UPS systems

[Nocturnal]

I'm reading a review at Amazon where the reviewer states that he has a UPS and also some software that within five minutes of the battery backup running out, if he is not there, it will save whatever is open and shut down the computer.

Is this right? Is there such software that comes with UPS'? I am interested in this but my main concern is not being there when the power goes out and not being able to properly shut the unit down. Thanks in advance.

Also, can you run a power strip off of a UPS or is there some type of limitation?

 

[Aluvus]

Most UPSes these days include a bit of monitoring software and a cable to connect to your computer. In concept they can shut your computer down before the battery dies; in practice you should test it out before you rely on it.

You can plug a power strip into a UPS, but as always it's a bad idea to overload any one circuit. Keep it reasonable.

 

[imported_Tick]

Yes, there is software available that can do that. Whether or not it comes with the UPS, and what exactly it does, depends on the model. Yes, you can run a power strip of a UPS, but the proper thing to do, if your going to do that, is Surge Protector>UPS>Power Strip. It's always a good idea to have a surge protector BEFORE your ups, because that way you have two levels of protection. Further, Surge Protectors usually have higher Joule ratings than UPS's. Further still, you might get to sacrifice a $15 surge protector instead of a $300 UPS when a surge hits.

 

[imported_Tick]

Originally posted by: Aluvus
Most UPSes these days include a bit of monitoring software and a cable to connect to your computer. In concept they can shut your computer down before the battery dies; in practice you should test it out before you rely on it.

You can plug a power strip into a UPS, but as always it's a bad idea to overload any one circuit. Keep it reasonable.

On that note, a charging UPS plus a couple computers, plus a few other apliances can excede the breaker capacity on an older homes circuits, so plug it into a decent circuit.

Also, look for a UPS with a USB as suposed to a Serial cable interconect, because I doubt you really want to use a Serial cable...

 

[newuser]

the higer end belkin has the usb port and software

all it does is send your computer into hibernate shutdown ,, so yes, it saves any open files, but you have to have hibernate enabled in windowz

btw, get a bigger ups than you think you need.

 

[jondl]

I just bought an APC UPS 1000VA unit for $99 at Costco. It came with software that shuts down the computer automatically at a specified amount of battery time.

So far, it looks like my computer+ht setup only draws about 300w when in use. I guess the 600w seasonic wasn't necessary.

 

[Nocturnal]

Originally posted by: jondl
I just bought an APC UPS 1000VA unit for $99 at Costco. It came with software that shuts down the computer automatically at a specified amount of battery time.

So far, it looks like my computer+ht setup only draws about 300w when in use. I guess the 600w seasonic wasn't necessary.

Thanks. I wish Costco here sold UPS. I don't think they do, at least I didn't see any. I did find the APC 1000VA @ ZZF though. Looking into picking that up.

 

[imported_Tick]

Originally posted by: newuser
the higer end belkin has the usb port and software

all it does is send your computer into hibernate shutdown ,, so yes, it saves any open files, but you have to have hibernate enabled in windowz

btw, get a bigger ups than you think you need.

I'm a big fan of Belkin gear. I think it works well, and it tends to be under-rated, instead of some UPS's which are horribly over-rated.

 

[Luckyboy1]

Originally posted by: Tick
Yes, there is software available that can do that. Whether or not it comes with the UPS, and what exactly it does, depends on the model. Yes, you can run a power strip of a UPS, but the proper thing to do, if your going to do that, is Surge Protector>UPS>Power Strip. It's always a good idea to have a surge protector BEFORE your ups, because that way you have two levels of protection. Further, Surge Protectors usually have higher Joule ratings than UPS's. Further still, you might get to sacrifice a $15 surge protector instead of a $300 UPS when a surge hits.

Wrong on the putting a surge protector in before the UPS. The UPS has a surge protector in it and if you read the instructions that come with the product, they warn you not to put a power strip in before the UPS. Beyond reducing the sense strand voltage that can then cause the unit to undervolt you just dlightly, I can't see any harm in putting the additional surge protection in, but hey, they be Electrical Engineers and I'm just another user of the gear, so I do what they say.

You don't even NEED additional programming to get your computer to Save stuff and shut down when the power goes out and you end up running on the UPS, which no matter how big it is, it's still a finite supply of power. Go to Start>Control Panel>Power Options and click on the UPS tab. Select your brand and model of UPS from the list and tell it to shut down when alarm is reached. Don't worry that you haven't selected some ghosting program to write from. Windows by default saves all stuff recently changed, but not yet saved before shutting down. Yes, you might lose something in a critical and catastrophic meltdown of power, but I think the easiest way to see if this will happen to your applications is to just unplug the UPS from the wall with the programs you use up and running and see if everything you want gets autosaved before shutdown. This will probably save you the considerable overhead of the ghosting programming.

 

[JimPhelpsMI]

Hi, The software comes with XP for APC or you can download it from the maker. Yes it will automatically shutdown the comp on power failure. Luck, Jim

 

[imported_Tick]

Originally posted by: Luckyboy1

Originally posted by: Tick
Yes, there is software available that can do that. Whether or not it comes with the UPS, and what exactly it does, depends on the model. Yes, you can run a power strip of a UPS, but the proper thing to do, if your going to do that, is Surge Protector>UPS>Power Strip. It's always a good idea to have a surge protector BEFORE your ups, because that way you have two levels of protection. Further, Surge Protectors usually have higher Joule ratings than UPS's. Further still, you might get to sacrifice a $15 surge protector instead of a $300 UPS when a surge hits.

Wrong on the putting a surge protector in before the UPS. The UPS has a surge protector in it and if you read the instructions that come with the product, they warn you not to put a power strip in before the UPS. Beyond reducing the sense strand voltage that can then cause the unit to undervolt you just dlightly, I can't see any harm in putting the additional surge protection in, but hey, they be Electrical Engineers and I'm just another user of the gear, so I do what they say.

I disagree. Yes the UPS has built in surge, but if I blow a surge, such as due to lightning, I want it to be the power strip one. Further, a decent power strip should not produce a voltage drop, otherwise it would be worthless. Further still, an online UPS, the only kind to buy, shouldn't let you undervolt anway.

 

[Navid]

The undervolting may happen when there is a surge event (due to the large surge current flowing and the voltage drop across the line resistance). The device, looking at the line voltage (MOV), has a threshold. There are multiple devices, in a surge protector, with different thresholds specifically designed so that they work together. They may not reach the intended threshold at the right time if you just daisy chain them using different units. So, it will not absorb the energy as much as it should in case of a surge.

It will work fine for powering your devices otherwise. It is just that you may be compromising the protection against a surge by daisy chaining.

 

[MWink]

I think you guys are debating a useless point. You should NOT plug a surge protector of any kind into a UPS, unless the UPS puts out pure sine wave when on battery (which very few consumer units do). It may or may not be safe to plug a UPS into a surge protector, so you guys can debate that.

And to the OP, yes most UPS's come with an interface cable and software to properly shut down your computer.