Reddit reviews APC UPS, 650VA UPS Battery Backup Surge Protector, BE650G1 Backup Battery, Dataline Protection, Back-UPS Uninterruptible Power Supply

Having worked in a datacenter for quite a while, and with computers for some time, I've come to trust APC UPSs. The company I work for has had the Tripplites and the APCs, and it seems that the Tripplites seem to have a shorter life span. We also have all APC power systems installed in our datacenter, and they work quite well. Here's a link to the one I have for my MacMini and NAS. The [APC BE650G1] (http://www.amazon.com/APC-BE650G1-Saving-Battery-Back-UPS/dp/B005GZRUZW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343073545&sr=8-1&keywords=APC+BE650G+650) will set you back $80 US, however just think about what it will save you if you had to replace that nice iMac from a lightning strike or something else. Now, how long the battery will last depends on how much you have plugged into it, I usually get about 10-15min with my rig. If you have a 5.1 home theater system, you may want to consider getting one of these for it as well. Call it peace of mind.

EDIT Added Home theater part, I have one for my expensive HT rig.

So, let's do some math.

This is a pretty reasonable unit:

http://www.apc.com/shop/us/en/products/APC-Back-UPS-650/P-BE650G1

650VA / 390W @ 120V. $85/each.

Same Unit is $70 on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/APC-Battery-Backup-Protector-BE650G1/dp/B005GZRUZW

So, lets call them $70/each.

$70 x 60 units == $4,200 every 2 years at random.

You probably need 100-200W per user of UPS power.
Lets split it and call it 150W.

150W x 60 users == 9,000W of UPS capacity.


Consider this large unit:

http://www.apc.com/shop/us/en/products/APC-Smart-UPS-RT-15kVA-RM-208V/P-SURT15KRMXLT

APC Smart-UPS RT 15kVA / 12kW 208v in & 208v out.

$11,700 rough street price.
Add another $2,000 to install a new electrical panel.
Hardware this UPS to the panel.
Move all your users to that panel.

Drive them all off of a single UPS unit.

Yes. You just spent three times the cost.
But now you have a single large unit to monitor and maintain.
You can put new batteries in it every 2-3 years.

Thats a full on-line double-conversion UPS unit.
The users & attached devices will never see unfiltered power again.

If you want something more highly available, with greater redundancies, the Symmetra RT is the next larger hammer to drive this nail.

I’m personally a fan of https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005GZRUZW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I use one for my ONT with Verizon, and another for my router. They do a great job.

Ideally a generator would be best if you’re having a lot of outages, but I know they can be costly.

This is the one I have, which is major overkill. Has an available wattage of 810 but I only use about 200.

Something like this should be sufficient. It's nothing fancy with no displays, but it comes with a USB cable and should have software that lets you manage some details like how long to run before shutting down your PC in a power outage.

Alternative Amazon link.

This thing?

The SystemOne without humidifier pulls 60W, with humidifier it's 80W (well 75 actually, I think). If I understand the math right, a fully charged desktop UPS of, say, 650VA (like this one) would last ~6 hours without humidifier attached, ~5 with. The power factor of APC UPSs seems to be about 60%, so take your UPS's VA capacity, take 60% of that, then divide by either 60 or 75 depending on whether you plan on using the humidifier or not.

Probably the CPAP doesn't always draw the full 60W/75W, so it may last longer.

Also, this is assuming you don't have anything else plugged into the UPS, or haven't since the power went out.

This is just a big ol' semi-naive SWAG, so YMMV, LTBW, IANAEE.

Gotcha, how would this be? It's a little cheaper than others I've seen but it seems like it would work.

To answer your surge protector wall socket question at minimum a surge protector. Best setup would be a UPS(uninterruptible power supply) not to be confused with the PSU of the computer, this has nothing to do with that. Having a battery backup UPS isn’t a necessity though, but it will allow you time to save work and shut down in the event of a power outage.

Heres one from APC: APC 650VA UPS Battery Backup & Surge Protector with Dataline Surge Protection, APC UPS Back-UPS (BE650G1) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005GZRUZW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_zDY6Ab8TQ751G

Very likely your PSU and motherboard. Does your PC plug into the wall, surge protector, or battery backup?

Edit: If you are not using a battery backup for your PC you should be:

https://www.amazon.com/APC-Battery-Protector-Back-UPS-BE650G1/dp/B005GZRUZW?ref_=ast_sto_dp

https://www.amazon.com/APC-Battery-Protector-Back-UPS-BE600M1/dp/B005GZRUZW/

What you're looking for is called a UPS, or Uninterruptible Power Supply. A UPS plugs into a wall outlet and provides power to whatever you connect up to it while also charging an internal battery. When the power goes out, the UPS powers the things hooked up to it with the charge in the battery, giving you time to save things before safely shutting down.

This one is reliable and cheap: https://www.amazon.com/APC-BE650G1-Back-UPS-8-outlet-Uninterruptible/dp/B005GZRUZW

Nothing wrong with a lower end model. I sometimes use a BE650G1 for smaller jobs. Great, affordable, and reliable system.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005GZRUZW/ref=pd_aw_sims_6?pi=SL500_SS115&simLd=1

Edit: just realized the 650 I linked to might not power a TV and console for 15 minutes as OP specified.