APC UPS

hello,
i have seen a cheap APC UPS the model is
APC Smart-UPS 1000VA USB & Serial RM 2U 230V
is it any good?
i have heard good things about APC ups thou.
its cheap on ebay and i might buy it.
this will be used for my home pc/router
i just wanna make sure its good first.
i wont post the ebay link since i dont want anyone nicking it
thanks
lodore

 

Hi Lodore,

I got my APC-XS900 for $69.00 at Fry's, excelent power supply, and has user replaceable batteries. Excellent reputation & choice of UPS. Keep in mind 'size matters' or wattage.

Take Care
Rico

 

thanks Rico.
on the back of all UPS they have 4 sockets like the big one yuou plug in to the pc tower.
can you plug any normal UK plug in to a UPS?
i would want my PC and router to be battery backup.
my printer/scanner and my external harddrive can just be surge protected.
would be nice to have my dect cordless phone on battery backup as well.
since its very very cheap should i just buy it and ask questions later?
lodore

 

Hi Lodore,

I'm not sure what a UK plug is? I would imagine a router would be fine. Don't forget the monitor. If your using a CRT monitor you will need more wattage, than with LCD monitor. Check out apc.com, that will determine the best size for u + perhaps info on the UK plug

Take Care
Rico

 

oh ye my 19inch dell monitor woops
my pc would be no use without that.
i wouldnt lose any data thou.
a plug in england has three pins.
its called three pin UK plug as shown below.
as shown here
http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Images/Products/size_3/TLPT13.JPG
lodore

 

Ladore, I have the APC X5 1200. I have a power strip connected to the back. I connect my main box (Dell XPS 600), my NAS box (Dell 8200), monitor, 2 external hdd, router & cable modem.
The software that comes w/ the UPS has an analogue meter that goes up / down as you add / remove appliances

My guess is if the UPS isn't set-up / designed for euro schuko or UK plug, you'd need a converted power strip. No problem putting one together if it is a US model.

hth,

...screamer

 

I am a long-term satisfied user of APCC UPS. My current one is a BackUPS CS 650. If you want an adapter to run from the UPS to a 3 pin UK socket, these are better bought from www.amazon.co.uk where the price is markedly cheaper than buying from APC. You can also buy the UPS from Amazon UK with free delivery.

 

I am running a Belkin 650VA it has UK socket outputs 3 x backup + surge protected, and 3 x surge protection only. Not designed for long use simply about 10 - 15 minutes on my setup to close out work situations.

 

thanks screamer it does help.
the ebay seller is a uk shop.
so it should be a uk model.
by power strip do you mean a 4 plug extention lead?
you can always show a picture.
lodore

 

yep!

With this you can comfortably add and remove appliances while watching the load meter on your screen. Actually I use two plugged into the back of the UPS. One has eight outlets and one has 5, both have surge protection.
I've never found series surge protection to have any ill effects on my equipment.

Although some may consider this excessive: here on Long Island we have frequent power outages. Especially during spring and summer storms.

Besides, my personality is prone to overkill.

...screamer

 

notice to mods please change the title to UPS
i found a UPS made by a company called unitek
its made by a uk company.
it has 6 UK 3 pin plugs on the top.
three are battery backup and 3 are just surge protected.
it costs just £35 from misco
http://www.misco.co.uk/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=242289&CatId=1416

unitek website
http://www.unitek-power.com/en/products/product.php?id=alpha650ipf
it says its designed for the next genaration computers.
the other UPS on the site has so called IEC sockets rather than the UK plug sockets found on the model above.
what is a IEC socket?
i have seen IEC sockets on most UPS and dont know how you can plug stuff in to them since it looks like the big plug you put in the back on the PSU on a computer.
i figure there must be a reason why 95percent of UPS have the IEC connectors on the back i just dont know why and how to plug equipment in to them.
lodore

 

You void the great APC warranty if you add the power strip. You cannot add an extension cord either. The unit must plug DIRECTLY into a wall socket not more than 6 feet away to retain warranty. I know this for a fact as I both emailed and called APC back in 1999 when I got first APC UPS and the six foot cord would barely reach the wall outlet and also have everything reach from the tower to the UPS. I couldn't move my desk because of restrictions from the cable company that is my ISP and the condo I live in. APC told me no power strip attached to the UPS and no extension cord (even heavy duty) unless the warranty didn't matter to me. I bought the APC one precisely because of the warranty.

Another consideration is that on most APC UPS the plug outlets are too close together. The design improved from 1999 to Nov 2003 when I bought my second one but still is not ideal. . Those plugs you showed look like they have fat heads like in the USA converter plugs (square boxes). Those stick out on the sides when you plug them in so that they partially cover the outlet next to them which means you cannot use that outlet (unless you add some kind of extension and that is forbidden by APC). So, I have never been able to use all the outlets. My APC UPS is one intended for home use. You getting one of the much more expensive ones intended for businesses and those may have the plug layout in a better fashion. I thought $100 was enough to pay so I didn't consider the $150 and above ones. I just wanted it to protect the computer from damage due to power surges mostly. I don't use Hibernation so I can't let the unit shut the computer down gracefully in a power outage. I have to be here to shut it down. If not, the UPS runs until its power is depleted. I wish there was some other way of having the unit shut down the computer unattended than Hibernation which I detest.

I assume the one you are buying has coaxial and dsl outlets? You need those so that you don't void the warranty (unless you use dialup as they all have phone line outlets). My ISP won't let us use the coaxial outlets so I don't know what the result would be if there ever was damage and I filed for replacement of the computer.

You should call APC in England and ask about using the power strip plugged into the unit. Maybe the policy is different there. I think the one you are getting has self test for the battery. That is very useful. My first APC UPS had that and I assumed it would be on the one I have now as this one is just a newer model basically. It doesn't. APC did tell me that if I call them they can walk me through a sort of complicated method to test the battery. I was really disappointed that this one did not come with self test and irritated at myself for assuming that the company would not make a new model, remove that function, and charge considerably more. I would not have bought this one had I known.

The best thing about APC for us in Hawaii is that they do not charge insane prices to ship the unit if it is bought directly from them...from anywhere else shipping is almost as much as or more than the cost of the unit. Shipping for a replacement battery is more than the cost of the battery usually so when the battery starts to go the best thing usually is to trade up the old unit through APC's tradeup program. My battery went dead at two years on my first APC UPS. On the current one, the battery is 3 years and 7 months old so there has been an improvement in the batteries and it doesn't take 18 hours to recharge if fully depleted either like the first did.

APC is a great pleasure to deal with. They have excellent customer service right here in the USA.

 

thanks for the reply Mele20
it has some useful infomation in it.

i found a UPS on the uk apc site with 8 uk plug sockets.
4 are battery backup and 4 are just surge.
15minutes battery backup.
3 year warrenty.
its even reccomended when i use there selection tool.
it has user replacement batterys
cant plug it in to the computer thou.
i might email or ring up apc to see what they say.
£70
http://www.apc.com/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=BE700-UK&tab=models&total_watts=200
lodore

 

Do not buy on ebay.
Buy at retail to make sure that you get the warranty and insurance protection.

 

That is very similar to the one I have. Interesting the warranty is 3 years for your model but only 2 for mine. I have the BE725BB. It is is no longer manufactured. It's successor is this one: http://www.apc.com/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=BE750BB&total_watts=200

BTW: I actually meant "insurance" when I was talking about voiding the "warranty" if you use extension cords with it. I was more concerned with not being able to claim damage to my computer than having a two year warranty voided for the APC unit itself. I don't know if using an extension cord or plugging in a power strip would void the warranty but it will void the insurance.

You might get a better deal direct from APC as well as have no worries about warranties, etc. Plus, when your battery is needing replacement, you should first look into APC's trade-up program where APC pays to have your old UPS shipped back to them and they give you a good discount on the latest model or a different version. That is sometimes a better deal than ordering a new battery.