I'll Be Right Back -- Power Users Have Solid Back-UPS

The APC Back-UPS RS-1500VA (BR1500) Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS)is a power user's dream -- almost.

It seems there isn't a single UPS unit anywhere you can find that has all of the features you want. This unit is aimed at business users.

This unit is powerful enough for multiple computers in one location but it is not a network system. While I connect multiple computers at my main location at times, it is enough for me that the RS-1500VA will only shut down the main computer attached to it with a USB cable. Network UPS solutions easily cost hundreds of dollars more.

While it protects telephone, LAN and power sources it does not have ports to protect incoming cable. It connects to your computer via a USB cable that will enable its software to safely shut down your sytem in the event of a power failure.

We paid $230 for this (shipping included,) which was below the $299 list price at the time of purchase. That's also a lot cheaper than the $1500 worth of computer and telephone gear we lost in a recent lightning strike in the front yard.

But be careful! The prices and Part Numbers of these units can be tricky. At one point, we thought we were getting a bargain on this unit only to discover that it was a "cheaper" version that had far fewer features. (It was the XS-1500 instead of the RS-1500)

Still, the more we learned after our lightning strike and the more we investigated all UPS systems, the more we had to accept that none of these will protect everything from damage in all scenarios. More on that a bit later.

BUYING A UPS SYSTEM

Potential buyers need to really look at their systems first and then decide what unit(s) they wish to buy.

Key Questions:

- How much power does my system actually USE?

- How long would I like it to run in the event of a power outage?

- What do I want to protect beyond just the power sources? (LAN, Cable Modem, DSL/Phone/Fax Lines etc.)

While this unit's description would seem to say it is ready to back up 1500 watts of power, it isn't. It will back up 865 watts maximum.

There are many different UPS units out there in the marketplace. APC has one of the best reputations of them all. They also have an impressive lineup of products and web pages that will help you choose the system that's right for you.

http://www.apc.com

No matter what manufacturer's product you investigate, the "UPS Selector" pages will help you determine just how much muscle you need to buy. Obviously, you want extra "room" for expansion and you can designate that in the process.

WHAT COMES WITH THE PACKAGE

The APC Back-UPS RS 1500VA (BR1500) comes well packaged. It's 25 pound weight is, of course, mostly the result of a larger battery that gives this unit a higher rating and longer runtime in the event of power failure.

A leakproof Lead-Acid battery is already installed but not connected. (You will connect it in the set-up process.) You can add a second battery (BR24BP) to extend the runtime without mains power. (Obviously that costs more money.)

A CD-ROM contains the APC "Power-Chute" software that allows you to designate how you want the system to behave in the event of power failure and also monitors and records voltage fluctuations, brown-outs, line-noise etc.

A Special Data/USB cable is provided to connect the UPS unit to your computer.

6' of power cord for connection to main wall plug.

Grey plastic stand for setting the unit "on end" so it takes up less space under a desk or even on top of a desk.

FEATURES

The unit is similar in size to a low-profile computer. It's beige color isn't snazzy by any stretch of the imagination, but you're probably going to put it under your desk anyway.

Placed upright (the default position) it is 15 inches High and 13 inches Deep but only 3 inches Wide.

There are L-E-D lights on the top of the front panel to show the unit is...

- Powered on (Online)
- On Battery Power
- Overload (too much demand from your system)
- Battery Needs Replacing

One large button on the Front Panel will turn the unit ON/OFF.

The Rear Panel has an array of inputs and outputs.

There are six (6) three-pronged outlets for battery backup devices.

In addition, there are two (2) three-pronged outlets for "Surge Protection Only" that can come in handy for devices you just want to protect but not actually keep running in the event of loss of power.

There are one (1) each, input and output RJ-45 ports for a 10/100 ethernet connection surge protection.

There are one (1) each, input and output ports for a DSL/Phone/Fax line.

In addition, there is a port to connect a second battery that will increase runtime after a blackout significantly (to 1.5 hours.)

Connecting Power Strips

APC advises against it. While I'm no expert, their advice seems to make sense. When you connect power strips, including ones with surge protection of their own, you do not "double protect" the system. In fact, you could make it tougher for the Back-UPS RS 1500VA to do its job properly. Still, I've got a couple of basic power strips attached for devices like battery chargers or DC power supplies.

SOFTWARE

The image of a computer being floated down below a parachute will be displayed in your system tray after you do the install. It's really a no-brainer. I did not experience any problems with the installation following the easy instructions provided.

Clicking that "PowerChute" image will open the already-running software. This is the heart of the system as you'll see it on a daily basis.

From the opening display on the window, you can choose to look at three separate displays:

Monitor System - Configuration - Help

MONITOR SYSTEM allows you choose to view Performance, which is really just a record of what the system has been up to lately. You can choose to see the record from the last week, 4, 12 or 24 weeks.

There are records for what caused the system to switch to battery power (Blackout, Undervoltage, Overvoltage, Electrical Noise.)

It also shows how many times each problem caused a switch to battery power and how much time it spent on battery backup power.

Typical readings might show Blackouts caused the system to go to battery backup 2 times for a total of 9 seconds.

Current Status shows a sliding bar graph of how much load you are putting on the system and how much room you have to add more equipment. (0-865 Watts)

It also shows where you're currently getting power (AC mains or battery,) what the capacity of the battery is (0-100%) whether the battery is charged, what caused the last recorded power problem and the date and result of your last "self-test" of the unit.

CONFIGURATION

There are a number of Configuration screens. Some are as simple as "Notification" that allows you to choose whether or not you want audible alarms (beeps) when the system goes to battery backup or there is a problem.

Others, like "Runtime" allow you to choose whether to automatically shut down your computer as soon as there is a power failure or to wait until there are an estimated 5 minutes of battery power left to shut it down. This gives you a little more breathing room if you aren't sitting at the computer when a power failure hits.

There are also settings for the high and low thresholds for power voltages and just how sensitive you want the system to be.

HELP

Not really.

There's a good overview of your model number, the software version, firmware revision etc. but when it comes to actually reading about a problem, you're headed for the APC Web Site.

Don't get us wrong, it's a very good site with lots of helpful information. But say you want to find out about a new battery for your unit -- you'll be unceremoniously dumped at the general web page that lets you fill in a form to select the right battery. There's no interconnect between the information gathered by the "PowerChute" software and the web pages where you go for information.

The installation guide was very clear and overall, there isn't much help you're going to need, anyway.

PROBLEMS WITH THE CONCEPT

It came to us like a flash of lightning. In fact, it scorched a tree in our front yard and hundreds of dollars worth of equipment inside the house.

The gear in our office was all surge protected but didn't all survive. A wireless access point in another part of the house took the surge and passed it down a wired ethernet connection into a switch.

The switch handily shared the over-voltage with the Network Cards and a lot of other kit.

While the APC Back-UPS RS 1500VA does an excellent job protecting the "front door" so to speak, the "back door" can still be breached. $12 surge protected power strips on every single outlet in the house may do the job.

A really secure system, based on APC's best advice and hardware, would cost hundreds of dollars more to protect every single LAN line coming back down to the main switch.

With the RS 1500VA in that scenario, APC technicians recommend putting the ethernet cable coming out of the cable modem into the Back-UPS LAN IN-port and then running an ethernet cable from the unit's OUT-port to your router.

If there's a surge on the cable line, the modem may get fried but the rest of your gear should be protected. I have several standard surge protectors that do handle cable TV connections but I wish the RS 1500VA was equipped with that as well.

CONCLUSION

Let's face it, the best UPS system is one that you plug all of your valuable kit into and forget about it.

That's pretty close to what I'm feeling with the APC Back-UPS RS 1500.

There are cheaper units on the market. This one will keep a full 865 Watt System up and running for a mere 3.5 minutes. But as noted above, my 250 Watt system will supposedly keep running for 32 minutes. That's plenty of time in either case for the "Power-Chute" software to shut down the system safely.

The noise filtering and other features are important as well, even if we don't exactly understand why. We don't have to. We paid for somebody else to think about all of that.

This unit worked out of the box flawlessly. The software install was clean and smooth. I saw no reason to change most of the defaults.

I've got plenty of power ports and it's nice to have the phone line and one LAN connection surge-protected. I wish it had that cable port as well.

You must decide whether having your computer come to a sudden halt without saving data is something to be prevented...not at all costs...but at a cost of $230.

If you don't need extra time (that is only measured in minutes) between when a power failure hits and your computer shuts down, you could buy a unit about half this price. (Half the power rating.)

Those are decisions you must make.

For me, the Back-UPS RS 1500 is protection with power to spare. The PowerChute software's reporting system reminds me that every month, there are a few times when short power blackouts would have pulled my system down.