Five great UPSs for your home or office workspace

The inexpensive Eaton 5E 850I USB DIN uninterruptible power supply with an effective output power of 480 W is designed to serve one or two workstations. It is a fairly compact (148x100x288 mm) device with a modest, not particularly eye-catching design that would be appropriate in any apartment or office. Inside the UPS there is a sealed battery with a capacity of 9 Ah. The manufacturer claims that this is enough to provide up to 20 minutes of battery life for one typical home or office computer (this calculation is based on the assumption that the total power of the PC with a small monitor does not exceed 100 W). On the back surface of the case there are connectors for connecting electrical consumers: one regular socket (Schuko type) and two “computer” sockets (type C13/C14), intended for connecting PC system units. The USB port on the front panel is not intended for powering or charging any devices. It serves solely as a communication interface that allows you to control the operation of the UPS (using special software called Eaton UPS Companion, which can be downloaded from the manufacturer’s website).

As a representative of the interactive type UPS line, Eaton 5E 850I USB DIN not only functions as a backup power supply, but also serves as a stabilizer that smoothes out small voltage surges and sags. It can operate without switching to a battery at a network voltage of 170 V to 280 V. The device also provides noise filtering and can protect data lines (there are connectors for Internet cables on the rear panel). The design of the device provides the possibility of a “cold start” (turning on equipment connected to the UPS when there is no voltage in the network). This uninterruptible power supply does not have an active cooling system (due to its moderate power it simply does not need it), so there is practically no noise from a working UPS. The only drawback that can be noted is the fuse (most modern uninterruptible power supplies are equipped with more practical circuit breakers).

The APC Back-UPS 650VA BC650-RSX761, which belongs to the “household” line of APC devices, is a classic backup UPS. It is designed to serve as an "emergency" power source in the home or office. With an effective output power of 360 W, this device can serve one or two workstations consisting of a computer with a monitor. One battery with a capacity of 7.2 Ah is used as an energy storage device. According to the manufacturer's calculations, at a load of 50% of the rated power, the battery charge is enough for 12 minutes of uninterruptible power supply operation. That is, the user has ample time to complete work and save open documents.

This UPS has a fairly strict design. The body is made of high quality plastic. Its side surfaces are covered with “gills” of ventilation grilles, which are necessary for high-quality cooling of the insides of the device. All connectors are located on the back of the case. There are four sockets(Schuko type). They have battery support, as well as protection against short circuits, overloads and voltage surges (the manufacturer claims that this UPS protects connected equipment from impulses with energy up to 273 J). It is also necessary to note the possibility of a “cold start” - a function that allows you to turn on, for example, a computer even in the complete absence of electricity in the network. The last (but not least) argument in favor of this UPS is the excellent reputation of APC, the world's largest manufacturer of uninterruptible power supplies.

Being an interactive uninterruptible power supply, Logicpower LPM-1100VA-P combines the functions of a backup power supply and a household stabilizer. It can operate without switching to batteries, even if the mains voltage differs significantly from the standard 230 V (according to the passport data, the device functions normally with an input voltage of 145 - 290 V). The effective output power of the device is 770 W. That is, it can “pull” a couple of office computers or one powerful gaming computer with peripherals. Two batteries with a capacity of 7.5 Ah each are hidden inside the UPS case. The manufacturer declares that with fully charged batteries and full load, UPS provides up to 10 minutes of battery life - quite enough for a home or office.

On the front panel of the UPS there is a power button and color LEDs that serve to indicate different operating modes of the device. There are 4 sockets on the back surface of the case. All 4 connectors have battery support and a “cold start” function - the ability to turn on any device or charge a gadget even if the electricity in the network has already been lost. The set of protective systems is standard for Logicpower interactive UPSs. This device protects connected electricity consumers from short circuits, provides noise filtering and has a fuse that automatically turns off the UPS when the permissible load is exceeded.

The line-interactive uninterruptible power supply Powercom RPT-1025AP Schuko has an effective output power of 615 W. That is, it is designed to serve one or two jobs. Inside it are two batteries with a capacity of 7 Ah. The manufacturer claims that this is enough to ensure autonomous operation of a standard home or office PC (consisting of a system unit and a mid-diagonal monitor) for 7 to 10 minutes in the event of a power outage. In addition to working as a backup power source, the device functions as a voltage stabilizer. It automatically detects power surges and sags in the network and corrects them on the fly, providing connected equipment with high-quality current.

All connectors are located on the back of the UPS. There are 4 sockets into which you can connect electricity consumers (each of them is connected to a reserve and can be used for a “cold start”). Next to them there is a pair of RJ45 connectors (the uninterruptible power supply can protect a telephone or modem line from impulse noise) and a USB port. Through this port, from a computer on which the appropriate software is installed, you can control the operation of the uninterruptible power supply (for example, set a schedule for turning the device on and off) or monitor the main operating parameters (input and output voltage, load, battery charge, etc.).

Users note that the Powercom RPT-1025AP Schuko operates quietly even under full load. But at the same time, reviews of Powercom UPSs, including this model, contain widespread complaints about strong odors of plastic and varnish. Get ready for the fact that the new UPS will emit an unpleasant “Chinese” aroma for some time (from a couple of days to a couple of weeks) (although Powercom is, in fact, a Taiwanese company).

APC Back-UPS CS 650VA BK650EI is a “classic” backup UPS, the functions of which are to give you the opportunity to save documents and calmly, without haste, turn off your computer if the power goes out. For these purposes, the uninterruptible power supply has a battery pack “on board” in the form of one battery with a capacity of 9 Ah. According to the data specified in the operating instructions for this UPS, the device ensures autonomous operation of a typical office computer with a 21" monitor for 17 minutes. Despite the fact that the APC Back-UPS CS 650VA BK650EI is a backup-type uninterruptible power supply (that is, it does not have the function stabilizer), it copes well with voltage surges and sags. The manufacturer assures that this UPS can operate at a network voltage of 160 - 278 V and a current frequency of 47 - 63 Hz. But it should be noted that such deviations from the norm have a bad effect on the condition of the battery Therefore, if the electrical current parameters in your home or office do not meet the standard ones, then it is better to immediately buy an interactive UPS.

It is impossible to “plug” equipment with conventional plugs into this uninterruptible power supply. On its rear panel there are only “computer” sockets (connectors C13/C14) with a total of 4 pieces. Three of them have battery support (can be used for backup power supply to electricity consumers), and one, different in color, does not have such a function (it can include an additional monitor or other equipment that can be dispensed with during a power outage). All 4 connectors protect connected computers and monitors from short circuits and energy surges (impulse protection up to 310 J is claimed). The LAN connector is used as a control interface. This is very convenient for network administrators, since the UPS is connected like a regular network device and can be quickly accessed from anywhere in the internal office network. Therefore, uninterruptible power supplies such as the APC Back-UPS CS 650VA BK650EI are especially suitable for ensuring autonomous operation of computers in large offices and institutions with dozens of UPSs scattered across different rooms and offices.