do you have a UPS?

[nageov3t]

if so, what's plugged into it?

I actually don't worry about my computer too much, since it's rare for me to be on my desktop doing anything other than playing video games or surfing the net... I did just buy a UPS, though.

planning on hooking it up to my DVR and NAS array, both of which are in my living room. not that either are super important, but I live in an old house and all the outlets in my living room are wired up to be turned off/on via the light switch.

I know well enough myself not to hit the switch, but it seems like at least once/month, one of my friends or a contractor or someone accidentally hits the switch. I'm thinking that all that crashing can't be good for the spinning disks.

thinking about buying a second one too just to use for charging my cellphone in an emergency (ie: if we have another Sandy and power goes out for a week), but I'm still debating with my paranoia.

 

[lxskllr]

I don't have one, but really need to get one. Electronics don't like having their power yanked, and they also make a good buffer for power fluctuations. My computer's on 24 hours a day, and power around here has gotten unstable over the last 10 years or so.

 

[nace186]

I used to have one for my desktop a decade ago, then it just stop working. Never bother to get another one. The way I figure is that I upgrade my computer anyway every few years, and couple crashes is not going to do much damage to it.

 

[EagleKeeper]

Unless you are going to sit in the house with no power after the storm; a simple cig lighter outlet will work great to keep your cell phone charged.

You might be best to put your computer stuff on a separate circuit to protect it from the light switch syndrome.

We have a UPS at home that supports the primary computer, router and cable interface.
Makes a great foot rest

 

[Pr0d1gy]

Nah. Same as nace, had one awhile back then just never bothered to get another. I only needed it a couple of times and seemed pretty redundant.

Makes a great foot rest

They can be pretty rough on the heels during long sessions, though.

 

[nageov3t]

Unless you are going to sit in the house with no power after the storm; a simple cig lighter outlet will work great to keep your cell phone charged.

that's what I ended up doing during Sandy (popped into my car for a bit to charge my phone, get some heat, and listen to the radio to find out wtf was going on in the world), but that was pure luck that I happened to have a full tank of gas prior to the storm since I typically only fill-up once/month.

 

[highland145]

Primary machine at the office. Not interested in a power failure and data loss. Hard to justify otherwise. Having to reboot a secondary machine and log back into ATOT is irritating but not usually critical.

 

[sdifox]

I have 3... projector goes on it, so do computers and routers.

 

[olds]

HTPC/Gaming rig, 50" plasma TV (my monitor), modem, wireless router, clock.

 

[Nintendesert]

I have 3. My computer, router and cable modem are on one. I have an extra that I used for the basement lamp, so that's nice when the power goes out to still be able to get light down there. My third one is used for the projector and assorted media equipment.

 

[rh71]

uncle gave me one free that has a bad battery in it. Think it's still under warranty but don't know if a new battery is figured into it...? Anyway, just not all that exciting to deal with so I've left it alone.

 

[Vdubchaos]

No

UPS are a waste and in general are there to give you time to save your work and shutdown.

They are NOT a power source like people think.

They also have a very high rate of failure and are very expensive.

When there is a need, use your car for charging.

 

[Murloc]

never had one and never had a computer break on me because of this.

 

[Mixolydian]

I have 3. One for my networking gear, one for my main computer setup, and one for my music equipment.

 

[MontyAC]

No need here for a UPS.

 

[Riverhound777]

I have two. One for my main computer that I use for work, and another for entertainment center. The computer is more important, but I have my router over by the TV, so may as well have one there too. I got them because the power would very briefly go off in my old apt all the time and it was really annoying having to turn everything back on.

 

[JM Aggie08]

Mine is ~6 years old, which I bought when Circuit City was liquidating.

I've got a lamp, modem/router, NAS, TV, and Bluray hooked up to it. Sadly, I realized it no longer holds a charge after our power went out for a few hours this past weekend

 

[EagleKeeper]

Mine is ~6 years old, which I bought when Circuit City was liquidating.

I've got a lamp, modem/router, NAS, TV, and Bluray hooked up to it. Sadly, I realized it no longer holds a charge after our power went out for a few hours this past weekend

uncle gave me one free that has a bad battery in it. Think it's still under warranty but don't know if a new battery is figured into it...? Anyway, just not all that exciting to deal with so I've left it alone.

Depending on manufacturer, you can get a replacement battery.

Is it cost effective to replace it? You need to decide.

 

[nageov3t]

UPS are a waste and in general are there to give you time to save your work and shutdown.

idk, I think it would do the job I'm looking to have it do (save the hard drives on my NAS when power gets cut unexpectedly, and give me a few extra charges on my cellphone without having to burn gas in my car)

 

[EagleKeeper]

idk, I think it would do the job I'm looking to have it do (save the hard drives on my NAS when power gets cut unexpectedly, and give me a few extra charges on my cellphone without having to burn gas in my car)

You can charge the cell phone without having to burn fuel.

The amount of discharge is nothing compared to starting the vehicle.

 

[halik]

Don't own any real desktops, laptops have them built in.

I suppose I should have some for the mac mini/NAS, but I can't even remember last time we lost power (chicago)

 

[Exterous]

I have one for my projector but thats it

I used to have one for my desktop a decade ago, then it just stop working. Never bother to get another one. The way I figure is that I upgrade my computer anyway every few years, and couple crashes is not going to do much damage to it.

More recent but my thought process was along the same lines. We don't lose power that often and I constantly change out parts and my data is backed up so I didn't replace the battery when it needed it. Now it just sits in my closet.

 

[sixone]

I have one at home, one at work.

At home, my router and modem are plugged in, so that I have a way to watch radar during storms, which is when most of my power outages happen. I haven't been able to run down the battery in it yet.

 

[child of wonder]

Have 1 in my server room but it doesn't have enough power or ports for my 3 VMware hosts, 2 switches, and SAN so I ordered a second UPS.

Also have a wimpy one connected to my home theater.

 

[v-600]

I've got a full on power inverter hooked to the mains in my house. It powers every room except the kitchen as the fridge would overload it and I can't be bothered with the hassle of unplugging the fridge when it kicks in. The inverter has a UPS capacitor and is hooked to a 150Ah (c-20) 12volt battery.