UPS Battery Backup Buying Guide
Your sensitive electronic equipment, especially your computer and the valuable data in it could be rendered useless due to unexpected power surges, spikes and brownouts. This is the reason why it’s wise to have a UPS or Uninterruptible Power Supply that has been specifically designed to firewall you against such kind of power disturbances and more importantly, power up your PC even when there is no electricity. Here is some information on UPS that will help you in making an informed UPS purchasing decision.
Compare the different types of UPS system
(i) Online Double Conversion UPS
Online UPS gives complete protection with constant connection to the main supply without any delay during the transfer. The rectifiers, batteries and inverters are constantly cycling and if the main power supply fails, then the batteries can feed the load via the inverter without any interruption to the output supply. An online UPS system ensures a greater degree of isolation of the load from any irregularities in the mains supply. However, the drawback of an online UPS is that it will increase the wear and tear and is less economical as it is constantly charging and discharging the batteries. However, the additional protection and instant transfer make this UPS the best choice for the sensitive equipment like servers and large-scale industrial machineries where disrupted power can be dangerous.
(ii) Standby Power Supply or Off-line UPS
An offline UPS is an economical option as the charger and inverter are not continuously in use which means less wear and tear. The power usage is also minimum that reduces the amount of energy you require. As this UPS tends to have a low maximum wattage they are perfect for smaller scale industries and personal use. If you need protection for your home desktop computer for instance, this UPS will help avoid any potential perils and the majority will be of the simple, plug in the wall variety. The drawback of an off-line UPS is its long activation time. The switch from mains to battery power is fast but with very sensitive equipment, even a fraction of second could be too long, leading to severe damage. Therefore, in case of more delicate items like a server, an standby UPS is not suitable.
(iii) Line Interactive UPS
A line interactive UPS boasts a few improvements over an offline UPS with some elements of an online UPS to reduce the transfer time. A line interactive UPS has an automatic voltage regulator in order to protect against any small scale fluctuations. The constant flow of power makes sure that the transfer time is greatly reduced and the higher wattage makes the Line Interactive UPS a good option for versatile use, both in professional work space and at home. The drawback is that it is not much economical and offers less protection against unexpected surges and power spikes as compared to an online version. A line interactive UPS is a good step-up from the offline UPS unit but for maximum protection, you must choose an online UPS unit.
How to choose the right UPS for your home or office needs!
It is essential to know the important factors that you must check before buying the best UPS for your PC in India. Here are the essential considerations that you’ll need to bear in mind:
Outlets:
A UPS system has few outlets for devices which need power backup. Hence, when picking a UPS, one must determine the exact number of devices you would require to be plugged into the UPS.
Power requirements:
After you have tackled the outlet issue, the next thing that has to be considered is the power volume that the connected devices to UPS will consume.
Duration of operation:
The period of operation or usage of the UPS system has to be made sure. Many buyers buy a UPS in order to have a few minutes in which they can save their work on the computer and then shut it down in a proper way whereas some want their UPS system to back their PC so that they can continue working, which may last nearly an hour.
Features:
Most of the UPS units have features like battery disconnecting notification, USB connection and a software suit which could be easily controlled by PC to fine tune the settings. The professional UPS unit renders more features such as an LED panel which shows off the runtime, remaining charge on the battery and batteries that are hot-swappable.
Commercial or domestic:
There are many UPS units only meant for commercial usage. These are solely used for backing-up the PCs at offices where power outage is intolerable. Such UPS models are usually built to take on the demanding challenges. These are expensive but extremely dependable systems.
Warranty:
Usually, the warranty of a UPS system lasts till the life of its internal battery and the warranty period is around 2 to 3 years.
Availability Features of an Uninterruptible Power Supply System
You may utilise a variety of deployment options to increase the reliability of the power protection solution. Some of the most effective ones are stated as below :
Redundant deployment architectures:
Deploying UPS systems in redundant groups can increase the availability by ensuring that the critical loads are protected even if any one or more UPS systems fail. There are three kinds of redundant UPS architecture :
- Zone: In zone architecture, one or more UPS units provide dedicated support to a specific set of data centre resource. In case, the UPS fails during a power outage, the impact will be limited to only the particular zone that is supported by the device.
- Serial: In serial architecture, multiple UPS systems are connected in such a way that if any one UPS in the string fails, the others UPS systems can compensate automatically.
- Parallel: Parallel architecture uses multiple independent parallel-connected UPS systems to achieve enhanced redundancy. If any UPS system fails, the other systems can keep the equipment loads operational.
Hot-swappable components:
Technicians can repair a UPS that uses hot-swappable components without powering the UPS system down, thereby ensuring decreased risk of downtime.
Extending battery runtime:
A UPS battery usually provides 5 to 15 minutes of backup power. Organisations which require more than that may use supplemental external battery modules.
Battery management:
One of the most imperative parts of the UPS system is its energy storage system, which is the battery. Many systems continually “trickle-charge” their battery, which can degrade battery’s internal chemical composition, reducing its service life. The batteries used in today’s UPS systems have lower kVA where the charger turns off and “rests” the battery.
Remote monitoring:
The best way to address any UPS problems is to prevent them from happening. Remote UPS monitoring solutions can continually watch for warning signs of any future trouble, like deteriorating performance or overheating battery and give real-time notification in case of any potential issues.
Benefits of using an UPS
Continuity: No outages to critical equipment such as computers, servers, factory production lines, etc.
Consistency: Eliminates any glitches or surges, allowing time to safely shut down the main systems if and when required.
Protection: Safeguards against all oddities of electricity like surges, spikes, dips as well as sudden failures because the UPS system essentially senses these things and switches to an alternate power before the anomalies can cause any damage to the sensitive equipment.
Filter: A line-interactive UPS can act as a kind of filter by refining the main power as it comes into the UPS then adjusting its output. Therefore, the internal systems receive a consistent and clean power supply free of any abnormalities.
Best Uninterruptible Power Supply Brands
Luminous, Su-Kam, Numeric, Moser Baer, Amara Raja, APC, Intex, Uniline, HP, Microtek, Powersafe, iBall, Umax, Wep, Tech-com, VGuard
Top 5 Uninterruptible Power Supply Brands in India
1. APC BX600C-IN 600VA, 230V Back-UPS APC BX600C-IN 600VA, 230V Back-UPS weighs 4.7 kg and has 218 x 107 x 237 mm dimension. The voltage regulation of this UPS system is automatic, which efficiently levels the flow of electricity for the sensitive equipment in accordance to the sudden changes in power supply. It boasts a battery saver feature which adds to the life of the battery up to two times. It shuts down the UPS before getting completely drained. The battery charging indicator enables you to know the amount of charge. The audible alarm gives immediate notification whenever there is any change in the conditions of UPS power. The nominal input voltage is 230 V, having a range of 145 – 290 V for primary operations, while 47.63 Hz is its input frequency. The model has been designed for both home offices as well as big workspaces.
2. Intex 1000VA GAMMA UPS This UPS is quite efficient with a superb battery back-up. Its dimension is 45 x 25.4 x 19.8 cm, and it weighs 8.67 kg. This system needs a 1000VA/500W input, while the input range is 140 – 300 VAC and frequency range is 50Hz. It has a battery of 12 V/7 Ah x 1 which is highly efficient. It renders a backup of up to 50 min which is perfect for one PC load. The power wattage of the UPS is 360 W while its output voltage is 230V. The transfer time is nearly 4 min. This model is suitable for home users. It is light weight, conveniently convertible and does not create more than 40 dB of noise. This model is extremely easy to use and has a 1 year warranty.
3. iBall Nirantar UPS-621V 600VA UPS This iBall Nirantar UPS is compatible with DVR systems, CCTV cameras and PC. It has 32.6 x 22.2 x 14.2 cm dimensions and weighs 4.44 Kg. It can efficiently back-up a PC having LED monitor of 18.5-inch for up to 40 minutes. It can back-up 1 x 4 CH DVR and 4 cameras for around 3 hours features an automatic voltage regulator. This UPS unit is microprocessor controlled and offers full protection against overload, overcharge as well as discharge. Its noise level is less than 40 dB, making it a super silent piece. Its versatile nature makes it stand out from the rest of the crowd and become dependable for different variety of hardware.
4. APC BR1500G-IN 865-watt Back UPS With 38.2 x 11.4 x 30.1 cm dimensions, and 11.8 kg weight, this UPS unit offers a protection for the gaming consoles, computers, wireless networks and many other electronics at office or home. This 865 Watts UPS has special Green mode feature for power saving which automatically cuts-off the electric supply to any equipment which is idle. Its battery management system is very efficient enough and gives advance warning in case of any fault. The alarms in the UPS system also notifies about the power conditions. The voltage sensitivity can be adjusted to protect the sensitive electronic devices along with maximizing the life of the battery. The Trim and Boost AVR function can fix the high and low voltage conditions, without using the battery of UPS. There is a notification for disconnected battery in this UPS if the battery’s backup fails. It also gives a notification for Building Wiring Fault, which can warn about any potential dangers that may be present in the wiring circuit of the house.
5. APC BX1100VA 230V Back UPS This UPS has a dimension 115.8 x 49.3 x 13 cm of and weighs 9.83 Kg. The ‘surge only’ outlets in the UPS system protect the secondary electronics from spikes and surges without any reduction in the battery power which is used for running the primary electronics during the time of power outage. Its LED display enables you to know all the relevant status of the UPS The alarm notification let you know about the change in utility power as well as power conditions of the UPS. The intelligent management feature of its battery maximizes performance, reliability and its life through precision as well as intelligent charging. The battery failure notification gives an early warning for the analysis of faults on the UPS batteries, allowing timely maintenance of the UPS. Its self-test feature is set on automatic mode and assesses the condition of the battery.
Best UPS Service and Maintenance
To increase the reliability of your UPS, repair service and maintenance is must. With professional UPS service, critical component degradation is identified and the required repairs or replacements are carried out before any fault occurs. UPS is maintained in the following way:
(i) Maintain records:
This is a kind of preventive maintenance and its objective is to minimize equipment operating problems and prevent any failures by making necessary repairs before the occurrence of major operating difficulties. The general condition of UPS needs to be evaluated periodically and records are maintained.
(ii) Scheduling of UPS maintenance :
Scheduling of UPS maintenance is normally based on the manufacturers’ recommendations. Since the UPS system is vital to the operation of critical loads, it is considered advisable to provide more inspections than the manufacturer’s recommendations.
(iii) Periodic system status check:
The continued monitoring of any electronic equipment can greatly prevent its failure. Daily observations are advised but make sure you do not provide less than weekly checks. Personnel involved in the status monitoring should be those who are most concerned with the equipment’s proper functioning.
(iv) Major and minor system inspections:
These inspections are performed annually, semi-annually or quarterly as recommended by the manufacturer. By performing this type of UPS maintenance on a scheduled basis, it is possible to find and resolve potential problems before the system’s operation is affected.
