Most of us have our computer equipment hooked up to at least a basic surge protector, but that doesn't protect against fluctuating voltages or power outages. The APC Battery Back-UPS Pro BX1500M protects against both these things and allows you to keep working when the power goes out. Check out our review!
An uninterrupted power supply (UPS) is essentially a battery that kicks in nearly instantaneously in the event of a power loss, allowing one to continue working or at least shut down safely, protecting components and preventing potential data loss. The battery can also be used to regulate line voltage fluctuations, providing more stable power. The APC Battery Back-UPS Pro BX1500M is a more advanced consumer model with a big enough battery to provide some work time and some very useful extra features, including an LCD status screen.
Specifications
- Output capacity: 1500 VA / 900 W
- Output on line power: 98-139 VAC, 60 Hz ± 1 Hz
- Output on battery: 115 VAC, 60 Hz ± 1 Hz
- Output connections: 5 battery backup and surge outlets, 5 surge-only outlets (all NEMA5-15R commercial grade)
- Cord length: 6 feet (1.8 m)
- Surge energy rating: 789 joules
- Data line surge protection: Network and coaxial
- Battery: Sealed lead-acid
- Runtime: 2.5 minutes (full load), 10.9 minutes (half load), 440 minutes (10 W load)
- Visual and audible alarms
- PowerChute management software for Windows (Mac has built-in management)
- Dimensions: 9.8 x 3.9 x 15.0" (25 x 10 x 38.2 cm)
- Weight 24.3 lbs (11 kg)
- Warranty: 3 years for unit, lifetime data recovery
Appearance and Setup
The device is very solid (helped by that heavy battery). It has a pleasing finish, with a sleek black look that makes it elegant and modern while remaining unobtrusive, as a power device should be. The front of the device has the LED screen, which is bright and easily readable, as well as three backlit buttons that control sounds, device power, and the menu. Pressing any of the buttons wakes the screen, allowing you to get a graphical representation of the device's load and battery capacity remaining, as well as exact figures on input power and voltage, output voltage and frequency, load in watts or percentage, number of power loss events, estimated runtime on battery power given current load, and more.
The front and back of the unit.
I found the LCD screen particularly helpful as I could see just how much power my devices use and how much runtime I could expect from the battery at a glance. I chose to connect my NEC PA271W Monitor, USB hub, My Book Duo external drive, and Mac Mini to the battery backup. This would allow me to keep working in the event of a power outage and would protect all my hard drives as well. This gave me an estimated runtime of about 55 minutes on battery power, more than enough to finish up most tasks and shut down the components.
Creating management preferences is easy with the built-in options in system preferences.
Setting up the device was very easy. Before connecting anything, you simply need to flip the battery over to connect it (it's shipped disconnected for safety reasons), plug in your devices, connect it to your computer via USB, and install the software if you're using Windows. On Mac, I simply went to Energy Saver in system preferences, where a "UPS" tab had newly appeared. From there, I could choose to show the battery percentage in the menu bar (it should always be 100 percent when on line power), but more importantly, I could set the shutdown behavior in the case of a power outage. I could choose to shut down the computer based on the time spent on battery power, remaining time, or remaining percentage. This is a crucial feature for me, as I'm not always at my computer when it's powered on (for example, I often leave it running overnight to back up offsite), so this ensures components will be shut down safely even if I'm not there to do so manually. Another small feature I appreciated is the flat, angled wall plug. This makes it easy to keep from blocking other outlets and keeps the plug very secure, even in older outlets that have a bit of play in them.
Performance and Customization
You can customize the UPS a bit, including how sensitive it is to fluctuations and thus how often the battery kicks in. You can also set the display to power saving mode, in which it will turn off after 60 seconds of inactivity. I turned this on simply because while the bright screen is nice to read, it can be distracting when I'm working and I don't need to see the stats constantly. You can also mute audible notifications of power loss events. You'll still receive a notification from your Mac or the PowerChute software.
In practice, the UPS worked flawlessly. To test it, I purposely tripped the breaker for my office. The UPS immediately kicked on and started sending audible warnings that it was now on battery power, while a visual warning popped up on my screen. Sure enough, I was able to work for about 45 minutes until the battery level got low enough that I decided to shut it down. Speaking of, the battery takes about 16 hours to recharge, but unless you're losing power on a daily basis, I doubt this will ever be an issue for you. Next, I moved the automatic shutdown threshold up and tripped the breaker again. When the device reached the designated battery time remaining, it duly shut down my computer, helping to protect all those spinning disks from suddenly losing power while they were in the midst of an operation.
What I Liked
- Easy setup
- Modern design
- LCD screen offers all information you could need
- Performs flawlessly
- Battery large enough to give some extra work time
- Generous warranty
What I Didn't Like
- Not much to say!
Conclusion and Purchase
A good UPS is a great way to protect your computer and hard drives from power outages and voltage fluctuations. Altogether, I think the APC Battery Back-UPS Pro BX1500M is both a capable and reliable option that can allow you to continue work unimpeded or automatically manage your computer to protect the components. It's currently available for $149 and can be purchased here.
How can I know if it fits my PC ? don't know how to figure out what I need for my PC....
If it's only for your computer and monitor this device will have ample wattage. If you're going to power more peripherals like routers and whatnot you may need more wattage capacity.
So for PC and monitor is enough ? My speakers can stay without UPS.... dont have router plugged in in my workspace
Unless you have a monster power supply in your computer and a huge monitor you be fine.
I have 650 W power supply and 25inch Dell monitor
You should be fine.
Do you know if it can also inform you when it's time to replace the batteries? Some units don't, and you can find out the hard way, as I have, when you have a power outage.
It does! It'll start beeping and flashing a battery replacement message.
Love these things. I started using my 27" iMac on photoshoots and clients are SO grateful to not have to stare at laptop screens. My version of this fits on the iMac's stand behind the screen and allows me to unplug the machine and move it from one spot to another without having to shut the computer down. A total win. The computer sits atop a short wheeled stand and a Tethertools aero table.
There are really two things a UPS needs to do: allow short outages to be handled, and to permit a controlled shutdown for longer ones. (There can be a third, but it applies only if you’re willing to set up a generator system and maintain an always-up setup.) Remember to have everything on the UPS that needs to be available to accomplish those goals; if you need full network capability (for a NAS, for example), then those must be on the UPS. APC has done a good job over the years of handling both these goals. Note for the nerdy: this is part of information security training, falling into the “availability” part of the triad and also touching the “integrity” part.