- An uninterruptible power supply is the best ally for your home devices
- Offers protection against blackouts and surges and other very useful day-to-day advantages
- How do you know if you need one and what is the approximate cost of UPS today?
Many times, we find ourselves in the market with certain types of products whose existence we were still unaware of. The cases in which these can change our lives are not strange, improving our technological experience. For example, If you have heard the odd comment about them but have no idea how they work, today we will explain what a UPS is and how to know if you need one on your PC with a few quick and simple tricks.
In principle, an uninterruptible power supply or uninterruptible power supply -UPS-, is a system that combines protection against overheating and a backup battery in the same device. Basically, by adding one to your PC or any other device, you protect it and extend its life.
But the most interesting thing is that uninterruptible power supplies are not only designed for computer scientists, but anyone can take advantage of them at home, and the idea is to show you why you would need one.
Introduction to Uninterruptible Power Supplies
As we said, an uninterruptible power supply is a system that combines protection against overheating and a backup battery in the same device, which explains its name.
As long as this unit is charged, you can unplug it from the wall and the equipment connected to it will continue running until the battery dies so in that sense they work as a portable battery.
But beyond its main action of supplying uninterrupted power, UPS units also have nice extra features like regulating shutdown of devices if you’re not there.
The vast majority of these devices have several divided power outlets so you can split the load between the devices you want to keep on if the power goes down, and the ones that could be turned off.
But why would you want an uninterruptible power supply?
This is the main question you should ask yourself, and along the following lines we intend to answer it. as we said, there are many who believe that they are intended only for a very select audience. Although these consumers may use them more, all of us can consider owning a UPS.
Protection against blackouts and surges
Problems with electrical distribution are among the leading causes of damage and failure among electronic devices. We would like to have them on without interruption, but it is unlikely and we would not be doing anyone a favor in times when more energy is demanded than produced.
However, nor should we resign ourselves to a sudden loss of power or a power surge turning off our devices when they are workingand a UPS is a minimal investment compared to some of the inconvenience that could result if power losses or surges affect equipment.
Similarly, UPS units protect against dirty power and brownouts that are so common. Even if you don’t notice frequent power outages in your area, that doesn’t mean there aren’t.
It is enough that you install your first UPS to verify that there are constant voltage drops and other threats. Generally, these drops They do not suppose an interruption of the energy, and for that reason they go unnoticed.
Data loss is avoided
Needless to say, an abrupt power outage could leave you without entire jobs if you haven’t saved them. Even worse, If your hard drive dies during the outage, you can be sure that several headaches await you..
The reality is that not many back up as regularly as they should, so losing a hard drive usually means losing hours and hours of work due to lack of backups.
Always online
Compared to losing your months-long job, staying online no matter what might seem like a minor issue. Curiously, is the main reason for purchase of UPS since they became massive years ago.
The reason is that users do not want to be disconnected under any circumstances, and a UPS can allow them to get through the moments of power failure without leaving the Internet, key professional issue.
Some frequently asked questions about UPS
If we review, you already know what a UPS is and why you might need it, but surely you still have some more questions.
How much does an uninterruptible power supply cost?
The average cost of these devices is about 50 eurosalthough large units can exceed 300.
How to select the right size UPS?
Remember that more battery capacity means more connection time without access to power, so it is better not to save too much if you know that you may regret it in the future. At more volt-amperes, longer running the devices that are connected to the system at the moment in which the power drops.
Do these systems require maintenance?
Another of the benefits of the UPS is that they practically do not require any maintenance, except in specific cases in which they come with replaceable batteries, which will force you to check them twice a year.
This is not bad news, because a new UPS can cost you about 150 euros, while the batteries are much cheaper, in the order of 50 euros, so you avoid spending so much at once.
