APC by Schneider Electric Back-UPS BX – BX500CI
APC by Schneider Electric Back-UPS BX – BX500CI – Uninterruptible Power Supply 500VA (AVR, 3 Outlets IEC-C13)
Batteries Connector – for safe transport or longer storage without operation.
IEC-C13 outlets with battery backup and surge protection.
Back-UPS BX provides assured power and surge protection for desktop computers, wireless networks, gaming consoles and other electronics.
| Weight: | 4.5 kg |
| Dimensions: | 21.3 x 18.5 x 11.5 cm; 4.5 Kilograms |
| Brand: | APC |
| Model: | BX500CI |
| Colour: | Black |
| Batteries Included: | Yes |
| Manufacture: | APC |
| Dimensions: | 21.3 x 18.5 x 11.5 cm; 4.5 Kilograms |
Gives my PC about 25 minutes use if power fails.
More than enough to get everything sorted before shutdown.
Things I also needed to buy:
IEC c14 4 gang extension cable x2.
USB-B cable.
But, now it’s in it’s all working super nicely. We’ve had a couple of blips in power here since it went in and this thing did exactly what it was bought for and stopped my homelab gear from going down. With the USB cable and some software on the homelab I’ve got reporting of battery level and charge state and all that good stuff, as well as the auto-shutdown when the battery is low feature that’s actually necessary.
Replacement UPS review.
As a “dumb UPS” with no external management connection, I cannot fault it. It does the job admirably –
It will run until the battery is depleted and then shut off.
Being constructed in such a way so that the battery is not easily replaced when worn out, is a bit disgusting in this day and age of ‘Reuse & Recycle.’
Putting a label on the outside of the unit that states “Battery must be recycled” is a bit of a cop-out.
That said, the battery can be replaced, and even upgraded with a bit of effort.
***AT OWN RISK!!***
All you need to to is prise off the front cover, undo the two screws and the four on the rear, and the whole case comes apart.
The fitted battery is a 12V 6ah unit.
You can either replace it with a similar one, or remove some of the extra plastic webbing to fit a 12V 7ah unit. (It seems the original case design was altered to allow a smaller battery to be fitted. Other models of internals maybe?)
Before messing with the UPS, don’t forget disconnect any cables and unplug the yellow battery isolator on the rear of the UPS.
Allow the UPS to stand for ten minutes for any internal capacitors to discharge before opening the case.
Attached pictures show the insides and upgraded battery.
Conclusion:
All in all, pretty good for the price, but there are others with easily replaceable batteries for cheaper.
Great value UPS with the usual APC build quality. My one is the Back-UPS 1400U which has 240V input and 6 IEC outlets. Free download software PowerChute PE is useful monitoring but the USB cable did not come in the pack, so you’ll need one of those. I have a Dell i7 tower two 28″ monitors a couple of wifi routers and a fairly large Gigabit switch which when connected tells me from PowerChute it is currently using 80W to 100W load and offering around 49 mins of backup time. Max load is suggested around 700W which would probably only give you 5 or 6 mins running but enough to do a safe shutdown.
Voltage trigger is above 280V to a low of between 151V to 160V (setting in software) will set it in motion. My old APC had automatic voltage trimming but not sure if that is included in this one.
A self-test is available in the software but only seems to work from the front panel button. Updating firmware does not seem to work either, but not needed really as this unit is no longer in production.
Like all UPS’s, the batteries will last 2 to 3 years depending on use, a new set in my last APC UPS lasted 18 months (they were not APC cells though). That unit was a trusty 20 years old.
You don’t get a fancy LCD on the front panel, just a single button and an LED. At this price point, it is an easy buy if you want no frills but a functional unit with plenty of capacity for most home users.
This is a really decent UPS if you are planning on using it for misc hardware like a router/switch you will need a IEC C14 to 13A Socket which are not hard to find, also the battery is user replaceable so please ignore those reviews that say it isn’t, just lookup information on that, the monitoring software is not bad either however I am not really using it as I am using unraid, which works great and can get information from the UPS via its settings using the USB UPS Drive
I have some computer equipment that runs 24/7 which has been plugged into this unit.
After almost 3 years, I’ve just had the expected battery failure warning.
Turns out the BX700UI battery is very easy to replace. Two screws hold the front panel, remove them, slide the panel and the battery is right there. Internal separation keeps the high voltage electonics out of reach so looks like this unit is simple.
Some searching suggests the larger units are not as simple as they take dual batteries so you need to split the case, however this one is great. I was actually amazed how well it was designed having had a differnet brand before.
I was looking to buy an additional unit and now will be buying another 700 unit as maintenance is so easy.
It’s quite compact, and doesn’t have a fan so it just sits in the corner quietly ready to do its job. I think the price is competitive. I did look at second-user UPSs but was worried about battery life.
When BT switched me to VOIP without making it clear that’s what it was doing, I felt it important to have a working phone in a power cut, hence the router needed to stay up.
When I first had the unit, I switched off the power to it and everything connected to it continued without interruption including my router. I’ve not had a proper power cut yet but I feel sure this will do its job.
I’ve not tested any software with it. I have a laptop so I’m not worried about automatically shutting it down if the power drops, so I can’t say whether it works or not.
Overall I’m happy with it. I think it will work when I need it to.
Doesn’t have any kind of USB plug-in for your smart equipment, though not needed for me as it was simple to replace an old UPS that gives me a backup for my remote garage door.
Foot print of the unit is actually smaller than the one it replaces while keeping the same capacity.
Just the ticke
Use this at home to support my Linux-based media server. It sets up really well and is easy to use.
Connects and can be monitored with Linux really well using apcupsd. Been running it for a few months with no issues. apcupsd gets the UPS to check itself every week and that works birlliantly. It’s a little heavy and as bulky as my HP Micro server but that’s to be expected and it is silent and works very well.
Does not come with any cables. Ok I understand not providing any C13-to-C14 ones (which connect UPS to your computers) but it also does not come with a C13-to-wall socket cable which seem a little stingy to me. Fortunately I had one left from a previous server and it works fine. I also happened to have some C13-C14s as well 🙂
This APC is pretty meaty and will support a PC and a NAS easily but you will need to download a management client. Going to the APC Web site it appears that this model has been discontinued so you might like to look at what they are doing now instead.
The software is fully functional but was written by Greta Thunberg because it nags you constantly about your carbon footprint. It has 6 x C13 outputs but only provides 2 x C13/14 leads and they are very short. This means that the UPS will have to sit pretty close to your system unit or you will have to buy some 2m C13/14 leads in addition. If you want to power equipment that doesn’t take a C13 connector then you’ll need a C14 to standard plug extension lead (2m IEC C14 Connector Plug to UK 13 Amp 4 Gang Socket). But remember there’s no point having a UPS unless the equipment shuts itself down intelligently, or you are there to shut it down.
I have tried cutting the power and the APC does cause the PC to hibernate although it is slower to recover the first time you do it. All in all my only gripe is it doesn’t make it clearer that you need more/better connectors.
Has worked absolutely fine, caught a few transient spikes and today it dealt with a full power cut. It safely shutdown the server as I had set it to on my server end, and ran for another 30 minutes or so at maybe 30W? Keeping the internet on and a CCTV camera running until power came back on.
Has been working for 7 months now, and has had 2 full discharges now (at low power draw) and is still working fine. Solid peace of mind.
I brought this for my home office, for power loss and spike protection. I like the low price, six power outlets and design. Sadly it didn’t come with a power lead, just a c14 to c13 cable. Also you can download powechute which only works on windows. Tested by switching off the mains but didn’t test how long it lasts with my 1.2 amp load.
Mine came supplied with two male to female cables which plug directly into the computer and monitor to the APC. There are no other cables supplied, to connect the APC unit to the socket you can use the original cable you used for the computer’s power supply. The USB port on the back of the APC device is type B (not supplied). This is the same cable that is used for most old printers and devices, so if you’ve kept a bunch of old equipment or cables you may already have one or more like I did, otherwise you can buy from Amazon for under 5. When first using it there is a smell, but I believe this smell will go away over time, it’s not an awful smell and more like that smell you get with a new car, etc.
The device comes with a 2-year warranty, or at least that’s what is stated on the sticker on the box. I made sure to register my device as soon as I got it. The information you’ll need to register the device is located above the USB port on the back of the device, so grab a picture of this before installing it in its location. It’s not getting very hot and is comparable to my previous unit which was an ES 400. That also had a smell when I first used it, which went away over time. The software must be downloaded from the website which is listed in the manual which comes with the device. It’s good software which gives you control over bleeps. You can set it on/off/off certain times. It also records energy usage and if you input your cost per kWa it can show you, your daily cost for running the device. Mine runs at 32p a day at around 120 to 150 watts.
I ran Counter Strike Global Offensive at high graphic settings, and it used around 285 to 350 watts. This might help those who are just looking for a UPS with lower cost and Watts backup, but I still recommend the 1400 BX since it’s always good to have a little more. My estimated uptime on battery should there be a power cut is around 30 to 45 minutes depending on what I’m doing. You can also use the software to set when the computer shuts down. Either 1 to 5 minutes or you can select 5 to 8 minutes of battery life left.
I’ve includes several screenshots above of the software pages, notice that one section allows you to input the date when you replace the batteries, so anyone saying the batteries cannot be changed are wrong. I recommend buying a socket extension, so you can plug other devices in. Usually this is shown as an option when scrolling down from the top of the page.
Bought 2 of these for the office following 2 recent power outages.
One would suffice for our equipment but the 2 desks are 2 far apart to bother running power cables. Got a 20 discount on the second in any case from the amazon warehouse.
Various reviews complain about the IEC type outlets but these are industry standard and allow for a more compact unit.
for a single PC the idea is to use your existing power cord to power the UPS and connect the UPS to the PC with the supplied IEC extension cord.
Various IEC male cords can be purchased to power the monitor, printer, router etc
eg https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Connector-Power-Supply-Socket-Adapter/dp/B08YZ7NK1C/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=iec+extension+lead&qid=1631606804&s=computers&sr=1-3 iec to 3 pin
https://smile.amazon.co.uk/LINDY-Splitter-Extension-Lead-Cable/dp/B01G5Z47W0/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=iec+extension+lead&qid=1631606804&s=computers&sr=1-4 iec to figure 8
https://smile.amazon.co.uk/LINDY-30331-Extension-Cable-Power/dp/B000658HUE/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=iec+extension+lead&qid=1631606804&s=computers&sr=1-6 iec extension
The software allows you to choose if to shut down after x minutes on the battery or when x minutes remain in the battery. Basic but suffice for most users purchasing this budget unit.
If your needs are more elaborate then you wont be looking at this unit in any case.
This provides around one hour of backup for the pc, monitor, printer, network switch, router and telephone, and the second around 80 minutes of backup for the second PC, monitor, telephone and printer.
the 500va unit would have been ok for our needs. this gives longer on the battery at slight increase in cost.
I seriously cannot understand all of the recent reviews which are negative.
This has worked out of the box for me with zero config. I was impressed that when I opened the box APC include a dated factory test sheet, very reassuring!
I turned the unit on and it was charged and ready to go. Attached a USB lead to my Synology NAS and it was instantly recognised. As the behaviour is controlled by the Synology I don’t even need to access the PowerChute software. Couldn’t resist a quick test and it worked exactly as expected. The unit is silent when on AC and you only hear buzz when it’s working off the battery.
A few people complain about the cable, the idea is you use your exisiting IEC to power the UPS and the included extension IEC lead to connect to your device, it’s not rocket science!
Highly recommended!
I must admit I do like APC kit. Its only just arrived (700) but it looks well made, and does what it says on the tin. It estimates a wee bit over 30 min support, for a Desktop and monitor.
However, when i buy kit I do expect it to come with all the bits to let me use it. You need a USB cable, A to B. Without it, you cannot do a controlled shutdown. It doesn’t come with one.
Neither does it come with a power chord. It comes with ONE UPS to PC mains cable. Only one. No software disk, nothing else.
If i ordered it to a remote location and expected to be able to use it, I’d be out of luck. That, is disappointing.
This is a very useful device and has saved my computer and other electronics from a sudden shutdown on a number of occasions.
However there are a couple of things to note.
1. You’ll want to buy a usb B to A cable (printer type) in order to connect to a computer to turn off the beeping. Once this is done you can disconnect the PC if you are using the unit elsewhere.
2. You’ll want to buy some adapters for “kettle” lead to uk plug sockets as none come included. There’s also no mains lead but it is assumed that most people have these
3. While the batteries are user replaceable, apc don’t support this and the ups is not well designed for user access. It’s very wasteful to have to throw away the whole device when the battery fails.
Overall a very affordable and decent quality ups with just a few shortcomings
When I received the UPS it did have a screw loose inside so would rattle as you move it. Nevertheless have been using this for many months which I use with a NAS. This has saved me so many times when the electricity cut out. I wished this unit had a USB connection which I could plug into the NAS or computer so that I could monitor this or automatically shutdown the NAS when battery, however this only appears to be available on more expensive models. Still, am happy with this purchase.
I bought this one to run as the emergency power for a QNAP TVS-672N NAS plus additional drive bays and a small home server. Total power draw assuming full load is around 300W and if the power fails that should allow a 10-15 minute run so permitting an orderly shutdown before running out of supporting power.
Both units recognised the USB connection, although only a single port is provided on the UPS – two would be better – and allowed software ‘triggers’ for shutting down the hardware to be set. The NAS can also tell me how much ‘runtime’ is available and the battery condition.
So far it’s only been used in anger once and for only about 8 minutes. No dramas, no loss of systems and everything kept working.
In normal running the unit doesn’t get particularly warm and you should charge it for 24 hours before first use just to ensure it’s ready to operate should the worst happen..
There are two batteries inside and despite the manufacturer stating no user serviceable parts, it is possible for a suitably qualified person to change the batteries at their end of life (3-5 years).
This is a 1400VA (700W) unit that I use to power the office PC, Router, switch and monitor which between them use about 180W most of the time. At this level it gives me only 20 minutes battery backup time for about 1/4 of the load that this supports. It is useful to keep in mind that the 1400 does not relate in any way to the battery capacity, just to the amount of power that the inverter circuit can provide to your equipment. I actually got this model because my PC can draw a lot more power when the graphics processor is running for the latest games, so I don’t want to overload the circuit or get anywhere close to the max load. But I do think for the amount of power that this unit is intended to support that the battery capacity is too limited – If I were using close to 700W I would only have about 5 minutes battery running time.
The free downloadable software is ok but limited, for example I can run a self test which passes but the software states there has never been a self test. It also only logs events when the PC is connected – which given the UPS contains a microprocesor and some storage itself is a bit silly. A few people also complain it does not log short power events and glitches, I can however confirm it logged a 20s power failure tho other day.
Easy to install and my Synology NAS recognised it without any problem.
Unfortunately I cannot weight in on the load as I am only using it for my NAS and router.
The battery failed after 2 and a 1/2 years but – contrary of what they say in the instructions – it is indeed replaceable in 3 simple steps:
1. disconnect the yellow battery terminal on the back
2. unscrew two screws which hold the front plate and slide the plate up to open
3. disconnect the F1 terminals from the battery and slide it outwards
You can buy a cheap Duracell replacement for 24 from “cpc.co.uk”, just be careful of the dimensions.
So far, on the whole, I’m very pleased with them. Good value for the capacity offered. To give you an idea on capacity / runtime – the first is powering a Poweredge T20 server with Pentium G3220 CPU and a few HDDs, a HP Compaq 83200 Elite SFF workstation with an i5-2500, a network switch, ADSL modem, Gigaset VOIP base unit and ancilliary devices and reports 14% load and 47 minutes estimated on-battery runtime. The second is powering a HP Z240 workstation with a Xeon E3-1245 8-core CPU and a pair of flatscreen monitors (32″ Acer and 27″ HP) and reports 9% load and estimates 68 minutes on-battery runtime. Truth be told, the BX1400UI is a bit over-specced for my use, and I could have got away with the 700 and saved a few pennies, but I wanted the extra runtime to see out typical power outages since I work from home, and to have a bit of headroom for any future expansion of needs.
I opted for APC as they’re a well known and quite respected UPS brand, and it’s easy to manage them from Linux machines – hook it up with a USB A -> B printer-style cable (sadly not supplied!), install & configure apcupsd, and you’re laughing. I get emails when the UPS goes on/off load and if there are any problems with it, and if the remaining runtime gets low, my workstations automatically shutdown (the one acting as a Minecraft server first, to reserve power for my home server & network kit, then the remainder after if the power still hasn’t returned).
So, that all sounds good – but what about downsides?
Non-user-replaceable battery – it *is* possible to change the batteries, but the unit has not been designed for this, it involves opening the unit up in a way that will invalidate any warranty left (although it’s unlikely the batteries will need replacement during the warranty period, and if they do, I’d hope the warranty would cover them as that would be premature failure). It also needs to be done very carefully, as you could shock yourself if you’re careless.
For the price, not throwing in a cheap USB A-B cable is a bit stingy; they’re cheap and you probably have some knocking around anyway, but the idea of a “smart” UPS is that you can manage it and have your workstation shut down cleanly before the battery power is exhausted, so omitting this cable is a bit too tight for my liking.
Also, you’ll get just one IEC C14-C13 lead to hook your PC up to the UPS; you’ll need to use your PC’s existing IEC13 “kettle lead” to hook the UPS itself up to the mains, as it doesn’t even include one of those. There are six C14 output ports, so you’ll probably want to order some more C14-C13 leads for other devices – or, rather more flexibly, get a C14 -> 4 port extension lead like – or purchase a rewireable IEC C14 plug and fit it to a standard extension lead for lots of standard UK sockets to plug anything you like in – particularly for power adaptors for modems/routers/switches etc.
Finally, the second unit I received must have been sitting in a warehouse for some time, as the battery install date (and QA test report date) was 2019-06-19, and I ordered it on 2020-07-28, so the batteries were almost a year old already… not particularly pleased by that. but that’s down to the unit I received.
Then to you will need a extension to convert the rear plugs in the UPS to domestic power see the black plug from Pro Elec.
I’m sure it’ll be fine when the plugs arrive just a pain not having them now.
Rgds S
No USB lead included, pointless talking about software,firmware if you don’t give the means to do it second point! There is no three pin power plug just kettle lead ends, Ok I hear you what’s my point you ask!? Well anyone would want to check the UPS works without unplugging a device to nik the 3 pin kettle lead also you may want to connect it to a server and configure it for server shutdown, the review wants battery life Hmmmmm? No USB so not got a clue what it is and I’m not about to let my server run off of it till the battery goes dead to test runtime . Would be handy if there was a supplied USB!
They’re very easy to install (I also ordered 3 of these IEC C14 to 4 Way Gang UK Mains Extension Sockets Lead 1m Cable by Kenable, so that I could use the original power cables from my lab kit) and the best thing I can say about them is you don’t notice them working until there’s a power cut and they then click into life and give me around 20 minutes to go around and safely shutdown all of our lab kit.
The only downside is the fact that the battery isn’t user replaceable but that hasn’t deterred me from ordering 3 more to keep in stock as APC say they have a life of between 2 and 5 years.
Please click the helpful button below if you found my review in any way useful.
Nice and easy to set up and a couple of tests with my iMac show it works well. It doesn’t come with a USB lead, but it’s just a standard USB A-B lead you get with most printers etc so I had one lying around. Plugging it into the USB my iMac recognised it without any fuss. The only think preventing me from giving this 5 stars is it smells, it’s got a horrible chemical/plastic smell do it it’s not burning or even hot. Just a very strong smell of new plastic, enough to stink the room out. Hopefully some air freshener and a few days of airing it out while the machine settles and the smell will subside.
This is one very SMART APC UPS System, Not only is it easy to install the cables to my server’s as they already use UPS cables but one the UPS is on if you have the USB cable plugged in and into your device, Install APC UPS Software (Requires .NET 4.5.2) Once installed you can configure the UPS to your standards, From Alarts via Email to managing power and how much to use, This unit even reports to the program how much power your using from the UPS and it gives you the price for per day, I’m using .12 = 12p per day, The UPS even monitors the AC power and records weather the AC power current is bad, From LOW voltage to OVER current, It even monitors the power fir surge’s, Spikes ect… And when ever anything happens if say there was a live or earth issue or worse a lightning strike to the property the UPS kicks in streight away to prevent anything to happen to the battery or devices that are connected to the UPS. So in my case I will give this in ease 5 out of 5 STARS. Highly recemmed this.
A brilliant value UPS which is very easy to setup, comes with 6 IEC outlets, and with massive battery life at 1400VA lasts for over 30 minutes powering my tower PC, 3x 24″ screens, wifi AP, PoE switch and router.
All i needed to purchase was an IEC-UK plug extension board (13 off Amazon) to run the switch, monitors and router from the UPS and a longer IEC M-F cable to power the PC directly. The UPS comes with 2 smaller IEC cables but weren’t long enough to reach anything.
The UPS has a USB Type B socket for use with the APC PowerChute software which is a free download on their website. Instructions come in the box but the cable does not – but all you need to do is get a USB-A to USB-B cable (commonly included with printers, scanners etc), plug it into the UPS and any USB socket on your PC, then download the PowerChute software, install, and configure as required! You’ll be able to see a bunch of information about the UPS and change settings, including how and when you want your computer to shutdown if power is lost.
So far I am pleased with the UPS. I got the 700W BX1400UI model which was delivered quickly and nicely packaged. Inside the box (apart from the UPS itself), there was a test report for my unit (actually signed by the test technician) and two UPS (C13 to C14) leads.
Just a word of caution: there is no power cable for plugging it in the wall (the reason being is that you would use your existing PC lead to power the unit) and there are no adapters from C14 to mains, so you will have to buy them separately. In addition, there is no USB type B cable included, which is an optional connection to your PC which allows you to monitor the UPS.
The battery comes pre-installed, but you have to manually connect it via the yellow plug on the back (instructions included).
Currently, I am using it on a gaming PC (~500W power draw in load) with three monitors and a few other devices. In idle my total power consumption is ~200W and when gaming, it goes up to ~600 (as reported by the PowerChute software).
In idle, I believe I can get around 10-15 minutes on battery power. I only tested it once by turning off the mains outlet and it kicked in perfectly. Also to note is that it tends to get quite noisy when on battery power.
1) The sample that I ordered was damaged in transit. The box had clearly been whacked en route to Amazon, so when I took it out of its packing, it made a decidedly dodgy-sounding clonking noise, so I didn’t want to use it. I raised this immediately with Amazon who informed me that the unit is NOT returnable, presumably because it can’t accept stuff with embedded batteries. In fairness to Amazon, they immediately refunded my payment (great service, as always Amazon, thanks very much). Interestingly, there’s a notice printed on one of the box folds stating that in the event of a problem, the purchaser should contact APC, not the supplier, if there are any issues. I think that this is more for US customers though.
2) The unit uses IEC sockets throughout, and is supplied with 2 x C13 to C14 cables. It is NOT supplied with C14 to UK 13A floating socket adapters.
3) The unit is NOT supplied with a mains cable.
4) The unit is NOT supplied with the necessary type B USB cable to connect the UPS to a device, such as a PC, which is used to monitor the device. From what I can make out, a USB2 cable should suffice.
5) The battery is NOT replaceable. Battery life is claimed to be between 2 to 5 years, depending on use.
6) Monitoring software (PowerChute) is only available for Windows systems. Mac systems offer basic support, but for Linux/Unix it’s necessary to use other software, which is mentioned in other reviews here.
7) The instructions are a little scant.
I checked with APC about the lack of mains cable (and the other points above). The idea, apparently, is that you use the cable that comes with your PC (for example) to connect the UPS to the mains, then one of the C13 to C14 cables supplied with the UPS to the PC in order to power it. However, there’s an issue here. Most cables supplied with PCs are rated at 5A. The 1400VA has an input demand of 6.1A. As such, it’s necessary (to be 100% safe) to obtain a heavier-duty IEC cable. These can be had for a couple of pounds. I certainly wouldn’t use this device with an incorrectly-rated power cable.
So, although my experience was less than 100%, I will be purchasing another sample once I’ve seen my credit card statement confirming the refund. There’s a two-year warranty if you register the device on the APC website.
PLUS POINTS:This is great for keeping my internet router and DECT Phones powered on when we have power cuts. The unit is neat and quite compact and has a single green light on the front. You will need two additional leads … https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B005KCGUZC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 to provide four 3-pin (UK) sockets
and also this one https://www.amazon.co.uk/Maclean-Kettle-Power-Cable-Connector/dp/B01DDI3YEY/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1515070769&sr=8-7&keywords=kettle+lead to plug the unit into a standard 3 pin mains socket.
MINUS POINTS: The unit Beeps four times every 30 seconds when the power goes off (which can be annoying when a power cut lasts for 2 hours). But there is no way to turn off the beeping. It also does 90 seconds of continuous beeping when the battery finally gives up (this happened at 2am in my house). There is no USB interface to the unit so it cannot warn devices when the power is about to fail. You cannot use Powerchute config software on this unit because there is no USB connection.
If you are running a desktop version of Windows, I’m sure the included Power-Chute software adds a lot in terms of monitoring and power usage.
All in all, very impressed (especialy for the price)
I bought this UPS for my router and Hive central heating hub as the Hive has real problems recovering from a power outage.
Comments 1 and 3 below don’t really apply if you’re planning on having a PC or server permanently connected in which case I would have given it 5 stars.
1) The only cable that this comes with is an IEC cable. This is the bit that connects from your PC to your monitor. The idea is that you will use the PC’s existing power cable for the UPS and then connect the PC to the UPS with the IEC cable supplied. Obviously, if you have a laptop which you plan on disconnecting periodically then you will need to buy a power cable.
2) The unit does not ship with a USB cable. In order to use the Powerchute software you will need a USB A to B cable (I borrowed the one from my printer).
3) The Powerchute software allows you to disable notifications at certain times of the day, e.g. while you are sleeping. It was not clear from the app whether the settings continued to be valid when a PC was not connected. I contacted APC tech support via live chat and was told that (sic) “This would depend from model to model. There are models that keeps the setting even if you disconnect the software from it and there are unit that would need to have the PC connected to follow the settings.. What I can only advise is for you to just check it your self”
Having tried it for myself the settings do continue to work after the laptop is disconnected, which is good.
The good news is that this APC is not expensive either (my last failed one was within 10% of its price). The even better news is that it has been doing great serving my Mac Pro, Mac Mini, laptop and 2 monitors for a year now without complain. The switching is transparent, there is no screen flickering or anything that I would notice with other UPSs. The only weird thing I have noticed is that there have been about a handful of times this past year when I could hear the UPS switching to battery power for a few seconds when there doesn’t seem to be a need for it. Since the switch is, as I said, rather transparent and I can’t vouch that there really was no temporary problem with our power supply, I won’t drop a star. If it suddenly fails next week though, I’ll be here taking stars off 😉
Edit: After 5.5 years, I got the replace battery alarm, so I went to APC.com and it gave me the battery (#113) replacement with several options of where to order it from in the UK. It’s on its way now.
APC 1400 Backups va avr [BX1400UI] on Ubuntu Linux.
We bought this to support a small home network, which consists of, a Ubuntu Linux home server (home made from an old PC), two reasonably powered Linux PC’s and their monitors, an ADSL modem, and a roamer phone. This is all adequately powered by the UPS.
In the event of a power cut the system reports we have 12-15 minutes battery time, plenty of time to backup and shutdown safely. If there is only one computer on line the battery time increases to 25-35 minutes. With just our server, modem and phone on line, reported battery time is well over an hour. I hope that means, that if, in the case of a power cut, we shut down our PC’s, we will have operational uninterrupted modem and phone connection until power is back up. So, if needed, we can use a laptop on WIFI as a temporary-stop gap and our phone will remain functioning.
The server is connected via usb to the UPS. After ‘apcupsd’, available in Ubuntu repositories, is installed on the server, easy control and monitoring of the UPS through Webmin is achieved. Google apcupsd and Webmin for more info.
The unit is not as big as I expected and tucks away neatly with our server. The price seems good for what we got, a relatively simple device that does the job, evens out fluctuations in power and gives time to deal with the occasional power cuts we get here in the country.
So far, we are very pleased with this product.
However, unfortunately for us, there has been a slight reduction in price since we made our purchase. 🙁
Now the bad news and why only 4 stars. It comes with a 1.22m IEC C13-C14 extension lead. This doesn’t sit well in the UPS and you only have to breathe on it to lose power, and hear “bzzt” noises. It’s in use as I write but it will be replaced asap. The box is good value for money so no real loss to do without the cable.
I’ve got two excellent 1m leads that fit tightly and securely (and have just ordered a 3m lead to replace the dodgy one). Don’t be a cheapskate, play safe and buy one more like this.
MHP 1m C13 to C14 IEC Extension Cable Hot and Cold (Male/Female Kettle) Lead – Monitor to PC Power Lead
Finally, the price went up after I did my research, then went down after I bought it. Exchange rates or Amazon being crafty?
On odd occasions, a brownout will occur in the area where I live which causes the lights to dim and is probably not very good for a projector with a UHT lamp and a computer.
I then browsed Amazon to see what they offered in terms of a UPS and I stumbled across this APC BX1400UI going for a price I could afford. Based on the positive reviews, I decided to go ahead and purchase one.
I have quite a beefy computer with a 27 inch LED monitor, DLP projector with a UHT lamp, blu-ray player, headphone wifi base station and a bedside radio/clock attached to the UPS.
With my computer and everything besides the projector running, the Powerchute software shows that I’m using 77 watts of power and it says I’ll get between 45 to 50 minutes of standby power in the event of the mains failing. If I turn on my projector, this goes up to about 420 watts and Powershute then recommends that I don’t add anymore equipment to the UPS. It then shows that I have about 7 minutes of standby power in the event of a power failure which is not long, but long enough to do a proper power down of the projector which includes the cooling cycle. This is a really big advantage when your projector has a UHT lamp. I ran the self test in Powershute and it passed with all my attached equipment running (including the projector).
I assume that the self test is simulating a mains failure. I then tripped the circuit breaker for the plugs in the house and the UPS continued to power my PC and the projector. I was really impressed with this. It’s amazing to think that the battery in the small housing of the UPS can actually provide enough current to the inverter to power a computer with its monitor and a UHT lamp based projector. When the UPS is running on battery, it is dead silent if only my computer is running. If the projector is running as well, it emits a very faint hum which is to be expected when considering the heavy load of the projector. On mains power, the unit is totally silent and sits under my computer desk minding its own business.
So far I can’t fault this UPS. It does exactly what I want it to do. The housing is ever so slightly warm on top during normal standby and it also looks appealing with the single green LED indicating that it is functioning and providing clean power to my equipment.
I really think that this is a good investment when you consider that I have over 1300 of equipment being protected by a piece of kit that costs 100. I highly recommend this unit if you don’t have an excessive amount of equipment to protect. It’s not a massive UPS and it does have its limits. The advantage is that it’s very light and I can carry it under my arm which is unusual for a UPS as they are generally very heavy due to the lead acid batteries inside.
Very easy to set up/install; tests suggest that it does its job very well. Seamlessly switches to battery power when mains power cut off; audible warning off loss of power plus pop out warning on screen, etc. Looks as if it would run for quite a long time on battery (1 PC, 1 monitor connected).
I installed the relevant Powerchute (free download) program. And here’s the but …
I am no ‘techie’. Documentation stated that ‘USB cable’ was needed to connect computer to APC unit to run Powerchute. I thought I had plenty of these. HOWEVER I needed a USB a to b cable – not a ‘standard’ USB a to a cable. Fortunately a local IT shop sorted me out. Maybe I should have known this (see the illustration of the back of the unit on Amazon website) which (now I know what it is) clearly shows a USB b connection.
You can buy a USB a to b cable from Amazon for about 2. I would have been saved a lot of hassle if requirements had been more clearly stated at time of purchase.
The larger battery backup is worth the extra money as it can last double the amount of time and have more features such as computer interface with their PowerChute Software available freely with their website. The UPS is also has high build quality compared to cheaper knock off brand ups’s and I would recommend for safety and reliability to go for a well known brand UPS.
I find the lack of providing the usb connection cable, the power in cable and the lack of extra plug adaptors makes me knock off a star for this product, but it is mostly great all round and if you are thinking of buying it.
his APC battery backup, it is not too big, to go on the computer desks only 11″side by 25″long and 19″ up over, to go on the desk or go under the computer desk the 1st Cable is only 43″ (3ft) it too small okay, they is no main power cable or an usb cable to go for your computer to APC 700 VA AVR Back Uninterrupted Power Supply . and they no software disk in the box, you need to buy an usb Printer Cable and computer power cable with a main plug ot it or use the one from your computer or tft, but you will need to get 2 to 4 IEC Jumper cables for the PC connection , 1, tft, 2 computer and you got 2 free for other thing like network harddrive or modem ect, and you can plug in an 4 way outlet socket, for any thing you need to use