I have a three gang box with two switches and a blank so there is room in there. I’d like to put a tablet inwall above the switches to control other things and ideally just run the power from the box below. What’s the to code way of doing this, could it be tacky to put one of those usb outlet type plugs there and use that? Is that even allowed to have an outlet next to a switch?
You can have an outlet next to a switch, a outlet with USB port should work fine, but not much of a clean look. I power all my tablets with PoE so that you don’t see any cables.
I’ve bought the TracoPower and it works fine. In addition to that an App called
and the screen turns on when motion is detected through the front camera.
Works great (but not in low light condition).
Code will vary widely from one place to another. In my area, it is perfectly fine to have an outlet next to a light switch and it is almost the standard way outlets are put into small bathrooms (GFI outlets of course).
If you didn’t want to invest in PoE (which is probably the more correct choice) you might look so see if it would be against code to put a box behind where you want to place the tablet and a USB outlet there with a wire running between the existing box and this new box. I’m not expert and again code differs from one town to the next but as long as all the junctions are in boxes and the proper wire is used this might be just fine.
It is probably worth contacting an electrician if you are uncomfortable messing with mains power. At a minimum, you can consult with one to find out what is legal in your area.
Would love PoE but I’d still have to figure out how to run the wire which isn’t always easy in a finished house. The tablets are almost 3-4x more expensive than the $50 amazon ones so if I want them all over that comes into play too. I can install a box behind the tablet but then I’d still have the usb cord wrapping around the side to the back which isn’t ideal but I guess better than running down to a plug next to the switches. 
Maybe a 90 degrees adapter would help a bit:
That’s a good idea, maybe I’ll roll with that first since I can get two setup for ~$100 and if I don’t like the way it works I can just reuse the hold for PoE.
