Selecting the best Uninterruptible Power Supply(UPS) System

Selecting the best Uninterruptible Power Supply(UPS) System

UPS system has become an integral part of home offices, workstations, data centers, and servers. They are deployed to protect against power blackouts, power surges, brownouts, voltage sags, frequency noise, frequency variation, and harmonic distortion. The absence of a UPS system in your power network can potentially cause damage to connected devices that need a proper shutdown and complete loss of critical work and data. But there are plenty of options available and it becomes very hard to find the best UPS system that can better reflect your needs and budget. We are going to discuss some features of the UPS system that you should take into consideration.

Capacity (Real Power and Apparent Power)

Capacity is an important indicator that determines the total number of equipment or devices that UPS can support. Capacity is the total amount of power, measured in Watts, that a UPS system can provide to connected devices. The higher the capacity of a UPS system, the more equipment it can support. In order to determine the required amount of capacity, you simply add the total wattage of devices you plan to provide with backup power and then multiply it by 1.25. But one thing should be kept in mind the load should never exceed 80% of the total capacity of the UPS system. In other words, the UPS system should provide 20% more power than your total load. For example, if your total load is 200W, you should buy a UPS system that has at least 250W capacity. Many manufacturers mention VA or Volt Amperes on their UPS system rather than Wattage. Both show capacity, the VA indicates the apparent power without consideration of resistance in the circuit and Wattage is the real power that is actually consumed by connected devices.

The Number of Outlets:

The number of outlets decides the total number of devices that can be connected to a UPS system. Therefore, you should make sure that your intended UPS system should at least carry two more outlets than you need. In addition, you should also confirm how many of these plugs are battery-powered and how many of them are surge-protected.

The Form Factors:

The UPS system comes into various form factors: tower and rackmount etc. The selection of form factors should be made as per the particular needs of the UPS. For example, for servers, data centers, and network management, rackmount UPS would be a better choice, for desktops, a tower UPS would be a suitable option.

Runtime:

Runtime is also an important specification. It is an estimated time for which a UPS system will run without an AC input source- the main power supply. The time required for proper shutting down of connected devices should be matched with the UPS runtime. If there is a mismatch, you should choose another UPS system.

UPS Technology:

UPS systems are available in three technologies: Standby, Line Interactive, and Double Conversion. Leaving aside the details, Standby is for desktop users or those who are seeking budget-friendly UPS solutions. Line-Interactive is for small businesses and Double Conversion serves large networking and server infrastructure. For more detail (Types of UPS technologies)

Battery Type:

Lithium Ion and Lead Acid batteries are used in the UPS system. It has been reported that Lithium-ion batteries are superior to lead acid ones because they are more reliable and efficient. But Lithium-ion batteries are expensive, so for home offices or small off-grid storage systems, relatively inexpensive lead acid should be preferred.

Finding the best UPS System for You:

Having discussed the important specifications of a UPS, we further narrow down our debate and suggest some specific UPS systems for the home/home office, small businesses, gaming, and other intended usages.

APC UPS system for Home/Home Office:

In view of the fact that home/ home office does not require sophistication level of Double Conversion UPS technology and they can even work satisfactorily with offline/standby UPS systems. The following APC UPS systems are recommended for home/home offices:

APC Back-UPS Pro:

With 1600 VA capacity, Sinewave waveform output, Automatic Voltage Regulation(AVR) that can stabilize the incoming AC signal to maintain output power at 120 V without resorting to battery backup, LCD display, and 8 IEC outlets is best for high-performance desktops and other devices. This UPS system provides premium power protection.

APC Back-UPS 600VA:

With 330 Watts capacity, 7 outlets plus one USP port for mobile charging, a 10-minute runtime which is enough for shutting down all devices connected to the home-based network, and a small form factor(Desktop) that helps easy installation, APC Back-UPS is considered the best for home usage. Computers, wireless routers, IoT devices, and security systems can be provided with reliable power for keeping them running for hours.

Budget-Friendly APC UPS System for Home/Home Office:

If you are looking for a budget-friendly and low-capacity UPS solution, APC offers an excellent option in this regard.

APC Back-UPS 425VA:

With 6 outlets (4 battery-powered and 2 surge-protected), 425VA/225W capacity, and simulated output waveform, APC Back-UPS 425VA provides a cost-effective solution to tackle the problems of power outage and fluctuations. If you want to power a few smaller devices, go for this APC UPS system. There is also the option of an audible alarm for notification.

Best APC UPS System for Businesses:

Businesses require premium protection against outages and voltage fluctuations. Line-Interactive and Double Conversion technologies can only provide them with reliable backups for safeguarding their sensitive data and IT infrastructure. The best APC UPS systems have been enlisted below:

APC Smart-UPS, 2200VA:

This UPS system has been designed for meeting requirement of businesses. It provides pure sine wave output which ensures optimum power for connected devices. The 2200VA or 1980W capacity is enough to power servers, point-of-sales, routers, switches, hubs, and other electronic devices. On top of that, it is smart UPS which can be configured/controlled remotely. This UPS system is Line-interactive which provides better power protection and smoothing out voltage fluctuations like spikes, surges, line noise, etc. This system is equipped with LCD, and Automatic Voltage Regulation and comes in Tower form factor. The downside of this UPS solution is that it is quite heavy and very expensive.

APC UPS Solution for Large Corporations:

If you want a UPS backup for large-scale corporations or engage in database management, hospitals, communication networks, or manufacturing facilities, you can ill-afford any disruption to the power supply. Under these circumstances, the optimum and reliable performance of UPS is of crucial significance. APC has come up with many options in its APC Symmetra UPS series to cater to the needs of large businesses. One UPS system deserves a special review.

APC Symmetra UPS LX:

With 16000VA/ 12800 W capacity/ rated power, and the double-conversion technology for securing perfect waveform output for connected devices and ports for every piece of equipment, APS Symmetra UPS has everything to need for protecting your critical IT infrastructure. But it is very expensive and it should be installed only for large networking or other requirements.

Some Facts about Morgan Ingland Ltd:

Morgan Ingland Ltd has long served its valued customers and supplied them with cost-effective IT hardware. We deal in a full portfolio of ICT hardware, and IT services including but not limited to all kinds of APS UPS like Standby, Line-Interactive, and Double Conversion. Additionally, our tech experts provide IT services including solution designs for helping you access the most suitable IT equipment customized to your needs and budget.