Choosing The Right UPS
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My UPS went out and I need to get another on. There are so many different flavors. I'm not really sure what I need. What I'm really looking for is something to kick in & keep me powered if the power goes out. I'm looking on Amazon and I see many different ones with XXX Amps & xxx Volts. Some say 'Surge & Battery', and some say just 'Surge'. Some are a mix of both. Some have a 'data line' option. What's the basic idea? What do I really need?
In theory, theory and practice are the same. But in practice, they never are.” If it's not broken, fix it until it is. Everything makes sense in someone's mind.
Well, I'm gonna sound like a n00b here and can't really answer your question. But, when I bought my most recent one... I just went with APC because I knew the brand and it wasn't the cheapest (which I don't trust) but it wasn't the most expensive either (which doesn't always mean quality). Oh, and it has some pretty lights. :laugh: [APC UPS 1500VA Sine Wave UPS Battery Backup, BR1500MS2 Backup Battery Power Supply, AVR, 10 Outlets, (2) USB Charger Ports ](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08GRY1W93/ref=ppx\_yo\_dt\_b\_search\_asin\_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) Probably not the most scientific way, but hey it works and handles a very beefy PC and a couple monitors.
Jeremy Falcon
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Well, I'm gonna sound like a n00b here and can't really answer your question. But, when I bought my most recent one... I just went with APC because I knew the brand and it wasn't the cheapest (which I don't trust) but it wasn't the most expensive either (which doesn't always mean quality). Oh, and it has some pretty lights. :laugh: [APC UPS 1500VA Sine Wave UPS Battery Backup, BR1500MS2 Backup Battery Power Supply, AVR, 10 Outlets, (2) USB Charger Ports ](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08GRY1W93/ref=ppx\_yo\_dt\_b\_search\_asin\_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) Probably not the most scientific way, but hey it works and handles a very beefy PC and a couple monitors.
Jeremy Falcon
Thanks
In theory, theory and practice are the same. But in practice, they never are.” If it's not broken, fix it until it is. Everything makes sense in someone's mind.
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My UPS went out and I need to get another on. There are so many different flavors. I'm not really sure what I need. What I'm really looking for is something to kick in & keep me powered if the power goes out. I'm looking on Amazon and I see many different ones with XXX Amps & xxx Volts. Some say 'Surge & Battery', and some say just 'Surge'. Some are a mix of both. Some have a 'data line' option. What's the basic idea? What do I really need?
In theory, theory and practice are the same. But in practice, they never are.” If it's not broken, fix it until it is. Everything makes sense in someone's mind.
I had no idea either, and did much the same as Jeremy. The main problem I had was delivery - if it's lead acid based, then it's HEAVY - and the first two that were delivered had clearly been dropped / thrown / fallen off the truck and had to go back. And given that the max distance it could travel in the UK is around 800 miles, that doesn't bode well ... The third one was fine, and lasted a couple of years before just dying when the power failed - batteries were fine, but when it switched to backup, it stopped powering it's own electronics ... :sigh: I didn't replace it. "Data line" I think menas a USB connection to your PC so you can monitor battery power etc. Handy, but the PC software tends to be pretty ropey.
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt -
I had no idea either, and did much the same as Jeremy. The main problem I had was delivery - if it's lead acid based, then it's HEAVY - and the first two that were delivered had clearly been dropped / thrown / fallen off the truck and had to go back. And given that the max distance it could travel in the UK is around 800 miles, that doesn't bode well ... The third one was fine, and lasted a couple of years before just dying when the power failed - batteries were fine, but when it switched to backup, it stopped powering it's own electronics ... :sigh: I didn't replace it. "Data line" I think menas a USB connection to your PC so you can monitor battery power etc. Handy, but the PC software tends to be pretty ropey.
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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My UPS went out and I need to get another on. There are so many different flavors. I'm not really sure what I need. What I'm really looking for is something to kick in & keep me powered if the power goes out. I'm looking on Amazon and I see many different ones with XXX Amps & xxx Volts. Some say 'Surge & Battery', and some say just 'Surge'. Some are a mix of both. Some have a 'data line' option. What's the basic idea? What do I really need?
In theory, theory and practice are the same. But in practice, they never are.” If it's not broken, fix it until it is. Everything makes sense in someone's mind.
I would say that unless power cuts are extremely common in your part of the world, and/or you have mission-critical equipment that cannot be turned off, a UPS is a waste of money. A UPS large enough to run heavy hardware for a significant amount of time (an hour or more) does not come cheap. I have surge protectors on all my equipment, and that's it. Power cuts are extremely rare in my part of the world, so I don't really worry about them. I use laptops (attached to desktop monitors) for my work, so they have a "built-in" UPS. The local telephone company provides internet over fiber, and if that ever goes down (it hasn't yet...) I have a large enough data package on my mobile phone that I can use it as a backup. The only things that I would need to power via UPS are the Wi-Fi access point and the fiber router, and for those tiny loads any UPS will do. Adding the desktop monitors would require a slightly larger UPS, but for the few minutes of power cuts a year I can work quite well with the laptop and a mobile phone connection.
Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows. -- 6079 Smith W.
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What have you got now ?
In a closed society where everybody's guilty, the only crime is getting caught. In a world of thieves, the only final sin is stupidity. - Hunter S Thompson - RIP
No UPS - it was just too much hassle.
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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I would say that unless power cuts are extremely common in your part of the world, and/or you have mission-critical equipment that cannot be turned off, a UPS is a waste of money. A UPS large enough to run heavy hardware for a significant amount of time (an hour or more) does not come cheap. I have surge protectors on all my equipment, and that's it. Power cuts are extremely rare in my part of the world, so I don't really worry about them. I use laptops (attached to desktop monitors) for my work, so they have a "built-in" UPS. The local telephone company provides internet over fiber, and if that ever goes down (it hasn't yet...) I have a large enough data package on my mobile phone that I can use it as a backup. The only things that I would need to power via UPS are the Wi-Fi access point and the fiber router, and for those tiny loads any UPS will do. Adding the desktop monitors would require a slightly larger UPS, but for the few minutes of power cuts a year I can work quite well with the laptop and a mobile phone connection.
Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows. -- 6079 Smith W.
I was going to write exactly that ! I second every word of it.
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My UPS went out and I need to get another on. There are so many different flavors. I'm not really sure what I need. What I'm really looking for is something to kick in & keep me powered if the power goes out. I'm looking on Amazon and I see many different ones with XXX Amps & xxx Volts. Some say 'Surge & Battery', and some say just 'Surge'. Some are a mix of both. Some have a 'data line' option. What's the basic idea? What do I really need?
In theory, theory and practice are the same. But in practice, they never are.” If it's not broken, fix it until it is. Everything makes sense in someone's mind.
Someone had to do it : The best UPS[^]
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My UPS went out and I need to get another on. There are so many different flavors. I'm not really sure what I need. What I'm really looking for is something to kick in & keep me powered if the power goes out. I'm looking on Amazon and I see many different ones with XXX Amps & xxx Volts. Some say 'Surge & Battery', and some say just 'Surge'. Some are a mix of both. Some have a 'data line' option. What's the basic idea? What do I really need?
In theory, theory and practice are the same. But in practice, they never are.” If it's not broken, fix it until it is. Everything makes sense in someone's mind.
My $0.02, worth less. If you have frequent outages, and you are running desktop system(s) you should get one. Most will keep your system up long enough to ride out brief outages. Some have software to shut your Windows system down. Keep in mind that, if you drop power while the system is writing to disk, it could corrupt the disk. This exposure is limited if your disks are SSD. We have a mixture of APC and Cyberpower rack mount 1500VA units. All work well, until they don't, and you find out the hard way. We recently had a 4 hour outage and one of the units shut down immediately. Another stayed up long enough for me to shut down 4 virtual servers and the hardware server. Run time is determined by the number of batteries. We replace batteries every 4 years, a couple of the units are over 10 years old. Rack mount units have 4 batteries. I will probably replace the failed unit with APC but the difference seems mute.
>64 It’s weird being the same age as old people. Live every day like it is your last; one day, it will be.
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My UPS went out and I need to get another on. There are so many different flavors. I'm not really sure what I need. What I'm really looking for is something to kick in & keep me powered if the power goes out. I'm looking on Amazon and I see many different ones with XXX Amps & xxx Volts. Some say 'Surge & Battery', and some say just 'Surge'. Some are a mix of both. Some have a 'data line' option. What's the basic idea? What do I really need?
In theory, theory and practice are the same. But in practice, they never are.” If it's not broken, fix it until it is. Everything makes sense in someone's mind.
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Well, I'm gonna sound like a n00b here and can't really answer your question. But, when I bought my most recent one... I just went with APC because I knew the brand and it wasn't the cheapest (which I don't trust) but it wasn't the most expensive either (which doesn't always mean quality). Oh, and it has some pretty lights. :laugh: [APC UPS 1500VA Sine Wave UPS Battery Backup, BR1500MS2 Backup Battery Power Supply, AVR, 10 Outlets, (2) USB Charger Ports ](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08GRY1W93/ref=ppx\_yo\_dt\_b\_search\_asin\_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) Probably not the most scientific way, but hey it works and handles a very beefy PC and a couple monitors.
Jeremy Falcon
Good Morning Jeremy, Have you had the opportunity to "test" your setup with a real power failure? I am curious as to how well it worked, and if the pretty lights looked nice in the dark :) Best wishes from Minnesota, Craig
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No UPS - it was just too much hassle.
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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My UPS went out and I need to get another on. There are so many different flavors. I'm not really sure what I need. What I'm really looking for is something to kick in & keep me powered if the power goes out. I'm looking on Amazon and I see many different ones with XXX Amps & xxx Volts. Some say 'Surge & Battery', and some say just 'Surge'. Some are a mix of both. Some have a 'data line' option. What's the basic idea? What do I really need?
In theory, theory and practice are the same. But in practice, they never are.” If it's not broken, fix it until it is. Everything makes sense in someone's mind.
What's the basic idea? What do I really need? A drink :-D Seriously though, I've never come across one I could reccommend.
In a closed society where everybody's guilty, the only crime is getting caught. In a world of thieves, the only final sin is stupidity. - Hunter S Thompson - RIP
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Good Morning Jeremy, Have you had the opportunity to "test" your setup with a real power failure? I am curious as to how well it worked, and if the pretty lights looked nice in the dark :) Best wishes from Minnesota, Craig
Craig Robbins wrote:
Have you had the opportunity to "test" your setup with a real power failure?
Unfortunately, yes. Where I live now the power loves to flicker on and off a lot. It's the reason I got it. It handles up to 900w, but with my monitors and PSU I can draw that much much no problem. So, if I'm going all out, the power probably won't last that long, but it's certainly long enough for me to quit what I'm doing and shutdown properly. And it handles the flickers like a champ. I've only had it for about a year though, so we'll see how long it hangs in there.
Jeremy Falcon
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Well, I'm gonna sound like a n00b here and can't really answer your question. But, when I bought my most recent one... I just went with APC because I knew the brand and it wasn't the cheapest (which I don't trust) but it wasn't the most expensive either (which doesn't always mean quality). Oh, and it has some pretty lights. :laugh: [APC UPS 1500VA Sine Wave UPS Battery Backup, BR1500MS2 Backup Battery Power Supply, AVR, 10 Outlets, (2) USB Charger Ports ](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08GRY1W93/ref=ppx\_yo\_dt\_b\_search\_asin\_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) Probably not the most scientific way, but hey it works and handles a very beefy PC and a couple monitors.
Jeremy Falcon
I'm with you. Back in beginning of 2020 I bought APC and I bought them at the local Best Buy because I wanted to insure they weren't knock-offs. I bought smaller ones because I knew I just needed 30 minutes or so because we have surges and short outages all the time. I now have 3 of these units (2 keeping the network up & 1 for one particular computer). APC is the way to go. :thumbsup: My five-year old unit is still keeping me up and running during short outages. :thumbsup:
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I'm with you. Back in beginning of 2020 I bought APC and I bought them at the local Best Buy because I wanted to insure they weren't knock-offs. I bought smaller ones because I knew I just needed 30 minutes or so because we have surges and short outages all the time. I now have 3 of these units (2 keeping the network up & 1 for one particular computer). APC is the way to go. :thumbsup: My five-year old unit is still keeping me up and running during short outages. :thumbsup:
raddevus wrote:
I now have 3 of these units (2 keeping the network up & 1 for one particular computer).
Dang man, what kinda set up you got? I mean nice... :laugh:
raddevus wrote:
My five-year old unit is still keeping me up and running during short outages.
Good to know, bring on the storms... wut wut.
Jeremy Falcon
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My UPS went out and I need to get another on. There are so many different flavors. I'm not really sure what I need. What I'm really looking for is something to kick in & keep me powered if the power goes out. I'm looking on Amazon and I see many different ones with XXX Amps & xxx Volts. Some say 'Surge & Battery', and some say just 'Surge'. Some are a mix of both. Some have a 'data line' option. What's the basic idea? What do I really need?
In theory, theory and practice are the same. But in practice, they never are.” If it's not broken, fix it until it is. Everything makes sense in someone's mind.
The basic idea is to prevent hard shutdowns on your system and hopefully, allow you time to save any work in progress. If you are looking for something that will allow you to keep working normally for more than 10 minutes, you need to look for something else...besides, mine beeped constantly when the power was out...not something I could tolerate for long. I've never used one on a development system, only on my h/o server. The dead battery for that UPS has been sitting on my desk since it quit about 3 months ago. There have been a couple of short outages during that time, but no problems with just doing a reboot. Before you buy another one, consider that OS's do a better job these days and managing corruption at even unsaved files/work. Is it really worth it? Also, unless all of your networking gear is also routed through the UPS, internet access isn't available anyway.
"Go forth into the source" - Neal Morse "Hope is contagious"
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My UPS went out and I need to get another on. There are so many different flavors. I'm not really sure what I need. What I'm really looking for is something to kick in & keep me powered if the power goes out. I'm looking on Amazon and I see many different ones with XXX Amps & xxx Volts. Some say 'Surge & Battery', and some say just 'Surge'. Some are a mix of both. Some have a 'data line' option. What's the basic idea? What do I really need?
In theory, theory and practice are the same. But in practice, they never are.” If it's not broken, fix it until it is. Everything makes sense in someone's mind.
Keep in mind that consumer grade UPSes are only designed to last long enough for you to cleanly power down your system, not to run for multiples of tens of minutes. Personally, over time, I've collected enough spares that I have one UPS running my monitors and network equipment, and another running just the one main PC. With the load split up in this way, I can keep going for 30-40 minutes, which is typically plenty of time to ignore the power outage and just keep going until the power comes back up. But if the UPS running the main PC goes under 10 minutes, that's when I'll proactively shut it down. Is it worth it? Assume someone will yank the power cord out of your PC with no warning. If you're not likely to be running something you care enough about that it must be saved...then you can probably go without. Otherwise, like backups, you'll miss it on those rare occasions when you really, really need it.
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My UPS went out and I need to get another on. There are so many different flavors. I'm not really sure what I need. What I'm really looking for is something to kick in & keep me powered if the power goes out. I'm looking on Amazon and I see many different ones with XXX Amps & xxx Volts. Some say 'Surge & Battery', and some say just 'Surge'. Some are a mix of both. Some have a 'data line' option. What's the basic idea? What do I really need?
In theory, theory and practice are the same. But in practice, they never are.” If it's not broken, fix it until it is. Everything makes sense in someone's mind.
As a start, list everything you have plugged into the UPS now, and might possibly in the future. I typically want all of my equipment protected from surges, but not all of them need to be powered all the time. For instance, it used to be common knowledge that dot matrix printers draw a huge amount of power, and hardly anyone wants to print in the dark, anyway. You still wanted it protected from surges, but there was no need to have it on a UPS. That's why most UPSs have some outlets labelled "Surge only" or something similar. On a tag somewhere on every piece of equipment you have, there is a power rating. It should include the voltage and the current used by the device. For each unit, assuming they all use the same voltage, add up all the amps and write that down. Now you go shopping. How long do you want the UPS to be able to carry you? An hour, 5 hours? Multiply the total load amps by the number of hours you want to run. Any decent UPS should tell you the Amp-hours it can provide. If not, it should show the equivalent in VAh or volt-amp-hours. You can get that figure by multiplying your desired amp-hours by the line voltage for your devices. Not to confuse things, I've seen a few that tell on the box the Ah rating of the internal battery - that's not the same as the Ah you get out of it, since the battery is probably running at 12V or 24V, and your devices run on 120Vac or so. When in doubt, go bigger. At a minimum, you should have your PC, monitor(s) and comms gear on the USP. Most other devices you probably won't need during an outage, but will want to protect from surges. For the most part, I've stuck with APC for the past 20+ years. I've found their quality to be consistently good, and reliability excellent.
Will Rogers never met me.
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I would say that unless power cuts are extremely common in your part of the world, and/or you have mission-critical equipment that cannot be turned off, a UPS is a waste of money. A UPS large enough to run heavy hardware for a significant amount of time (an hour or more) does not come cheap. I have surge protectors on all my equipment, and that's it. Power cuts are extremely rare in my part of the world, so I don't really worry about them. I use laptops (attached to desktop monitors) for my work, so they have a "built-in" UPS. The local telephone company provides internet over fiber, and if that ever goes down (it hasn't yet...) I have a large enough data package on my mobile phone that I can use it as a backup. The only things that I would need to power via UPS are the Wi-Fi access point and the fiber router, and for those tiny loads any UPS will do. Adding the desktop monitors would require a slightly larger UPS, but for the few minutes of power cuts a year I can work quite well with the laptop and a mobile phone connection.
Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows. -- 6079 Smith W.
I agree with Dan, for all the same reasons. I lost power during hurricane Beryl which drained the UPS batteries. The only thing critical was WIFI access. My laptop and it's battery system did most of the heavy lifting for internet access via a computer. Used my Jackery battery and small battery bricks for small TV and phones.
"A little time, a little trouble, your better day" Badfinger
