APC BE550G Back-UPS ES 8 Outlet 550VA 120V
by APC
|
List Price: Our Price: $48.60 You Save: $21.39 (31%) Availability: Usually ships in 3-4 business days Buy Used: from $43.49 (click here) Category: CE See more product details |
|---|
Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of APC BE550G Back-UPS ES 8 Outlet 550VA 120V
Customer Review: Great UPS for computer or home theater!
Summary: 5 Stars
I have a few UPS devices - one for my computer, one for my home theater, but needed another for additional equipment.
My 2 other UPS' are the large kind - APC BACK-UPS RS BR1500LCD 1500VA/865W UPS System - great, but a little overkill for plugging in just a receiver, dvd player and an Xbox 360. I found this UPS during Amazons black friday sale at a great price and decided to give it a chance. While it lacks a lot of the 'fancy' stuff my other UPS' have (like LCD screens), I needed a plain surge protector/power strip anyways and this was about the same price. I have to say.. I'm impressed! I immediately noticed an improvement - I recently had a blackout int he neighborhood and this thing kept the power flowing (long enough for me to safely shut everything down, but it would've kept going if needed). When the power is cut, it gives a loud audible beeping noise (I didn't know what it was at first since all the power stayed on because of the equipment plugged into it - it wasn't until I looked outside that I realized the power was out).
Great device -- wish I had bought a few more at that price! Plus it has the APC name behind it.
Customer Review: Very good unit, fair price
Summary: 4 Stars
Just got it on Monday, really fast delivery. It works fine, easy to set up once i untangled the mass of cords and cables I have in back. Very good unit, very good price.
I was surprised at how heavy the battery was; I'd guess 9/10 of the weight is the battery.
I think they must have made some changes to the connection cable, as unlike others, I had no trouble connecting it. I just lifted the battery part way out and the connector was on top, so only took a second or so to connect and slip the battery back in.
I also wish they had spaced the receptacles further apart. There is more than enough space to do so, and so many people have the bulky bricks to plug in, can't imagine why they only have two spaced far enough to accommodate them.
Overall, however, very good unit.
Edit: OK, here it is 21 Jan 2010 and I am even happier with it. Now I'd give it 5 stars despite the receptacle closeness. I have had one blackout, and several surges, and it worked like a charm.
I also love the info you can get by clicking on the menu from the sys tray icon that provides a wealth of information. This a great UPS and I am glad I finally got one after all these years.
Customer Review: Perfect solution for power "blips"
Summary: 5 Stars
I live in South Florida and we sometimes have power "blips" (particularly in the summer when all the air conditioners are running) that reset anything running that is "resetable." I purchased two of these when they were on sale locally and have been very happy with them.
I sometimes back-up Blue-ray discs onto an external hard drive and the process can take two or three days. A short power stoppage, even a brief "blip," can cause the entire process to shut down and have to start all over again....very frustrating! These devices prevent that from happening.
Don't expect to run your PC (or anything else really) for a long period of time on them, but they will negate the impact of short power interruptions. They will also, of course, work on digital clocks that flash and have to be reset every time these outages occur and they also work well on satellite boxes that can lose their content during these outages and subsequently have to re-load all of the channel information. The software it comes with loads easily and will give you a diary of what events have occurred while your PC has been running.
The unit itself appears to be solidly built. I highly recommend it.
Customer Review: "Known" Problems
Summary: 2 Stars
I've had this unit less than a month and it has been running for about 2 weeks now. I bought it as it was reccommended with the network hard drive I bought.
PROS
It was really easy and simple to set up. Software lets you monitor power and interuptions.
There are 2 sockets that are wide spaced for those annoying power supplies.
CONS
Then I came home and it was alarming with a continuous scream. Instructions say to reset by turning off with the power button. No success, the power was already off. Reset didn't work and thats where the instructions stopped. The software help is also pretty useless.
Tech support was instantly helpful. Unplug everything (at which point everything you don't want to switch off obviously loses power), unplug the unit then remove the battery. Apparently they know that sometimes, if there is a power surge, the alarm switch gets fried and you have to send it back for replacement.
Be warned if you are on the west coast, you have to call between 5am and 5 pm PST. Not useful if you have a regular job with a commute!
Lets see how the repacement process goes.
Customer Review: Does exactly what it needs to
Summary: 5 Stars
I have had this device for several months now. I originally had it in an old dorm where the power voltage fluctuates and we lose power several times in a year. This unit is sufficient for ONE mid range desktop computer. It peaks out at 330 Watts so it will NOT be good enough for most gaming desktops. My entry level Dell Power Edge T110 runs on this UPS. The power has gone out twice and it kicks in immediately. It connects via RJ45 to USB to your computer. The computer sees it as a battery and you can set settings to have the computer automatically shut off when the battery gets to a certain point. I have mine turn off at 40%. A UPS like this is NOT designed to keep your computer on for a long time. Instead, it is designed to hold your computer up for 10-15 minutes so you can save your work and shut down (unless your using this for a laptop). Bottom line - APC makes good stuff. Also I should mention is has protection for a phone line as well but not Ethernet. And as with any UPS, only half of the outlets are battery backed and the other half are just surge protection and power filtering.