Do you need a
UPS? How much will a battery backup protect your computer?
A battery
backup, or uninterruptible power supply (UPS), is primarily used to provide a
backup power source to important desktop computer hardware components.
In most cases,
those pieces of hardware include the main computer housing and the monitor, but
other devices can be plugged into a UPS for backup power as well, depending on
the size of the UPS.
In addition to
acting as a backup when the power goes out, most battery backup devices also
act as power "conditioners" by ensuring that the electricity flowing
to your computer and accessories is free from drops or surges.
If a computer is
not receiving a consistent flow of electricity, damage can and often does
occur.
While a UPS
system is not a required piece of a complete computer system, including one as
part of yours is always recommended. The need for a reliable supply of electricity
is often overlooked.
Uninterruptible
power supply, uninterruptible power source, on-line UPS, standby UPS, and UPS
are the different names for a battery backup.
Popular UPS
manufacturers include APC, Belkin, CyberPower, Tripp Lite, and Ultra, among
many others.
Battery Backups: What They Look Like & Where They
Go
The battery
backup sits between the utility power (power from the wall outlet) and the
parts of the computer. In other words, the computer and accessories plug into
the battery backup and the battery backup plugs into the wall.
UPS devices come
in many shapes and sizes but are most commonly rectangular and freestanding,
intended to sit on the floor near the computer.
All battery
backups are very heavy due to the batteries located inside.
One or more
batteries inside the UPS provide power to the devices plugged into it when
power from the wall outlet is no longer available. The batteries are
rechargeable and often replaceable, providing a long-term solution to keeping
your computer system running.
The front of the
battery backup will usually have a power switch to turn the device on and off
and will also sometimes have one or more additional buttons that perform
various functions. Higher-end battery backup units will also often feature LCD
screens that show information about how charged the batteries are, how much
power is being used, etc.
The rear of the
UPS will feature one or more outlets that provide battery backup. In addition,
many battery backup devices will also feature surge protection on additional
outlets and sometimes even protection for network connections, as well as phone
and cable lines.
Battery backup
devices are manufactured with varying degrees of backup ability. To determine
how powerful of a UPS you need, first, use the eXtreme Power Supply Calculator to
calculate your computer's wattage requirements. Take this number and add it to
the wattage requirements for other devices you would plug into the battery
backup. Take this totaled number and check with the UPS manufacturer to find
your estimated battery runtime when you lose power from the wall.
On-Line UPS vs Standby UPS
There are two
different types of UPSs: A standby UPS is a type of battery backup that's
similar to an on-line uninterrupted power supply but doesn't go into action as
quickly.
The way a
standby UPS works is by monitoring the power that's coming into the battery
backup supply and not switching over to the battery until it detects a problem
(which can take up to 10-12 milliseconds). An on-line UPS, on the other hand,
is always providing power to the computer, which means whether a problem is
detected or not, the battery is always the computer's source of power.
You can think of
an on-line UPS as if it were a battery in a laptop. While a laptop is plugged
into a wall outlet, it's getting constant power through the battery which is
getting a constant supply of power through the wall.
If the wall
power is removed (like during a power outage), the laptop is able to remain
powered on because of the built-in battery.
The most obvious
real-world difference between the two types of battery backup systems is that,
given the battery has enough power, a computer won't shutdown from a power
outage if it's plugged into an on-line UPS, but it might lose power (even if
just for a few seconds) if it's attached to a standby UPS that didn't respond
to the outage quick enough... although newer systems can detect a power issue
as soon as 2 ms.
Given the
benefit just described, an on-line UPS is normally more expensive than a
line-interactive UPS.
More Information on Battery Backups
Some battery
backup systems you find may seem pointless because they only supply a few
minutes of power. But something to consider is that with even 5 minutes of
extra power, you can safely save any open files and shut off the computer to
prevent hardware or software damage.
Something else
to remember is how frustrating it is for your computer to immediately shut off
when the power turns off for even a few seconds. With the computer attached to
an on-line UPS, such an event may even go unnoticed because the battery will
have been providing the power before, during, and after the power break.
If your laptop
has ever gone to sleep or shut down on you after you've stopped using it for
awhile, but only when it's not plugged in, you're familiar with the fact that
battery-powered devices can behave differently than desktops.
This is due to
built-in power options in the operating system.
You can set up
something similar on a desktop computer that uses a UPS (if the UPS is able to
connect via USB) so that the computer will go into hibernation mode or safely
shut off if it switches over to battery power during an outage.
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