Home UPS recommendations

[SecondAttempt]

Inspired by the "bought a new UPS battery I didn't need thread" I'm looking for recommendations for home UPS's. I open to brands but like APC so that's my go to.

Our power outages are usually an hour or less but if longer stretch into days so I am only looking to ride through 1-2 hours. I have a home network and a lot of home automation going on. I'm mainly looking to back up the main network so we can keep using it running to use laptops and tablets until their batteries run out. But I have lots of stuff connected to high tech power strips with remote control/automatic response capability so I can manage load shedding, e.g. turn off security cameras and other things to extend UPS coverage.

My main requirement is that the UPS NOT have a fan that runs when on utility power. This is something they are very evasive about. In terms of capacity, my setup uses about a dozen high tech power strips so I would probably be looking at several smaller capacity UPS.

TLDR; what's the largest capacity APC UPS that does not have a fan that runs when not in UPS mode?

 

[msieweke]

I've been using APC UPS's at home for 20 years, all in the 1500VA range. None of them have fans running when not in UPS mode. I think they're good quality, but 4 out of 5 have failed. From what I read online, the failure may be a capacitor in the battery voltage detection circuit (I think*). They declare the battery dead when it still has some charge left, so replacing batteries doesn't help. I have no experience with other brands.

(*Edit: It's more likely the fault is in line voltage detection.)

 

[Major Tom]

I've been using APC UPS's at home for 20 years, all in the 1500VA range. None of them have fans running when not in UPS mode. I think they're good quality, but 4 out of 5 have failed. From what I read online, the failure may be a capacitor in the battery voltage detection circuit (I think). They declare the battery dead when it still has some charge left, so replacing batteries doesn't help. I have no experience with other brands.

That's interesting. I have an APC UPS that developed what I thought was a dead battery. After 10 years, it seemed reasonable. After purchasing a new battery, it is still reported as discharged long before it should be. I will look into the capacitor issue you mention. Thanks for the tip!

 

[5Miler]

I have been running 4 CyberPower UPS's for over 10 years. I did have a couple of smaller APC's but they didn't last too long and when the batteries failed, I discovered they were not user replaceable. My mistake not checking that when I bought them.

None of mine have fans running. I bought the CyberPower as they were readily available at local stores and much less expensive than APC as they often were on sale.

 

[njhowie]

I've become very partial towards Tripp Lite over the years. They were acquired a couple years ago by Eaton, complementing their own high-end UPS systems.

The most recent model I purchased was this one:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VHFN53M

Here is the full spec sheet:
https://assets.tripplite.com/product-pdfs/en/bc600tu.pdf

I purchased two of them three years ago to replace an older SMART1050 unit.

I just went down to the basement to confirm, and this unit does not appear to have any fan. Larger units, like the 1500 will need a fan. I have one of those in my computer room, and though the fan is always running, it is very low speed and makes no noise.

In general I prefer purchasing multiple smaller units rather than larger ones.

 

[GrayHare]

In my experience, advertised UPS run times are overestimated by about 50%. So, an advertised 60-minute run time in reality is more like 40 minutes. As a WAG, what you describe is going to require more than one UPS.

 

[Jerry1]

I'm mainly looking to back up the main network so we can keep using it running to use laptops and tablets until their batteries run out.

When my power goes out, so does my internet. I have a whole house generator, so I have power, but the cable company’s nodes needs power and without power, no internet. When the outage is really long, like a day or more, they will bring a small generator to the node (which is on a pole on my property) and get the internet up again.

The other thing that happens is most of the things I control by wifi don’t work without internet. Things like my ring camera and my Sensi thermostat will connect to my network but since there’s no internet, I can’t control them - even though my phone or iPad are on the same network connection.

So, would having power at the house actually give you what you want?

 

[GrayHare]

FWIW, the fan on an APC Back UPS Pro 1500 does not run while in normal mode. I do not know if that's the largest-capacity unit available without a constantly-running fan.

 

[ncbill]

Inspired by the "bought a new UPS battery I didn't need thread" I'm looking for recommendations for home UPS's. I open to brands but like APC so that's my go to.

Our power outages are usually an hour or less but if longer stretch into days so I am only looking to ride through 1-2 hours. I have a home network and a lot of home automation going on. I'm mainly looking to back up the main network so we can keep using it running to use laptops and tablets until their batteries run out. But I have lots of stuff connected to high tech power strips with remote control/automatic response capability so I can manage load shedding, e.g. turn off security cameras and other things to extend UPS coverage.

My main requirement is that the UPS NOT have a fan that runs when on utility power. This is something they are very evasive about. In terms of capacity, my setup uses about a dozen high tech power strips so I would probably be looking at several smaller capacity UPS.

TLDR; what's the largest capacity APC UPS that does not have a fan that runs when not in UPS mode?

Skip the "several" UPS units & buy one of the newer (LFP battery) power stations from Anker, Eco-flow, etc.

Maybe connect it to a sub-panel with your critical circuits.

I just took a flyer on this cheaper (paid ~$650 w/ promo code) generic unit which will replace 2-3 of my traditional UPS units w/ short-lived, lead-acid batteries:

Yolaness SAPY 1600: The Hidden Gem of Affordable Power Stations!

 

[easysurfer]

In my experience, advertised UPS run times are overestimated by about 50%. So, an advertised 60-minute run time in reality is more like 40 minutes. As a WAG, what you describe is going to require more than one UPS.

I use a UPS backup no really for the run time should power go out, instead so the system does a safe shutdown before power is gone to prevent any data corruption.

Reminds me, I need to switch the battery of my UPS . Still haven't gotten around to that.

 

[Spock]

Ford 150 Lightning. Cheaper than a Tesla Powerwall.

 

[GrayHare]

For run time calculations on small loads, don't forget to include the operation of the UPS itself. I have one UPS that offers 200 watt hours, which in theory means it should power the attached 10 watt load for 20 hours. Except the UPS itself consumes about 15 watts, boosting the total draw to about 25 wats, so the unit runs out of juice after about 8 hours instead of 20.

 

[SecondAttempt]

When my power goes out, so does my internet. I have a whole house generator, so I have power, but the cable company’s nodes needs power and without power, no internet. When the outage is really long, like a day or more, they will bring a small generator to the node (which is on a pole on my property) and get the internet up again.

The other thing that happens is most of the things I control by wifi don’t work without internet. Things like my ring camera and my Sensi thermostat will connect to my network but since there’s no internet, I can’t control them - even though my phone or iPad are on the same network connection.

So, would having power at the house actually give you what you want?

It won't be perfect but hopefully better than nothing. Around here the cable lines are on the same poles as power and the major cause of failures is drunks hitting the poles so UPSs may be no help. But I'm looking into switching my internet to cell service. When the power does go out I often used my phone hotspot now and hardly notice any difference. But I don't run my whole network, just phone and laptop.

As mentioned in another post a while back, getting a whole home generator is also under consideration.

 

[jollystomper]

I have a variety of APC UPS models (550, 700, 1300, 1500 types) for my computer and electronics components. I have never had any issues with them and they have protected my equipment.

The two larger ones (1300 and 1500) each have at least tower computers, a network switch, monitor, and NAS units. A router and a couple of other devices are attached to one or the other. When power is out I have 15-20 mins on the 1300 and 30 mins on the 1500 to bring things down. I can also (have not yet) implement software than can monitor the UPS state and, if on battery for a certain time, gracefully shut itself down.

Using them to keep internet going is tough, if we lose power the internet connection is down. The router will still be up for 15-20 minutes but with no internet access. The main purpose of our UPs devices is to prevent the surges and give me time to gracefully shutdown any devices that are running.

 

[msieweke]

My 5th APC UPS (>10 years old) failed in March. I upgraded to an Anker Solix C1000 to replace it. The fan on the C1000 is very quiet, similar to a PC fan. I've heard it run while charging and on power when the room was above 76F. It took a while to realize the fan was running at all.

In general I like the C1000. It should provide around 7x the run time of the APC. But I ran into an interesting issue: When you do a software upgrade (via WiFi), it cuts power to all outlets. This sort of makes sense with a smart unit like this, but I had the fiber access point/WiFi router on it. Upgradus interruptus. I had to move the router to another outlet, wait for it to boot, upgrade the C1000, and move the router back. And it also took down my computer for the duration.

 

[mountainsoft]

I'm curious about the switchover time on that Anker C1000. Everything I've read says UPS switchover times should be 0-15ms for a typical ATX power supply. Anker shows the C1000 switchover around 20ms. Have you noticed any issues? I wonder how you would even test that without risking data loss?

 

[msieweke]

I suppose it depends on what you have hooked up. I get a lot of power glitches, and I'm always surprised how many electronic devices (not on UPS) survive without problems. A full cycle at 60 hz is 17ms, so 20ms is barely over 1 cycle. A power supply would have to be pushed to its limit to not survive 20ms.

I've lost power a few times and none of my equipment (Mac, PC, monitor, router, phone) has crashed. The DVI connection from Mac to monitor was lost, so I had to reseat the cable each time. Otherwise, I haven't seen any problems.

 

[mountainsoft]

I suppose it depends on what you have hooked up. I get a lot of power glitches, and I'm always surprised how many electronic devices (not on UPS) survive without problems. A full cycle at 60 hz is 17ms, so 20ms is barely over 1 cycle. A power supply would have to be pushed to its limit to not survive 20ms.

I've lost power a few times and none of my equipment (Mac, PC, monitor, router, phone) has crashed. The DVI connection from Mac to monitor was lost, so I had to reseat the cable each time. Otherwise, I haven't seen any problems.

Assuming the Mac and monitor were both on the UPS, it sounds like there was enough of a glitch to mess up the video connection. That would be enough to make me worry about other glitches in the system that may corrupt data. For instance, what if you were transferring data to an external drive or a NAS on the same UPS. A corrupted video connection is a minor problem. A corrupted data transfer could be more significant.

Interesting thought on 17ms being a full cycle at 60hz. I guess I never really thought about that.

Having said the above, I'm honestly surprised any modern device would be affected by even a few cycle switchover. I would think the capacitors in the power supply would smooth out any momentary fluctuations like that. But, I'm no power supply expert and maybe switching supplies are more sensitive. I do know I went years without a UPS and nothing horrible happened if the power blipped off for a second. At least nothing I was aware of.

I've also wondered if you could daisy chain a small UPS to a power bank like the C1000. It seems the UPS would minimize any switchover problems, while the power bank would provide the longer run time. I have no idea, just curiosity...