Ups backup software#

In the event of a blackout, it will switch to battery power within a few milliseconds.Ī UPS might produce a pure sine wave, which adds to cost, or a stairstepped one, in which power shifts more abruptly up and down as it alternates. The Tripp Lite Smart1500LCDT is a line-interactive UPS, meaning it feeds connected devices conditioned power while it charges its battery at the same time. If it happens frequently or in quick succession, your UPS might not be up to the task and provide enough delay that a desktop system or hard drive loses power long enough to halt its operating system or crash. (That’s as opposed to most surge protectors, which extinguish a “protected” LED on their front, but continue to pass power.)įor power sags and undervoltage, a standby model will tap the battery. At that point, all the UPS models I checked stop passing power through. These MOVs shift power to ground, but eventually burn out after extensive use.

With electronics, extended undervoltage has the potential damage some power supplies.Ī standby model typically relies on dealing with excess voltage by having inline metal-oxide varistors (MOVs), just as in standalone surge protectors. This can mess with motor-driven industrial and home equipment-many appliances have motors, often driving a compressor, as in a refrigerator or freezer. Undervoltage (“brownouts”): In some cases with high electrical usage across an area, a utility might reduce voltage for an extended period to avoid a total blackout.Sags: Your home or office can have a momentary voltage sag when something with a big motor kicks on, like a clothes dryer or a heat pump-sometimes even in an adjacent apartment, house, or building.Surge protection effectively shaves off voltage above a certain safe range. Surges: Utilities sometimes have brief jumps in electrical power, which can affect electronics, sometimes burning out a power supply or frying the entire device.These three voltage fluctuations can happen regularly or infrequently on power supplied by your utility:

Batteries are relatively expensive to replace, at a good fraction of the original item’s purchase price, so keeping them in fit condition longer reduces your overall cost of ownership.Ī UPS isn’t just about providing power when it’s interrupted, though, and that’s another place that a standby and line interactive approach vary.ĪPC’s website offers a handy tool that will help you decide which of its UPSes fit your requirements, based on total power draw and how long you’ll need battery power for your components. Now, you may want to opt for a line interaction UPS because of its advantages, which include less wear and tear of the battery, extending its lifetime. (Other flavors are much more expensive or intended for critical systems and higher power consumption.)Ī few years ago, the price differential was high enough that you had to really balance the need for particular features against cost. It can condition power, smoothing out highs and lows, and switch over to the battery within a few milliseconds.

A line interactive version feeds power through an inverter from the wall to connected devices while also charging the battery. Standby units keep their battery ready for on-demand, automatic use, but it’s otherwise on standby, as its name indicates. UPSes for consumer and small-business purposes come in standby and line interactive versions. With great power, comes great power conversion

Ups backup software#

A UPS typically has a light or will use a sound to indicate a battery that needs to be replaced, and it might indicate this via software running on the computer to which it’s connected. Batteries do need to be replaced, although it can be after a very long period.