A Handy Piece Of Equipment To Have If You Have Constant Power Interruptions
I live in an area that gets constant power interruptions (Thanks Essential Energy). Interruptions can go from a quick bleep (enough to annoy you) to a hours (and sometimes days when there's snow around). The worst thing is, I don't mind power interruptions so much as the inconvenience on devices that take a while to reboot (such as servers, routers, TV boxes). So I thought I'd finally buy a UPS so it gives me time to get the generator running if need be.
Determining which one I needed was easy from the supplier as they have several models to choose from with more/less outlets and various capacities. I added up what I thought I would need and then gave a little extra.
Basically, an 850VA (to all intensive purposes 850W) capacity will give you 2.8A @240VAC. Not a lot, but when you're only talking a few devices like laptops, computers, routers and servers etc they're low power consuming devices. The instructions also recommend that the 850VA rating is a peak and shouldn't be run at peak power for extended times. Around half is recommended (so about 425VA).
Features include protection from surges, spikes and brown outs. It uses a simulated sin wave, has auto voltage regulation, one USB charging port and phone line protection. There's also an LCD screen with various information available such as in/out voltages, current etc and software's included to safely shutdown various computers and servers (although I haven't tried it).
Half of the board (4 outlets) is surge only meaning there's no UPS function. Great for running non essential items that you need power for but aren't always on. The other 4 outlets are surge and UPS and will keep running for a period determined by the load being supplied. This could be anywhere from a few minutes to an hour depending on the current drawn. Generally it's enough to shutdown most devices safely.
The battery is a sealed lead acid style and is user replaceable. Generally most lead acid batteries only last a couple of years, so being able to replace it (even though they are expensive) is a bonus.
The unit is quite heavy (with the battery) so putting it lower on the floor is generally the option (although there are hooks to hang it). Unfortunately, I don't have the space so it's on a shelf. Because of this and the LCD screen being on top, it is a little hard to read as I have to roll the unit over to see the screen. Laying it on it's side has it's own problems as the plugs and wire generally stick forward (unless you're using side entry plugs). While the unit does it's job, it is a little hard to get all those cables neat (even with the cable management clip). Personally, I think UPS' should have their power sockets on the side, but that's another issue.
Overall, the unit works and works well. It's already paid for itself since using it, I've lost count of the amount of small power outages we've had. Which means less time waiting for the server to reboot (I have a QNAP that takes 10 min to reboot) and more uninterrupted TV time!
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