UPS ... UPS in the fight against blackouts

Each of us is familiar with the situation - at the most inopportune moment, the electricity is turned off. In the optimistic version, you just have to do without a hot lunch or spend an evening by candlelight. It is much worse if you worked at a computer and problems at the substation negated many hours of work.

How to protect yourself from power outages?

This method has long been. The line filter or stabilizer can protect against unexpected power surges, but they are useless if the light is turned off. Uninterruptible power supplies (UPS / UPS - in the English version) will not only provide uninterrupted power supply to your computer and peripheral equipment, but, often, they can replace the stabilizer.

First of all, determine for what purpose you need an uninterruptible power supply. About fifteen years ago, my first computer UPS from APC worked in a matter of minutes and cost, at that time, very impressive money (and even weighed more). Such options exist today, but now they are much easier and much cheaper. You can correctly shut down your computer by saving important information.

More serious and expensive UPSs can work for tens of minutes and even hours, if desired, allowing you to work on a computer in parallel, boil water, connect a soldering iron and solder a couple of torn off contacts at the headphones.

A separate class - uninterruptible power supplies, designed to work with serious equipment, which cost the owners hundreds of thousands or millions of rubles. To ensure the operation of a large server or boiler, complex solutions are used that can supply the equipment with electricity for a long time, filter voltage, current frequency and control other parameters.

Interactive UPS and Alternative Uses

If in an ordinary apartment an inexpensive model is enough, then in the office and, especially, a large IT company, more complicated options are required.

Some models (they are easy to find on the Internet) support connecting to a computer via LAN and / or other ports. For connection, the patch cord rj45 is used. Special software guarantees smart management. For example, via LAN, you can control the UPS settings remotely.

An additional option is the ability to insure LAN or telephone network against power surges. I can’t recall a single failure of the fax or ADSL modem due to a power surge in the telephone network, but judging by the experience of conversations with service center specialists, the problem is not far-fetched.

For those who have to work in severe weather conditions, special source options are provided. Specially designed models can work without breakdown in tropical heat and / or at temperatures below 40 degrees below zero.

In any case, choosing a UPS, soberly assess your needs and financial capabilities. The gamer who did not have time to save the game, his problem seems no less significant than the owner of the company - a long-term server failure.

The main thing to remember is that the cost of uninterruptible power supplies significantly depends on the battery capacity, the ability to connect additional power supplies and the availability of auxiliary functions. Thinking about buying a UPS, get a specialist consultation before purchasing.