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Reviews (2)
Apr 10, 2021
Effective Short-Term Power Backup
The 1000, 1350, and 1500 models are reasonably close in price, and according to the manufacturer's specs these models have the same physical dimensions. I therefore made the easy decision and just purchased the 1500 model.
I'm supporting a pretty low-draw home office configuration with this UPS backup unit. All devices are plugged directly into a 10-outlet power strip -- which also happens to be marketed by APC. The power strip is then plugged into the the backup unit.
My office configuration consists of: 1) an AT&T WiFi tower; 2) a desktop computer with free-standing monitor, printer, and speakers; 3) a laptop computer (with its own battery) connected to a docking station; and 4) two LED desk lamps.
My handheld amp/watt meter tells me that this configuration pulls 210 watts. The APC BR1500MS display (more about that below) tells me that it is pulling just 70 watts. But what matters is a real-world test. So after allowing the UPS unit to fully charge, I "pulled the plug" to simulate a power outage. With all devices drawing power as they normally would, it supported my configuration for over an hour, at which point I suspended the test. It took about 16 hours to bring the unit back to full charge, remarkably close to the manufacturer's specs.
The setup was easy - almost plug-and-play. The control display on the front of the unit is very helpful. It will show you the current power draw (% of unit capacity) and your battery charge level, and you can cycle through a number of other options including the wattage being drawn and an estimated "up" time in the event of a power failure. The projected "up" time seems like an overestimate, but not overly so.
To sum up, this unit seems to provide reasonable backup for short-term power outages, and at the very least should provide time to complete an orderly shutdown instead of just being cut off cold.
Since purchasing the UPS unit in early March 2021, my household (and apparently my surrouding neighborhood) experienced several back-to-back and momentary power disruptions, and the unit switched over to support all devices just fine.
Aug 25, 2019
Exactly What I Needed
Exactly what I needed. Not easy to find nowadays.