Why don't more homes have at least one UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply)? Would more people have one if they knew about it?

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 16:10:18 -0400

Are power strips and surge protectors sufficient enough for you?

Response by PO3 Amanda Crippes (Powell) made Jun 9 at 2015 4:14 PM

PO3 Amanda Crippes (Powell) — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 16:14:14 -0400

As an IT, an UPS would be nice in my home, but I personally don't feel I have anything that needs to be running or have no interuption during a storm since my cell phone can easily work for all my needs. A surge protector is more than sufficient for making sure the machines shut down without problems. Price vs usefulness still doesn't make it practical.

Response by SGT Curtis Earl made Jun 9 at 2015 4:18 PM

SGT Curtis Earl — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 16:18:34 -0400

I have a UPS hooked up to my entertainment center. My ISP modem, router and VOIP hardware all reside there. Even when the power goes out, as it seems to around here every time it rains, we can huddle in the dark and watch TV or cruise the net. I eventually intend to buy a gas generator and battery storage device in preparation for the Walking Dead Apocalypse.

I think most people don't understand the purpose of surge protectors and UPS devices. I've seen people run their DSL and Cable signals through their surge devices and then wonder why their internet speeds suck.

Response by SSG John Erny made Jun 9 at 2015 4:24 PM

SSG John Erny — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 16:24:46 -0400

I should have one, I guess when I get home the last thing I want to do is have to mess with another computer. It is custom build ASUS rig. I do have a power strip with that has a sure protector in it.

Response by CW4 Abdulaziz Bulling made Jun 9 at 2015 4:25 PM

CW4 Abdulaziz Bulling — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 16:25:52 -0400

I suppose that a whole house UPS would be a great idea in theory, but having set-up UPS as part of server farms. The UPS can be very large, heavy and could cost $$$ to replace the gel cells every 3 to 5 years.
Your continuity of operations plan for your house should be driven by requirements. In my house we use only laptops, or tablets.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 9 at 2015 4:30 PM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 16:30:19 -0400

An UPS for many average households is overkill and not worth the money to have one purchased.

Response by SSG Steven Borders made Jun 18 at 2015 11:33 AM

SSG Steven Borders — Thu, 18 Jun 2015 11:33:28 -0400

UPS are only as good as the battery that is in them. They need to be replaced every so often. I would only put an UPS on something that is critical as it is only a temporary power supply. It allows you to properly shut down your devise.

Most personal PC's will be fine if the power goes out. Windows will just do the blue screen of death and Mac's will just restart.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 13 at 2015 4:07 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 13 Nov 2015 16:07:22 -0500

Don't need one. I only have my laptop running, and play with servers on the cloud (Azure/AWS). If I had servers running, then a UPS would be beneficial.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 13 at 2015 6:06 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 13 Nov 2015 18:06:42 -0500

I have one because I have studio equipment that don't enjoy power outages.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 14 at 2015 8:00 PM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 14 Nov 2015 20:00:19 -0500

I installed maintained ups for years. I know how expensive they are, that the batteries must be replaced or the sytem would be useless. Not worth the pain for me. My dad has a small one so he has time to save his work.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 26 at 2015 10:55 AM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 26 Nov 2015 10:55:29 -0500

It depends what your running. Since I have a PLEX Server (Mac Mini) others utilize, I have an UPS. Other than that, it wouldn't really matter. It can be seen as more junk around the house. I could argue that it really hasn't done much for me. I just wanted to prevent HD loss issues.

Response by MAJ Eric G Troup made Jan 12 at 2017 12:57 PM

MAJ Eric G Troup — Thu, 12 Jan 2017 12:57:53 -0500

I have two. One supports the Router and Cable Modem in one location. Another supports the home alarm/home automation hub in another location.

This equipment is very sensitive to power blips and surges and can easily be knocked off line and not recover properly without protection. Protection from lighting strikes is added benefit.

Response by SGT Alan Dike made Jan 13 at 2017 1:56 PM

SGT Alan Dike — Fri, 13 Jan 2017 13:56:46 -0500

I have one, but not for my PC's.. I've never lost a PC to an outage, and I keep good backups.. The I have.. is to power my pellet stove when power is out lol.

Response by SPC William Weedman made Jan 13 at 2017 2:24 PM

SPC William Weedman — Fri, 13 Jan 2017 14:24:44 -0500

I've never considered purchasing one, although my wife and I are both in IT. All of our devices are wireless or laptops so loss of power would cause our internet connection to drop as well. We are blessed to live in an area where we have not experienced a power outage and our neighbors say the last power outage was when about 1/3 of the country lost power 2 years ago (I do not live in the US).

Response by Maj James Tippins made Jan 27 at 2017 9:38 AM

Maj James Tippins — Fri, 27 Jan 2017 09:38:00 -0500

I have many in the house. Losing power to the modem/router is unacceptable. I also have a large one on my TV. I originally bought that one for a DLP projector TV, which is very sensitive to power drops. Most smart TV's can get messed up if they lose power while updating software.

Response by SGM Erik Marquez made Feb 7 at 2017 9:53 AM

SGM Erik Marquez — Tue, 07 Feb 2017 09:53:38 -0500

Most don't understand the good they can do, safety they can provide.

I have 4 in my home, for all things I want on in a power interruption or after a lightening strike.
I also have a 8k generator available if needed, though we have very stable power.