Finding The Right Battery Backup (UPS) Brand For You.
Electricity is all around us, we all need power for our businesses, homes, etc.; everything revolves around electricity. It’s incredibly difficult to escape it in our modern world so finding the right ups is important.
As we all know, blackouts happen to everyone, any time, and at any given place. Whenever they do, your electronics such as computers, networking equipment, etc. turns off abruptly and this can cause unnecessary wear-n-tear on the hardware or even blow it up in most cases.
For computers, it can potentially damage your data in a number of ways and you could also lose your entire work. For the purpose of protecting your electronic devices brown outs, dips and spikes, surges and keeping your data safe, an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) is a must-have item in any office or at home.
However, the problem is finding the right UPS which is another process, as virtually most online stores, educational resources use so many technical terms while describing their products that many consumers don’t understand or care about; and basically all we want is a simple, uncomplicated solution and the assurance that our data and equipment are well protected as well as the ultimate satisfaction of knowing you found the best product for your money.
Ready to get a UPS? Check out our brand of ups here
But first of all, what is an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS)?
An Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) – is a device with a backup battery that provides several minutes of power in the event of a blackout. Typically they are used with computers and sensitive equipment, to protect sensitive data by allowing enough time for proper shutdown.
There are three categories of UPS’…
Depending on your budget, and the level of protection you need, there are 3 major categories of UPS to choose from:
Standby (offline): These are the types of UPS’ that you see almost everywhere, the most affordable type in the market. A standby UPS works under normal conditions by supplying your computer with AC power directly from the wall outlet, meanwhile the battery is on standby. Then, when the power fails, the UPS detects the problem, and switches over to the battery. The major challenge with this UPS is that the switching process causes a momentary lapse in power which is dangerous for highly sensitive equipment. Good thing is that this UPS’ can be used with normal desktop computers.
Online UPS: For critical applications however, it is much safer to use these Online UPS’ which is also the best and most-expensive of the 3 designs. Unlike the standby UPS which engages only when there is a problem, the online UPS continuously filters power through the battery before sending it to your computer. During a blackout, there is no power interruption, because the computer is already running on battery power. As a result, power to your computer stays perfectly clean and stable because the output is always regulated by the battery.
The only downside of this double conversion method is it consumes far more energy than a typical standby UPS.
Line-Interactive UPS– Line-Interactive UPS’ handle brownouts well, and for a much cheaper price than the Online UPS’, using a special type of transformer which varies its output voltage in response to momentary power fluctuations. So when the power dips, the transformer is still able maintain a stable output without switching over to battery power.
Below are some of the features you should look out for when choosing the right UPS:
- Voltage Rating and Run-Time – The bigger Voltage Ratings (Va) provide longer run-times, which is the number of minutes you have to shut down your computer after a power outage. You can choose a UPS with the highest Va within your budget. For home-use, the numbers typically range from 200VA – 1500VA. And on average, this generally results in a minimum of 5-10 minutes of backup power.
- Performance Monitoring– Some UPS’ include built-in visual displays, which show essential statistics including run-time, battery health, etc. while others include software programs that allow you to monitor those vital signs directly from your desktop.
- Available Connections– UPS models for home-use typically offer a range of 5-8 outlets so that you can connect most of your computers, appliances, equipment at once for the purpose of surge protection.
- Form Factor – You might want to decide based on the “form factor“, which is basically the outer-shape of the device. There are two types: Tower (which is usually smaller and mostly used at home/offices) or rackmounted (which is larger, designed for a standard rack shelf, and is primarily used for more complex commercial operations).
- Noise – if you don’t like noise and you require perfect silence, make sure your UPS is fan-free unless of course you have a separate room for your computers.
- User-Replaceable Batteries– UPS Batteries don’t last forever, most have a lifespan of around 3-5 years, and after that, you either replace the battery or get a new UPS. So it will be more cost-effective to buy a UPS Brand with user-replaceable batteries.
- Equipment Protection Policy – No matter how fantastic your UPS, its there’s always the slight possibility that it could fail at the wrong time. So for the sake of this, certain brands will offer “equipment protection policies” on their UPS’, to cover any damage resulting from their products malfunctioning.
Finally, those confusing technical terms used to describe different UPS Products in different online/physical stores have been broken down, making it much easier for you to make the right choice based on your needs and your pocket. However, we highly recommend the APC-UPS Products because of their reliability and quality plus APC-UPS is one of the Top 3 UPS Brands in the world without no doubt.
Want to own one of the best UPS’s in the world? Visit www.mgemservices.com today and place your order!