Download document () of 20
Send email
Download
You have exceeded the download limit
Battery backups are an essential component of the “new normal” work from home environment.
Ensuring that critical home and small office applications are safeguarded by an uninterruptible power system (UPS) has never been more important. With a record number of telecommuters──coupled with widespread online learning for both lower- and higher-ed students──many utility companies are struggling to support the proliferation of power-hungry devices in homes. As a result, electronic equipment is more vulnerable than ever to harmful surges and power cuts.
A UPS with surge protection is one of the most simple, cost-effective investments to prevent data loss and equipment damage during a blackout or surge, seamlessly switching to battery and continuing to power connected equipment until the issue is resolved or you’re able to safely shut down devices.
To help you hone in on the optimal UPS solution for your home or small office, we’ve compiled the following 10 buying tips:
Ready to safeguard your home and small office applications with an Eaton UPS?
Even the most brief surge or loss of electricity can be catastrophic to sensitive electronic equipment in home and small office environments, with sudden shutdowns capable of corrupting files and damaging or destroying home devices. But it’s not just your PCs, routers, modems, small servers, switches and storage devices that need protection. Desktop UPSs aren’t all work and no play; battery backup is also ideal to safeguard numerous other home devices including TVs, gaming consoles, home theater solutions, security systems and household medical equipment such as CPAP machines for sleep apnea.
A small, inexpensive desktop UPS can keep home Wi-Fi and internet systems online during short outages or brownouts, while more advanced battery backup models can enable home office equipment and workstations to remain operational during business hours ─ or at least long enough to save work-in-progress and safely shut down. The same applies to video consoles, so gamers don’t surrender their hard-fought progress.
Never plug a laser printer into a UPS. The resulting low-voltage conditions can cause the unit to transfer to battery repeatedly, prematurely exhausting its battery. However, you can plug in laser printers to a UPS if it has surge-only output receptacles.
Battery runtime varies by UPS model and depends on how much equipment is being powered.
Different UPS topologies provide varying degrees of protection against power problems. Choosing the best UPS for home or office use depends on your budget, equipment and environment. Standby and line-interactive UPS systems will properly support and protect desktop and small-office/home-office (SOHO) applications.
Standby or offline UPSs allow equipment to run off utility power while providing surge protection and switches to battery mode during voltage sags or outages, making it ideal for equipment such as LCD monitors, docking stations, modems and routers.
Line-interactive UPSs regulate voltage by boosting or decreasing utility voltage as needed before allowing it to pass to the protected equipment, making it suitable for high-end PCs and other valuable, sensitive electronics in areas with unstable power or frequent storms.
For home and office applications in North America, nominal AC input and output voltages are typically 120V. Line-interactive UPS models such as the Eaton 5SC provide voltage regulation to protect connected equipment.
Most home and office UPSs are rated between 300 to 1,500 VA and designed to fit standard household outlets. While a UPS is rated in both volt-amperes (VA) and watts, the watts measurement is the key rating because it represents the amount of real power available. It's important to understand the relationship between watts and VA to correctly size an uninterruptible power system - visit this page to learn more.
A UPS must support the total maximum wattage rating for each piece of equipment you want to connect to prevent overload during an outage. Refer to the nameplate or manufacturer's documentation for each device to find its wattage or refer to Eaton's UPS selector that is loaded with wattage ratings for various equipment and can help calculate the maximum capacity. To leave a margin for error and fluctuating power demands during operation, select a UPS with an output capacity (VA) rating 20% higher than the estimated power requirements of your connected equipment. Also consider whether you want to leave room for future expansion. Visit our battery runtimes page to see how wattage affects each UPS models’ runtime.
Never load a UPS at more than 80% of its capacity. This will provide a cushion if you reach peak conditions, as well as account for normal battery degradation, which occurs over time.
Keep in mind that wattage is related to battery runtime; the smaller the wattage load of the connected equipment, the longer the batteries will last and the larger the load, the shorter the runtime.
The waveform of electrical power is a sine wave, which represents a smooth periodic oscillation. However, standby UPSs and some line-interactive models provide a simulated or square wave output while running on battery power. Because this simulated power output can stress and harm the power supply in sensitive electronics such as servers, a line-interactive UPS with sine wave output is a better choice for these types of equipment.
The Eaton 5SC pure sine wave UPS provides high-quality output voltage for wider compatibility with today’s active power factor corrected (PFC) power supplies in sensitive IT equipment. Without using its batteries, the 5SC UPS corrects a wide range of input voltage variations through continuous voltage regulation.
Protecting an Apple iMac computer or equipment that uses Active PFC power supplies such as Energy Star® or 80 PLUS®? These devices require a UPS that delivers sine wave output to prevent unexpected shutdowns and damaging electronic stress.
Never plug a surge protector into a UPS. This is a fire hazard and is typically prohibited by local fire codes.
Ready to safeguard your home and small office applications with an Eaton UPS?
Excess heat can significantly reduce battery service life, so make sure your UPS has clearance to properly ventilate.
To stay ahead of evolving cybersecurity threats, it is essential to update firmware on all UPSs and PDUs. Read more about our stance on cybersecurity.
There’s a difference between hot-swappable and user-replaceable batteries. Hot-swappable batteries can be changed out while the UPS is running, and user-replaceable batteries─which tend to be found in smaller UPSs─require no special tools or training. Batteries can be both hot-swappable and user-replaceable.
11) Do you need remote management capabilities?
