Uninterruptible power supply and power bank recommendations

[Robocok]

Like the title says. Lots of options out there. My lady is working from home more and needs a ups.

Also looking for a good power bank. Thank you.

 

[Plissken]

Liebert or Eaton, they are the two most respected manufacturers. You can find Liebert GXT 3's or 4's for reasonable prices every so often on eBay. APC or Tripp Lite are fine if you want to spend less.

 

[jefferz]

Throw out an add on Craigslist for one with a dead battery. Buy new batteries.
Save yourself some money.

 

[Swing]

I've got a couple of APC units and have no complaints.

 

[GSP_37]

I only used APC. One needed a free battery replacement upon brand new purchase. One seemed to have the battery go bad maybe a year later and got a free replacement by mail. I was told you have to be mindful of the capacity and how much stuff you plug in that's drawing power at the same time or it'll break.

Next time I'll buy a bigger more expensive one to make sure I can run computer and video game console and modem at same time.

I think at least two companies have theirs made in Phillipines.

My home APC has USB port that I sometimes use to power mini USB fan to blow air on PS4.

 

[rob mafia]

Throw out an add on Craigslist for one with a dead battery. Buy new batteries.
Save yourself some money.

i dunno, getting replacement batteries is often the most expensive/annoying part.

and i'm still running an old APC that's fine. been solid for ~13 years now.

only thing i'd recommend is not getting a 2-battery unit unless you absolutely need the wattage, as (again) getting the replacement batteries can suck. if you have a local source for batteries, disregard this, though. (expensive shipping, and a lot of "new" batteries are out of spec [ie: too thick] or dead/old/faulty... adding extra shippings/time/money to this)

 

[GSP_37]

My UPS that doesn't get much use started making constant beep upon first plugging in and turning on. I turn it off, then back on and it doesn't beep.

I think I saw somewhere constant beep or the particular colored light means replace the battery. I'm guessing from inactivity, the UPS drained completely and that might be why it beeped upon first start up but not upon second time turning on in short timeframe.

I'm leaving it plugged in and turned on overnight and hoping the UPS will fully charge and hopefully no more beeping. Does that sound about right?

It might be several years old, but never really got a lot of hours of use at a time.

 

[rob mafia]

My UPS that doesn't get much use started making constant beep upon first plugging in and turning on. I turn it off, then back on and it doesn't beep.

I think I saw somewhere constant beep or the particular colored light means replace the battery. I'm guessing from inactivity, the UPS drained completely and that might be why it beeped upon first start up but not upon second time turning on in short timeframe.

I'm leaving it plugged in and turned on overnight and hoping the UPS will fully charge and hopefully no more beeping. Does that sound about right?

It might be several years old, but never really got a lot of hours of use at a time.

the batteries only last about 5 years or so, anyway.

 

[jefferz]

i dunno, getting replacement batteries is often the most expensive/annoying part.

and i'm still running an old APC that's fine. been solid for ~13 years now.

only thing i'd recommend is not getting a 2-battery unit unless you absolutely need the wattage, as (again) getting the replacement batteries can suck. if you have a local source for batteries, disregard this, though. (expensive shipping, and a lot of "new" batteries are out of spec [ie: too thick] or dead/old/faulty... adding extra shippings/time/money to this)

I walked into a Batteries+Bulbs and picked up the batteries off the shelf. I ended up with 2 1500va battery backups for the price of a new one.

 

[rob mafia]

I walked into a Batteries+Bulbs and picked up the batteries off the shelf. I ended up with 2 1500va battery backups for the price of a new one.

i didn't even know this store existed. lolz. i had just ordered them online or got them from micro center.

 

[Prefect]

Honestly, the cheapest and best UPS is just a laptop. You have a portable computer that is good enough if you aren't play games or doing hard computation or graphics. I am literally working on a laptop from 2015.

 

[jefferz]

i didn't even know this store existed. lolz. i had just ordered them online or got them from micro center.

If you need a battery, they usually have it. They carry everything from coin cells to big ass batteries used in tractors.
The batteries I got from them for my UPS were Duracell's. Not the greatest brand in the world but much better than an unknown china brand.

Honestly, the cheapest and best UPS is just a laptop. You have a portable computer that is good enough if you aren't play games or doing hard computation or graphics. I am literally working on a laptop from 2015.

Good for you I guess.

 

[Prefect]

Good for you I guess.

I know it sounds to bit of a cop out but it is honestly the best solution for most people's needs. For most, the point of a UPS is to allow for an orderly shutdown and saving of work. The firms I worked at that had them because they paid for themselves if the power blinks and everyone loses an hour or two of work.

One small firm I worked at, which was run by two very smart engineers who did wonders on controlling overhead, took the cheap route with UPS and server management. We lost hundreds of dollars whenever the power blinked but where they lost a ton of money was storing all the servers in a closed closet. The servers overheated and shutdown and it took them two days to figure out what was happening. That was 30 people with around $100 an hour bill out for at least 16 hours. 16*3 = 48k in lost billed out work.

 

[rob mafia]

I know it sounds to bit of a cop out but it is honestly the best solution for most people's needs. For most, the point of a UPS is to allow for an orderly shutdown and saving of work. The firms I worked at that had them because they paid for themselves if the power blinks and everyone loses an hour or two of work.

One small firm I worked at, which was run by two very smart engineers who did wonders on controlling overhead, took the cheap route with UPS and server management. We lost hundreds of dollars whenever the power blinked but where they lost a ton of money was storing all the servers in a closed closet. The servers overheated and shutdown and it took them two days to figure out what was happening. That was 30 people with around $100 an hour bill out for at least 16 hours. 16*3 = 48k in lost billed out work.

cool story, i guess i better buy a laptop that costs more than my desktop but performs worse just so i can not have a ups that costs a tiny fraction of a laptop...

it just makes sense!