle lead the other way does not solve it, because the router supply has no C14 inlet.
Are the four sockets each 13 A?
No. They share the C14 feed. The listings claim 10 A for the lead. A 13 A mark, which reviewers report on some of these blocks, describes the look of a UK socket. It does not give you 13 A times four, and it does not raise the IEC coupler to 13 A. Keep heaters and kettles off the block.
Is the block fused at the C14?
Not in the sense of a BS 1362 fuse in a UK wall plug. Trade listings of this shape say unfused. The C14 is the inlet, and the current claim is 10 A unless your particular label shows a lower figure, as the 5 A line does on the 2 m PRO ELEC page. Do not open the block to add a fuse.
Which lengths are in this comparison?
The kept 4-gangs are 1 m (PEL01204 at £5.19, Mercury at £7.11, Computer Spares at £11.49), 1.5 m (PEL01205 at £10.58), and 2 m (PEL01206 at £5.19). There is no 3 m lead in the set. If 2 m does not reach, do not daisy-chain a second extension. Change the layout or look outside this comparison.
Can I run a kettle or a heater from it?
Leave them off this lead. The feed is a 10 A C14, shared by every socket you use. A kettle or a fan heater can sit at or above that budget on its own, and it is a poor thing to put on a small UPS even when the watts look possible. Reviewers talk about routers, switches, and small PCs.
What did buyers of the cheap PRO ELEC actually say?
On the 1 m lead, 4.6 from 207 reviews, people use it with APC and UniFi UPS units and call it compact. One review reports two dead sockets on two units, and another reports mixed 10 A and 13 A printing. On the 2 m lead, 4.8 from 79 reviews, buyers mention a repeat purchase and adequate plastic, with no repeated hardware failure in the texts we saw, and with a 5 A attribute still on the listing.
Is a single UK socket lead the same product?
No. A short C14 to one BS 1363 socket shows up in search and is a different shape. The five products on this page are 4-gangs. Do not assume a one-socket lead has the same current mark, the same reviews, or the same price as PEL01204 or the Computer Spares block.

Related pages

How to connect a UPS extension lead

UPS extension lead

Best UPS extension lead UK: reviews, length, price

UPS extension lead buying guide, label facts first

C14 to C13 or UK sockets: a kettle lead or a 4-gang

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars, and review counts are the amazon.co.uk lines from 16 October 2026.

  1. Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, regulation 35 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  2. Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  3. Electrical Safety First — extension leads (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  4. Electrical Safety First — overloading sockets (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  5. HSE INDG236 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  6. Schneider Electric UK FA158852 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  7. Bulgin IEC connector ratings (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  8. Kenable 2 m C14 to 4-gang (retrieved 16 October 2026)