UPS

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What is an UPS?

UPS stands for Uninterruptible Power Supply and acts as a battery bank for sensitive/expensive equipment. It protects sensitive devices from power fluctuations, power flickers and also power outages. They come in many different types and sizes. UPS are great for protecting Desktop Computers, Servers, NASs, Routers, Switches, and other items that you want protected.

Battery & Surge Protector:

One common thing to note is that most UPS are split to where one side of the UPS is the battery, and the other side is a Surge Protector only. When you have devices plugged into the UPS remember to keep certain things on the battery side and everything else on the Surge Protector side. This is because if you have a Desktop Computer and a Lamp plugged into the Battery side of the UPS then the lamp will drain the battery quicker in the event of a power issue and will take battery power away from the Desktop Computer which could cause data loss or other issues with your Desktop Computer.

Protect equipment from:

If your devices are not on an UPS then they will be susceptible to Power fluctuations, Power Flickers, and Power Outages. Each one generally affects sensitive equipment a little differently.

Power Fluctuations is when the strength of electricity wavers. This usually does not cause equipment to shut down but it can cause certain devices to require a power cycle. Power Fluctuations can wear down components in the PSU, or Power Supply Unit, reducing in its possible life span. An UPS protects the components inside the PSU by providing clean power that does not fluctuate.

Power Flickers are like a stronger Power Fluctuation. They are when the power drops completely for less than a second. Not quite long enough for devices to power off but can still cause devices to malfunction. Power Flickers are also harder on PSU components.

Power Outages happen when a breaker flips or when the building loses power from the electric company. Power Outages can cause major issues with sensitive equipment. From corrupting data to damaging equipment – Power Outages are not good at all for sensitive equipment. The UPS will provide power, hopefully, long enough for these devices to be shut down properly after saving any changes made.

What to do during a power outage:

From tripped circuit breakers to downed power-lines. Power outages happen to all homes and buildings eventually. If you are caught in a power outage know that you will have a little time to determine if the outage is inside or outside your building. If you find that the power outage is from a tripped breaker then odds are that you will be able to restore power to the UPS before it runs out of power. Verify that your breakers have not tripped.

If the power outage is an issue with the utility company then the UPS will hopefully provide enough power for you to save any documents being worked on and then shut down all devices connected to the UPS. This would include computers, switches, NAS devices, ect.
After all devices have been powered off you can then power off the UPS. That is all there is to it. And you can rest assured that your equipment and data has been saved by the UPS!

Devices that should be on the UPS Battery are:

• Desktop and the Monitor that is used with the desktop
• Router, NAS (Network Attached Storage), Servers.

These devices should be on the UPS Battery because if there is a hard power failure then the UPS will give time to shut down these devices properly until the power can come back on. It is also possible to have the devices talk to certain UPS and if the UPS Battery gets to a certain level, then the devices will shut themselves down on their own.

Devices that should not be on the UPS Battery are:

While an UPS is fantastic to have sensitive equipment on it is commonly not known that there are actually devices that should not be on the UPS battery. This is because they can drain the battery much quicker. This defeats the purpose of the UPS which is to help protect devices from power issues. Some common items that should not be on the UPS are:

• Lamps and other lights
• Fans.
• Heaters.
• Fridges.
• Microwaves.
• AC units.

Buying Tips:

While every persons situation is different there are some common tips for purchasing an UPS.

Decibels: When buying an UPS, you want to make sure that it does not make noise. In the description the noise level will be displayed in either Decibels (dB) or Sine. Both Decibels (dB) and Sine are ways to measure the level of noise an object makes. The measuring systems are a little different between the two, kind of like how Fahrenheit and Celsius have different numbers for the same temperature.
For me I prefer the Decibels to be below 10dB or the Sine to be at about a .3 Sine level. If you get a UPS that makes high sounds then it could get annoying pretty fast – I know this firsthand as I have worked in server rooms for about 10 years now and when you have a lot of devices that make constant noise then you could get tired of working in that area as it adds a layer of difficulty to talking to other people or listening to a video, ect.

Wattage Size: Make sure that you get the correct Wattage for your setup.
510W is good for a low power computer and a router. 900W is better for more high end computers and networking gear.

Wall Plug Type: Every situation is different. Ensure that you know if an angled wall plug can be used. If not then a straight wall plug may be required.

Rack Mount: If the UPS is going to be installed in a network rack then look into getting a Rack Mount UPS. The one I have is about 50 dB but is great for saving space in my network setup.

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