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The more you have plugged into the battery backup side, the shorter run time you will get when the power goes out. Surge protection only on one side, battery backup + surge on the other side. There are 2 types of plugs on a battery backup UPC. Should I plug everything into the battery backup? Get a high quality surge protector which also includes phone line protection as well as the main power. So do not underestimate phone line protection, it is most important. In fact nearly 90% of the time the damage from a strike travels through the phone line NOT the main electrical path. Phone lines although to a much lesser degree, also carry electrical current. Most people do not think about the phone line assuming the electrical current always comes through the main power circuit, not true. And since you phone line is connected to modem in your computer, you have just given that lightning the ground that it is looking for, at the expense of your computer. What about my phone line?Ĭontrary to popular belief the majority of damages finds its ground through the path of least resistance…your phone or internet line (CAT 5/6) usually since that is the thinnest wire. Spend $40-$80 on a good quality battery backup and you will be glad you did. APC by far is the most popular and probably the best choice hands down. Stick with the name brands when it comes to battery backups. If you have six plugs probably only two or three will provide an uninterruptible power source, the other three only act as a surge protector ONLY. It has probably saved you hundreds or thousands of dollars in potential damage.Īlso note that on the battery backup up, not all of the plugs are backup up with the battery. Again, that is exactly what these devices are designed to do so don’t get upset when they seem to stop working.
BATTERY BACKUP SURGE PROTECTOR FULL
Most manufactures have a lifetime warranty on them so if you take the time to fill out their paper work, you could mail the old one to them for a full replacement at not charge! This is in addition to replacing your damaged equipment if that is the case.īattery backups will hold up quite a bit longer but will also fail or drain the battery after so many power hits. Your surge protector did its job, it protected your equipment. So if you come in to your office one morning after a night of lightning and the computer that was plugged into a surge protector will not power on, count your blessings. IMPORTANT! Surge protectors are designed to sacrifice themselves to save the equipment that it is protecting. In the case of a television or other equipment it will give you enough time to turn it off. Continuous off and on surges to your computer is very damaging.
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If you think that it may go out again, shut your computer down and wait for it to pass. You have to make a judgment call at that point depending on how bad the storm is. Sometimes the power only goes out for a few minutes and pops right back on. Stop, save whatever you have open, and shut the computer down. Remember, it is only temporary so do not keep on working…it will only last for a few minutes. A battery backup allows you just enough time to close all programs, save your work and shut down properly. The length of time depends on the type of UPS. Both will provide surge protection but a battery backup (also called an uninterruptible power supply or UPS) has a battery inside which will keep your computer running for 7, 10, 15 minutes etc. What is the difference between a battery backup and a surge protector? With a high quality battery backup or surge protector, you can protect your valuable equipment at very little cost. The unfortunate part is that it usually finds that ground in your unprotected computer, television, stereo, or other equipment. Simply put, lightning is an electrical circuit seeking a ground. Thanks Amazon.Battery Backups vs Surge Protectors What happens when lightning hits? I connected my cable modem, internet modem and the cable box so I don't lose internet every time this happens.
BATTERY BACKUP SURGE PROTECTOR INSTALL
Promising review: I install it as soon as it came, I live in Florida and every hurricane season we have some heavy rain with wind that cause power flickers and even full outages. At this load, it will last about an hour which is more than enough to do a graceful shutdown of the sever and network equipment." My setup draws a 10% load as reported by the UPS's software. There are six protected outlets for gadgets and six surge-protected outlets for tech that requires a constant power supply. This UPS offers 12 outlets so you can charge your laptop while your spouse charges their phone and the kids charge their tablets.
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