approached me and asked if I would pick out a product to review from one of their stores. Since I had 4 short blackouts that very day, I decided to order a battery backup unit. These units are often referred to as UPSs. (uninterruptible power supplies) The unit I ordered was from American Power Conversion. (APC) I wanted one strong enough to keep the computer running when a blackout occurs. My intent is not to continue running during a blackout but to protect the computer from a crash when the power goes out. When a blackout occurs, a UPS gives you time to orderly close up your computer and thusly maintain your data integrity. I hate when I lose a file that I spent any time on, let alone any appreciable time.
I’ve copied the specs of the unit from the APC site and listed them below. Simply it has 6 outlets, 3 are battery and surge and three are just surge. Keep in mind we are talking two different things. The battery part allows you to shut down, the alarm will drive you nuts until you do shut down. The surge part is on all 6 outlets and that protects your from the dreaded power spikes. Believe it or not, we were struck by lightning once and lost a bunch of household electronics. At the time I only had my computers on surge suppressors. I lost a well pump, fridge, stereo, TV ect. I did not lose either computer. Both surge suppressors were fried but I didn’t lose either computer. So the surge part is very important. BTW I now have surges on practically every electronic device in the house and I put a whole house surge on the breaker panel. I am a true believer!
This unit was only $62.99 including shipping. Note due to the battery they are heavy so if you are price shopping you should make sure you are getting free shipping if you find a better price.
I ordered the UPS from CSN on Thursday and got it on Monday. I plugged it in overnight to charge the battery. I tested it this afternoon by plugging a 150 watt light bulb into one of the battery outlets. I got 4 minutes and 31 seconds of protection before the unit shut off the light. That may not seem like a lot but keep in mind your average laptop doesn’t draw more than 35 or 40 watts and my desktop uses 120 watts. (I used Microsoft Joulemeter to figure that out.)
This unit will give you adequate time to shut your system down. I want to thank CSN stores for giving me the unit to test. They did not make any attempt to influence the review. One caveat on their web description of the BE350G, they indicate it has AVR (automatic voltage regulation). I could not find that feature mentioned in any of APC’s documentation.
Conclusion: If you want battery backup protection and surge supression for slightly more than you will pay for just surge supression, this is a good choice, a good bang for the buck.
BE350G Features :
Battery failure notification
Provides early-warning fault analysis on batteries enabling timely preventive maintenance
Battery-protected and surge-only outlets
Reserves power capacity and run time for connected equipment that require battery back-up while providing surge only protection for less critical equipment
Cold-start capable
Provides temporary battery power when the utility power is out.
Hot-swappable batteries
Ensures clean, uninterrupted power to protected equipment while batteries are being replaced
Disconnected battery notification
Warns when a battery is not available to provide backup power.
Dataline Surge Protection
Provides protection of connected equipment from power surges on the data lines.
Automatic self-test
Periodic battery self-test ensures early detection of a battery that needs to be replaced.
Audible alarms
Provides notification of changing utility power and UPS conditions.
User-replaceable batteries
Increases availability by allowing a trained user to perform upgrades and replacements of the batteries reducing Mean Time to Repair (MTTR)
Transformer-block spaced outlets
Protect equipment with input transformer blocks without blocking access to other receptacles.
Intelligent battery management
Maximizes battery performance, life, and reliability through intelligent, precision charging.
Safety-agency approved
Ensures the product has been tested and approved to work safely with the connected service provider equipment and within the specified environment.
Lifetime data recovery warranty
Provides peace of mind by providing professional data recovery services in the event data is lost due to the failure of the unit.
Battery replacement without tools
Allows quick, easy battery replacement.
LED status indicators
Quickly understand unit and power status with visual indicators.
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ups systems