What is a UPS System? (Uninterruptible Power Supply)

The Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) ensures that the power supply can operate at the same level continuously, regardless of power cuts and fluctuations in the mains supply. UPS systems, an indispensable requirement for medical scanners, IT data centers, stock exchanges, radar systems, workstations, and any organization where power supply continuity is critical, are responsible for preventing the major consequences of power outages.

UPSs provide stable and clean power supply by taking precautions against voltage drops, harmonics, frequency changes, voltage distortion, electrical noise, spikes and surges. When you do not use a UPS, even if any of these problems occur momentarily, you may encounter problems such as computer system malfunctions and data loss. APC By Schneider Electric, HPE and Eaton UPS systems are industry-leading brands.

What Are the Different Types of UPS Systems?

Uninterruptible power supply (UPS) technology, which plays an important role in protecting today's distributed IT infrastructure, has three basic types. Each type can be used together and separately to configure cost-effective power protection, especially in complex systems. These types of technology have different usage areas and their own advantages.

When choosing a UPS for your organization, you should consider the location, load size and criticality of the equipment to be protected. The three main types of USP system configurations are called online double conversion, line-interactive, and offline/standby/battery backup.

Online double conservation serves to double convert AC power, sensitive to voltage drops, interruption and spikes. In order to protect IT loads from data loss, it is necessary to provide a high level of security with online double conversion technology.

Line-Interactive

Line-interactive UPS systems provide both battery backup and power conditioning. If you experience frequent power surges and occasional power cuts, you should use line-interactive UPS systems that support a wide variety of input voltage fluctuations. This UPS technology provides much better control over power fluctuations compared to offline systems. The wider the input voltage range and the voltage boost circuit range, the more total protection power UPSs have.

Line-interactive UPS technology provides power conditioning with a power interruption of only 3 to 6 milliseconds during transition to backup battery. The technology, which balances high and low voltage by monitoring voltage level in real time, provides reasonable operating cost and reasonable protection for organizations.

Offline/Standby/Battery Backup

Offline UPS is the most cost-effective choice for those who want to use a UPS system. This UPS technology, which quickly switches to the battery to eliminate short-term interruptions and prevent power normalities, cannot provide great protection for surges and minor sags.

Good at reducing overvoltage and protecting against spikes and helping to prevent the vast majority of all interruptions, these systems activate the inverter that converts the DC power of the onboard battery to AC when an input power outage occurs. There is an average of 5 to 9 milliseconds of power outage when switching to the backup battery. It is suitable for offline UPSs, personal home computers, small offices and devices consuming less than 1500VA.

How Does UPS Work?

We know about the types of UPS systems. What are UPS systems and how they work, we can dive a little deeper. Unlike an emergency power system and backup generator, the uninterruptible power supply uses energy stored in batteries to provide near-instant protection against input power outages. Each of the UPS systems basically works with four main functional components, namely batteries, inverter, rectifier and static bypass switch.

The battery is the power source of the UPS. The Rectifier is used to convert the input mains power from AC to DC and charge the batteries while they are routed to the DC inverter.

The inverter converts the incoming DC power back to AC power for load use. A static bypass switch allows utility AC power to flow directly through the UPS to the load, bypassing the UPS components. This is important to ensure critical safety in the event of a UPS failure.

What Should Be Considered While Buying Uninterruptible Power Supply?

If you're considering purchasing a UPS, there are a few key points to consider.

Battery: The UPS's batteries are user-replaceable, eliminating the need to replace the entire UPS unit if one battery fails. Long-life Lithium-ion batteries are used for optimum cost savings.

Connections available: UPS systems for the home typically offer 5 to 8 outlets. These outlets can also be used for device protection and power supply backup.

Voltage measurement: The voltage ratings of UPSs can vary between 300 VA and 5000 kVA. Each UPS has a maximum load it can support. It is recommended that you determine how much total load you need and purchase a UPS with 25% more voltage.

Real-time performance monitoring: UPSs provide real-time performance notifications, allowing you to be instantly informed of any power supply-related activity.

Form: UPSs can come in rack-mounted and tower / freestanding formats. Rack-mounted UPSs are large and suitable for complex commercial organizations. Tower UPSs are suitable for smaller office and home installations.

Noise: Large, high-power UPSs often require a cooling fan. This means that the UPS is noisy.

 

Best UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) Of 2023

APC Back-UPS RS BR1500GI 1500VA Tower UPS

APC Back-UPS Pro is a mid-range UPS with many customization options. Configurable to your needs, it's 15 inches deep, 11.8 inches high, 4.4 inches wide and weighs 26.7 pounds.

Extremely long-lasting, the APC Back-UPS can replace batteries on-the-fly during increased run times. The system, which can easily eliminate problems by adapting the performance, also has efficient energy technology. The disadvantages of the UPS are that it has a slightly lower surge replacement scope and is heavier and larger in form compared to its competitors.

There are 10 outputs in the system, all of which are surge protected. The UPS, which does not cause power interruption when replacing a discharged battery with a full spare battery, has indicators such as remaining life and battery load on its LCD screen. The UPS also has an Energy Star certified green mode that reduces energy use.

To go to the product: APC Back-UPS RS BR1500GI 1500VA Tower UPS

 

APC Smart-UPS SMT2200C 2.2KVA Tower UPS

Many advanced features and high power of the APC Smart-UPS SMT2200C have made it attractive for workstations. Thanks to APC's SmartConnect technology, the cloud feature has been brought to UPS. This means you can login to UPS through a secure portal from any internet-connected device.

The device has 10 sockets, eight of which are powered and have surge protection. Automatic voltage regulator creates interactive topology on both lines. A clean pure sine wave form is used for the output. In this way, the device has become compatible with any computer hardware and peripherals.

The disadvantages of the APC Smart-UPS SMT2200C are that it is heavy and expensive.

To go to the product: APC Smart-UPS SMT2200C 2.2KVA Tower UPS

 

Tripp Lite SMART1500LCD 1500VA Line-Interactive UPS

The Tripp Lite SMART1500LCD is a handy UPS that can be mounted on either side of a rack and fits perfectly in a rack. This UPS, which you can start using quickly and easily with a quick and easy setup, has USB, LCD display, 900 watts of power, AVR and eight outputs. Especially those who prefer to use rack mount configuration may prefer this smart UPS.

 To go to the product: Tripp Lite SMART1500LCD 1500VA Line-Interactive UPS

 

Best UPS System for Home

CyberPower EC650LCD Ecologic UPS System

CyberPower EC650LCD Ecologic UPS uses simulated sine wave output to protect network devices, workstations and home entertainment equipment. Optimized to reduce energy costs, the UPS activates ECO mode when it detects that a connected computer is off or in sleep mode. This cuts power to computer peripherals, reducing power usage and conserving energy.

The UPS system has four surge-protected sockets and four ECO-controlled battery backups. Package includes a five-foot power cord with a NEMA 5-15P right-angle and 45-degree offset plug.

To go to the product: CyberPower EC650LCD Ecologic UPS System

 

Liebert PST5-660MT120 660VA General Purpose UPS

Liebert PST5 is a cost-effective UPS designed to protect your devices from sudden power outages. Overvoltage sockets protect your devices in case of sudden power cuts. The UPS, which can provide your computer with enough power to run for about 5 minutes, gives you the opportunity to save your important data.

One of the cheapest among home UPS systems, the Liebert PST5 is an ideal device for those who need functions such as battery backup and surge protection. Surveillance systems, gaming systems, desktop computers, wireless systems and other electronic devices are efficiently protected by this UPS. Four of the eight outlets are used for backup batteries and surge, while the other four are used only for surge voltage. This allows sensitive devices to be protected more effectively.

To go to the product: Liebert PST5-660MT120 660VA General Purpose UPS

 

CyberPower ST625U Standby UPS System

CyberPowe ST625U is one of the most compact UPS systems for home use. Easily placed anywhere on your desk, this UPS provides backup power for over an hour and a half during a power outage. The UPS with replaceable batteries also has a noise control mechanism.

The UPS system with 12 Volt batteries weighs only 5 pounds. Its dimensions are 3.2 x 9.8 x 5.8 inches.

To go to the product: CyberPower ST625U Standby UPS System