Uninterrupted Power Supply

[Lemur]

I seek wisdom. I'm considering getting a UPS to protect my gear, but I'm kinda new to the scene. A little googling and reading has left me slightly more educated, but not exactly confident. I have two towers, two screens, a router and a cable modem. Forget the laser printer; it doesn't rate special protection.

Who here uses a UPS? What is your experience? What brands are trustworthy? What articles should I be reading? What are my considerations?

Enlighten me, if you've got the patience and the time.

[Xiahou]

From what I've heard from other IT guys, and from my personal experience- When it comes to UPS's there's APC and then there's junk. I can't think of any reason to go with another brand.

I currently use a big 1100VA brick to power 2 PCs, 1 LCD, 1 DSL modem, and 1 Linksys router/wireless AP. I don't know how much run-time that would get me, but I've tested it for 10mins unplugged, and outside of that I don't really care. Previously, I had all of the above except 2 CRTs (19" & 15") instead of 1 LCD powered on the above UPS. I only tested that config for a few minutes, but it did keep everything running fine. If you're using a CRT, just turn it off when you're not around and you'll get much better runtime should the power go out while you're away.

I also use the APC overgrown powerstrip (500VA) with my HTPC and have no complaints there either. In addition to the PC itself, I have my digital cable box, 1 external tuner and a cable amp plugged into it. Again, I don't know the max run-time on it, but it definitely can and has covered brief outages.

As you probably know, laser printers draw a huge amount of power when they fire up, so you'd never want one of them plugged into a UPS regardless- surge suppressor only for them.

Both UPS's were purchased at Sams Club for what I feel were great prices. I dont think the 1100VA model is offered anymore, but they now have a more powerful one (1200VA?) for pretty much the same price, so that's a better value anyhow. IIRC, the 1100VA was a cheap $132 when I bought it. The management software that it supports is very basic, but it should have everything a home-user needs(ie: automatic shutdown).

Edit: Here's a calculator that might help you estimate what VA you'd need. Just add your two workstations and check off the accessories that apply. Don't worry about their list prices, you're just getting a ballpark idea of your power requirements and what runtime you can expect.

Edit again: Here's a 1250VA at Sam's for $121.37.
Feel free to do your own research, but I think that's tough to beat.

[LeftEyeNine]

There are two types of UPSes I know of:

- Line Interactive
- Online

Online UPSes make real time fine tuning to voltage irregularities (which is better), while line interactive UPSes prefer a step-by-step voltage increase/decrease under such circumstances which is more kinda low-tech.

From what I have read until now (I had found a very detailed Turkish source from an engineer worked in such factory), I'd not go for something less than 1500 VA if I were you, Lemur.

[KukriKhan]

Xiahou covered most of the salient features and advantages. I've been a happy APC-brand UPS user since the days of California's "rolling blackouts" 5-6 years ago.

One thing: once you've got your gear UPS protected, it's easy to forget about it, until a lightning strike nearby knocks out power. It is, in the end, a battery backup, and as such does lose it's ability to hold a charge eventually, just like a car battery. You'll need to replace it after about 3 years, in my experience (your mileage may differ); and checking its status on the switch to/from Daylight Saving Time, along with your smoke alarm batteries, is a good maintenance regimen.