Home > Consumer Reviews > Cyberpower CP685AVR UPS - 685VA/390W AVR 8-Outlet RJ11/RJ45 Compact Design EMI/RFI USB

Got the UPS for my 2.0 GHz DP PowerMac and 20-inch ACD. I was specifically attracted to the automatic voltage regulator feature of this UPS. We have an automatic emergency generator for our house, and during power outages units like the APC Backup Pro 650 would cycle on and off and chirp like crazy. Apparently the line voltage fluctuates too much on generator power. A few days after setting up the Cyberpower UPS, the power went out during an electrical storm and the unit seemed to work flawlessly. One note: I was trying to figure out why no OS X software came with the included CD. After calling the company, I found out that you only need to install the software for Windows PCs. With Macs, all the software controls are built in to OS X. You just plug your components into the UPS, hook up the USB cable, start the computer. On start up, the computer recognized the UPS automatically, and you can set everything (e.g. how many minutes before shut-down, presence of UPS icon on menu bar, etc) through System Preferences. Sweet. Another reason to own a Mac. It just works.

I was concerned that such a reasonable price I would be getting crap. Software works well and will tell you when you had a outage or a shortage / brownout (it kicks in to keep voltage constant). I have a large system dell 24in lcd, dsl router, wireless router, dual core tower, external hard drive. It will run for over 10 minutes no problem. Software said it will do 14 if needed. Has auto shutdown that you can program to take over in an outage. I have mine set to 5 minutes without power before auto shutdown is engaged.

I bought the 800VA/450W USwith Avr and had very satisfactory results, so when I bought a smaller UPS for my parents I bought another CyberPower, the 685VA/390W. The setup was, like the 800, direct and simple, and no driver software was needed (even though my parents were still using an old -- but upgraded -- iMac Blueberry with Jaguar.) This is a good product, and is serving my parents well in an area plagued with brownouts, blackouts, surges and power dips. Just make sure you do some shopping before you buy: I wound up buying both at the top of their price range.

Did not bother to install the Cyberpower software (did not want something else starting up with Windows to slow startup time). The device is recognized by Windows XP and I just use the system power settings (Control Panel -Power Options) to set how long before shut down, hibernation, etc.). I was able to run about 22 minutes (with computer not being used at all except to check the remaining battery power with the icon in the taskbar). I had ONLY my 18" NEC monitor and my computer plugged in. Nothing was plugged into the surge only plugs. My computer is fairly "high-end". It's an old HP a250y but I have put in 2 new large hard drives, an Nvidia GeForce 6800 GS/XT 256 RAM video card and a Rosewill 550 watt power supply. Very pleased and surprised at the performance of this UPS. My last UPS, a TripLite, could only manage 3 minutes on battery before shutdown with the originally equipped HP Pavilion a250y!

I've owned this product for a couple months now, and only experienced a brief outage or two, but this battery backup has performed flawlessly. The load for this unit is perfect for home use, but be aware that only 4 outlets are surge- AND battery-protected - - this is fine if you choose your components wisely (there's no reason to plug some items in to the battery-protected outlets). The software is easily installed and can gracefully power down your PC during an extended outage.
So far this unit has out-performed the comparable APC unit that I also owned...