APC by Schneider Electric Back UPS PRO - BR1200SI - UPS 1200VA (8 IEC outlets, LCD interface, sinewave power output)

I needed a decent yet good value UPS unit to protect my computer and network equipment in the event of a power outage and the 900va version does the job absolutely brilliantly. I particularly want something that in the event of an extended power outage will allow me to shut down the computer and then continue to operate the network switches and clock radio for another few hours.The compact size and shape of this unit means I've easily managed to hide it behind my desk out of sight so you don't even know it's there. When the UPS isn't doing anything (i.e. just running off mains waiting for a power outage) it is completely silent - no fans or anything. When it's running off the battery powering my equipment during a mains outage it does make a noticeable buzzing noise but can easily sleep with it in the same room.I find with it powering two TP-Link Power-Over-Ethernet Switches, one bedside clock/radio and two IP cameras the battery lasts about 3 hours 40 minutes from fully charged to flat. If I have my desktop computer and monitor turned on idling as well then battery life works out at 35 minutes precisely - more than enough time to save work and shut down. My Windows 7 desktop PC treats the UPS in the same way as a laptop would treat it's own battery with no additional software or drivers required (i.e. just use the supplied cable to connect the Data port on the UPS to a spare USB port on your computer, then open the Windows Control Panel > Power Options and you'll see you now have separate settings for mains power and battery power). I haven't bothered installing the supplied PowerChute Personal software as Windows 7's power settings are sufficient for my needs.Some other reviews mention their PC's freezing when running off the UPS power due to the modified sine wave power output. I've not experienced any problems whatsoever. Specs - Corsair RM550 power supply, Intel Core i5 4690 CPU with onboard graphics, 8GB RAM, 1x SSD + 3x 7200rpm hard drives, 22 inch monitor drawing about 85 watts when idle.By default the UPS emits a loud beep every few seconds during a power outage however you can permanently silence it by holding down the mute button on the front panel for a couple of seconds.Although the UPS comes with 2x IEC C14 Male-Female kettle leads for connecting it to a PC or monitor, it does not come with its own mains power cable so you'll need to source one separately. Fortunately I had plenty of kettle leads lying around.Finally, if APC happen to read this there's one feature suggestion I'd like to make for a future version of this product - since as many gadgets these days run off 12v DC anyway (routers, network switches, CCTV cameras etc) can you include a 2.1mm 12v DC socket to run such equipment directly off the battery (and turn off the inverter to save battery if there's nothing wanting to draw power from the 240v sockets) rather than losing efficiency converting the battery up to 240v then back down to 12v again.

This UPS is brilliant.I bought it and came in before schedule, the unit is a little bit longer than expected but looks great next to my computer, even in plain view.On the back you have 8 IEC connectors 4 of them are battery operated and 4 surge protected only. Two of the 4 battery operated connectors are called Master, these ones are managed by the ups internal firmware and when the power goes below a set value of Watts the 2 controlled by master connectors on the left are powered down, saving you money on the energy bill, you can set this value along with other setting by connecting the UPS to the computer using the given USB cable or a serial connection.To provide the unit with the right threshold you will then need to monitor the power used by your computer when running idle.I have connected my computer on a master battery powered connector along with my screen, on the controlled by master instead my speakers and a second monitor, when I shut down the computer after 4 seconds screen and speakers are powered down, also this time game is customizable.The unit provides also a number interesting information such us the daily estimate cost for running the units connected at the actual power request, the running time on battery, the actual power consumption, etc..., and protects both your phone and data network thanks to the RJ11 and RJ45 surge protected connectors on the back of the unit.The main reason for buying this unit, was to protect the my Synology Server, after setting up all with my computer I plugged the usb cable in the Synology running DSM 5.1 and after a couple of clicks in the control panel everything was setup, I posted a picture showing the estimated battery running time and the other information provided by the DSM utility.For who is thinking between the BR900GI 540W and the 330W, consider the following: My computer is a Asus Maximus VII Gene and Intel i7 4790K, 2x 4TB Hard Drives, 2x SSD Drives, 32GB DDR3 Ram and powered by 620W Corsair PSU, when playing or other intense activity, the power absorption is never more 130/170W, I also run 4 VMs (3x Win Server 2012 and 1x windows 7) I also have connected a Synology Server and 2 LED 24" screens.Unless you want more battery running time and you have a similar setup, you can go with the APC 330W RS LCD 550 that will save you some money.

Just using this to guard against (probably intentional) power test outages in my department while I'm travelling. Simply backing up a high performance desktop.Very easy to set up physically. I've tried experiments where I've switched off power at the mains and it picked up the slack without any trouble, which is the main thing. Feels solid - looks pretty decent. Allows the alarms to be silenced during sleeping ours.Software user interface could have been simplified (for the home user - if you manage a bunch of computers then the tools for monitoring costs might be more relevant). The link on their software page for Powerchute Personal edition didn't seem to work but their (very responsive) tech support sent me a direct link.

Despite very high price, the unit came without a mains electricity power cable, so before it could be used I had to go and obtain a power cable. Usually electrical devices that are designed to be connected to main electricity come with a correct power cable. Extraordinarily unhelpful ommission. The Amazon website gave no warning e.g. "This unit does not come with a power cable and appropriate plug", so in order to use this item you will need to obtain a suitable mains power cable.