|
| |
| |
|
Protecting Your IT Investments |
|
|
Problem: |
|
You just bought a
brand new computer. It is top of the line, and you added all those
extra features you've always wanted and needed: a scanner, flat panel monitor, DVD
burner, a high-end graphics card, and a color laser printer. Suddenly,
someone hits a telephone pole, your power flickers on/off a couple times,
and then comes back on. But now your computer won't turn on! Not
to mention that you didn't save your document before the power outage!
Ok, now what? What could have
happened? You have your computer on a power strip with surge
protection!
Well, I'm sure
you are more than aware that power surges (or spikes) in electricity aren't
good for ANY electronics. Although you may have had a surge in
power during your power failure, your surge protector most likely took care
of protecting your equipment against that type of failure. The problem
is that surge protectors do not protect against loss of power, power
fluctuation, and what I like to call 'power pulse'.
Electronics can be
very touchy with power. Turning electronics on/off rapidly (pulse) can
be just as detrimental as a surge. The electricity coming from your
outlets in your home or office fluctuates, depending on what other devices
are running on the same circuits. Have you ever noticed a light
dimming as your refrigerator, furnace, or water heater kick on? This
is because those appliances are on the same circuit as the light fixture.
This fluctuation in power isn't good for electronics either. If a
computer is underpowered, your hardware can develop problems. |
|
Solution: |
|
A quick and cheap
solution to protecting your investment is to purchase an Uninterruptible
Power Supply (UPS). A UPS is actually a surge strip with a big battery
in it. Depending on the model of the UPS you purchase, it will have
about 3-8 outlets in it for electronic devices. If the power surges,
it protects your equipment just like a surge strip.
The bonus with
the UPS is that it also provides power for a limited time during a power
failure. If the power goes out, the battery automatically provides
power to the computer without interruption. This gives you enough time
to shut down your computer safely during long power outages. If the
outages are short, then there is no need to shut down your machine!
Just keep working.
A typical UPS
divides half of the outlets up into surge only ports, and the other half
into surge and battery backup. The surge only ports do no provide
power during power failures, while the battery outlets provide both surge
and backup power safety.
How long does the battery last? Good
question. Depending on the model of UPS you purchase, your battery can
provide enough power to run your computer and monitor for 3 to 75 minutes.
The range is dependent on the battery within the UPS. The batteries
are rated in VA, which is assigned a number of Watts. Although VA
isn't something you need to really know, you should know that the higher the
VA rating, the more battery life it will probably have. The watts
associated with the VA rating is more important. If your computer us
using 250Watts, and your monitor is using 240Watts, you can see that you
would need at least a 500VA UPS to maintain power to your system. This
is why I suggest a 500VA or 525VA UPS, and precisely why I suggest NOT
plugging in more than your monitor and computer tower to your battery backup
outlets!
Your standard
UPS's start at about 350VA, they provide about 200Watts of power, and last
for 5-7 minutes at half load. Almost ALL UPS's are rated at 'half
load'. So typically, if it advertises a 20min protection, you are most
likely looking at 10-12 minutes max, depending on your equipment. I
suggest buying no less than a 500VA UPS for your system. |
|
WARNING:
Do NOT plug more than your computer tower and your monitor into your battery
backup ports on your UPS. The main reason that UPS's are half battery
backup and half surge only is because the UPS can't maintain enough power to
run all of your electronics. If you have too many things plugged into
the battery backup outlets and the power goes out, the UPS will go into
safety mode and shut down ALL ports! If you have additional equipment
you want to safeguard, purchase a second UPS for the remaining equipment.
Just make sure that the power required is less than what the UPS can
provide. |
|
Printers: Before putting your printer on a UPS, ask yourself what type
of printer it is. If it is a bubblejet or inkjet printer, you are
probably ok. You will need to check the power requirements of the
printer and make sure the UPS can handle it. LASER printers do NOT
play well with UPS's. Laser printers heat up to apply the toner to the
paper. During this warm-up procedure, a laser printer draws a LOT of
power. Unless you buy a really large and high VA UPS, putting your
laser printer on a UPS usually isn't a good idea. |
|
Models, Brands & Options: UPS's come in many different flavors.
Ranging in physical dimensions, power ratings, colors, and connection types.
Some of your most common UPS manufacturers are American Power Conversion (APC),
CyberPower, TrippLite, and MinuteMan. More recently, even battery
manufacturers themselves have been getting into the market, like Energizer
and Duracell. Any of these manufacturers will do, and physical size
and color are your choice. I have personally had great results using
both CyberPower and APC. APC is a little more expensive, but more
regularly available.
Choosing your power rating may
be a difficult choice. I would recommend a 500VA or higher UPS for
your monitor and computer tower. If you need to hookup your speakers,
scanner, printer, palm device, and other equipment to UPS power, buy a
separate UPS. It is a lot more cost effective to purchase another UPS
than it is to upgrade to the next higher VA rating range. The
following is a list of standard pricing and VA ratings at the time of this
writing:
-
350VA UPS - $42.00
-
500VA UPS - $63.00
-
725VA UPS - $105.00
-
1200VA UPS - $183.00
Make sure you check the UPS options and what wattage they
provide with the VA rating. You can often find a large VA rating with
a low wattage for a great price. The problem is that it may not have
enough wattage to power your system. Sometimes you get what you
pay for. Some of the higher end UPS models have 'automatic power
regulation' with them, which actually filters the electricity and provides a
consistent and steady supply of power. This means that the power is
considered 'cleaner' and is more safe for your system.
The best option that you should have with a UPS is some
type of 'auto shutdown' feature. If you aren't around to safely
shutdown your machine, the software from the UPS manufacturer can actually
shutdown the machine for you when the battery reaches a certain percentage
used. This is a great feature and I have yet to see a UPS ship
without this software/hardware solution. Just make sure you
double-check the package contents for this feature though. |
|
Summary: |
|
Buy a UPS for your computer, or ask for one
for Christmas. If you watch the circulars that come out in the
newspaper each Sunday, you will probably see a lot of great deals on UPS
units from your local office supply store for $20 to $50. I have even
seen them for FREE after mail-in rebates!
My
business depends on computing, which of course depends on electricity.
All of our equipment is protected with UPS protection. I've even
purchased small 350VA UPS's for my home electronic equipment. I've got
my DVD player, VCR, and clock all hooked up. No more resetting the
time after a power outage! I had to buy a much larger UPS to support
my 700Watt stereo, and a really, really big one to protect my TV, but it is
worth the investment.
Simply put, no one should be without one. |
|
Phone: (717) 932-5395
Phone: (717) 932-5395