How to Perform a Lamp Test to Verify Power

By
Tim Fisher
Photo of Tim Fisher, Lifewire GM and Writer
Tim Fisher
VP and General Manager, Lifewire.com
  • Emporia State University
Tim Fisher has more than 30 years' of professional technology experience. He's been writing about tech for more than two decades and serves as the VP and General Manager of Lifewire.
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Updated on March 18, 2020

If you're troubleshooting a power issue with an outlet or a power strip but you don't have a multimeter at your disposal, this simple "lamp test" can verify if power is being provided.

A "lamp test" is very easy to do and usually takes less than 5 minutes.

Plug drawing on the blackboard
Yagi Studio / Getty Images

This test is just a working/not-working test, so it can't determine if voltage is a bit low or high, something that might make little difference to a light bulb but be important to your computer. If this is a concern, testing an outlet with a multimeter is a better idea.

How to Perform a Lamp Test to Verify Power

  1. Unplug your PC, monitor, or other device from the wall outlet and plug in a small lamp or other device that you know is working fine.

    If the lamp comes on then you know your power from the wall is good.

  2. If you're using a power strip, follow the same directions as in the last step for your power strip.

  3. Unplug your computer, monitor, and any other device from the outlets on the power strip and perform the same "lamp test" on the power strip outlets to see if they are functioning properly.

    Make sure that the power switch on the power strip is flipped on!

  4. If any of the wall outlets aren't providing power, troubleshoot this issue or call an electrician.

    As an immediate solution, you could move your PC to an area where the wall outlets are working properly.

    If your power strip isn't working (even just one outlet), replace it. We keep a list of the best surge protectors here.

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