Apc Back-ups Es BE750G 10 Outlet 750VA 120V Master Control
See it at Amazon.com for $122.90Average Customer Rating
(4.5 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
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(5 out of 5)Every home should have one
I purchased one of these items on May 10, 2008. Since I had a blackout on 6/27, I figured I could finally write a review.
First, this is my first APC, as well as my first battery backup, product. I've owned a number of surge protectors in the past, but since I had purchased a new computer, I wanted to try a backup device.
After a deal of research, I finally went with this one, after the value for the money, and the positive reviews APC had received.
This model offers 10 outlets, of which 5 can run off of the battery. This also offers a master, and three 'slave' outlets. This means that if the master is off, the three outlets can optionally be shut off as well (helpful for printers, monitors, speakers, ...) It's optional, so you can shut it off (which I did).
It also offers a USB connection, so you can monitor the status of the battery using APC PowerChute Personal Edition.
Along with charge percentage, it gives the number of volts being passed into it, and the watt load on the battery, which seems to translate into a battery estimate (how long equipment can run).
PowerChute offers a couple of options, for when the power goes off - preserve the battery, or keep the computer on for as long as possible.
Having had a blackout, albeit at night, I can suggest what I had happen. First, my computer appears to have been put to sleep. When it started back up, SpeedFan began running my two fans at 100%. In short, the battery handled the blackout perfectly.
If you're worried about alarms going off at night, there are settings to disable the alarm between particular hours, or disable it entirely.
Finally, while this comes with a battery, they do recommend you replace these every three years. You can run self-tests manually to verify the battery. I did have a bit of trouble when first hooking up the battery, but it was relatively minor.
(As a guy who's interested in statistics, I would also have liked to have been able to pull more information from PowerChute - for example, via a battery log of what's happening when I'm not at my computer. Granted, it'll tell you when the battery kicks in, but I'd like to know what voltage is being passed, and whether usage watts are spiking or moving throughout the day. What happens when I'm running tasks, or if I have my computer sit for a couple of hours with the monitor off?)
Overall, I'm *extremely* happy with this product, and will *definitely* be purchasing another one of these to hook up my Playstation 3 and Sony Bravia.
(5 out of 5)APC UPS + Surge protectiom
Apc Back-ups Es BE750G 10 Outlet 750VA 120V Master Control. Excellent and well known trade mark. Our iMAC O.S. X.5.4 (Leopard) recognized it immediately and no need to use "Apples" energy saver utility screen. Seems quite sensative to power fluctuations and responds beautifully. I give it a A!
(3 out of 5)Master Control is Useless for iMacs
Good thing the master control feature can be turned off. If you plug an iMac into master and any USB or firewire controlled device in the controlled outlets, you are in for some entertainment. When the iMac goes to sleep, the UPS will power down the USB or firewire devices, which the iMac will still detect as a device removal, which will cause the iMac to wake up and pwer is restored t the devices. The iMac will quickly go back to sleep, which will cause the devices to power down, which will then ... and then ... forever and ever.
Otherwise, a nice product. What I noticed most is how much the battery weight has decreased over the years. I have two older 650 models and now this 750.
And yes, iMacs don't need any additional software. With Windows, YMMV.
(4 out of 5)Good, but watch out!
As soon as i got the ups, i read the installation directions and plugged my computer, monitor and cordless phone into the battery backup and my wireless router, dsl modem and subwoofer into the surge protection plugs. I then plugged the ups into the wall outlet and a whaling sound came from the ups and wouldnt stop. I even unplugged the ups from the wall outlet and the noise continued. After a couple of minutes, it stopped suddenly and everything seemed ok as the green light indicator turned on. Just when i thought everything was ok, i noticed that my wireless router wasnt working. Everything else was on but the router. Come to find out that the ups shorted out my router. I tried to get the ups insurance policy to replace the router, but apc said because my router wasnt damaged by a surge that they wouldnt replace it.I was disappointed when they told me that. Other than that, the ups works fine and the software monitors the battery time of the ups and you can even run tests to see if the ups is in working condition. Just remember to plug in devices one at a time with the ups plugged into the wall.
(4 out of 5)Good item - instructions and customer service should be better
Like I said: This is a good item but instructions and customer service are lacking.