UPS Information

[dsorrent]

All,
I had some questions in regards to purchasing a UPS.

- I understand that it can buy you 15-30 minutes of power in the event of a power outage so you have time to shutdown, however, what happens if you're not there to shutdown? Are there UPS's which can notify the computer of an impending power outage and init a shutdown sequence? Do they work with Windows & Linux systems?

- Can anyone recommend a good "buyers guide" to UPS's? There doesn't seem to be much out there that gives you a "what to look for", etc for them.

- Lastly, are there any UPS brands that are preferred and any to avoid when looking at them?

Thanks!

 

[wallrunnerm15]

i have the 700va office edition or something like that from belkin. i absolutely love it. i forgot to turn off my comp once before an impending hurricane and my comp lasted until morning in hibernation on the battery. the other company that makes good ups is APC. as far as a buyers guide, just figure out your power requirements and look at the belink website. it used to have a "selector" of sorts to guide you to the right power level for your system.

 

[HDTVMan]

Most come with a USB cable that runs from the UPS to the Computer. It sends a signal to the PC telling it to shut down. You specify how long/power remaining it should run in windows before shutting down.

Your choice to hook up your monitor or not. Monitors are a huge drain. LCD panels are not.

 

[Zepper]

Most consumer UPSes come with software that monitors the UPS either via a serial or USB cable and helps your OS shut down cleanly in case the UPS runs out of gas before the power comes back. Most of the softwares also include a status panel that lets you check how your UPS is doing at any time.

.bh.

 

[dsorrent]

Great! Thanks for the info!

 

[EULA]

building your own ups is still the way to go, however!