The importance of having a Battery Backup for your UPS

Almost everyone uses a computer for work these days, even more so during the quarantine. And one of the most annoying and frustrating things about working on a desktop is when the power goes out, it takes all your unsaved work along with it. Whether you live in a city with no shortages or in a rural area with power-outs every day, having a battery backup power system will greatly benefit you, especially if you have something like a home server.

Apart from having a generator of your own, the two most popular and affordable methods of providing backup power to the devices or the entire house are either with an inverter battery backup system or with a UPS.
The Difference Between a Single Unit UPS and An Inverter Battery System

Inverter Battery Systems use batteries large enough to power the house, and depending on the number of batteries you can afford, you can have it power almost any device. Batteries are separately bought and connected to an inverter; it controls and converts the stored DC power in the batteries to AC.

Pros

● You can expand the battery capacity in the future depending on your needs.
● The inverter manages and converts the overall output to AC.
● It’s a great alternative to a generator; with the right setup, you can expect this system to power almost all the
home appliances; just make sure not to turn on the microwave and the oven at the same time unless your inverter
is rated for it.
● Best used for low priority, less sensitive devices like fans, lights, T.V, etc.

Cons

● Slight delay in switching to backup(1-2 seconds).
● Only kicks in when the power out does not provide a constant supply like a UPS.
● Not recommended for a direct connection with a PC unless you have a UPS.

Simply put, a single UPS(Uninterrupted Power Supply) is a more advanced version of the inverter battery setups meant for PCs and printers. It is a single unit with no additional components capable of protecting against power surges and fluctuations in the voltage. This is an active system meaning the voltage fluctuations are corrected with AVR and the backup kicks in within 1-2 milliseconds.

Pros

● Compact and provides constant voltage with a preset range.
● Much faster switching time and compact design.
● Simple to install with no extra components or headaches.
● Connects to the wall and directly to the device does not interfere with the MCB.
● Protects against voltage fluctuations, power surges caused by lightning.
● The perfect choice for sensitive devices like network equipment, desktop computers, and servers that need to run
24/7.

Cons

● Not meant for extended working during power-outs. Only provides backup for 15-30 mins, enough time to save your
work, and shut down the PC safely;
● It is not designed for operating high-voltage AC devices.
● Limited capacity due to size.

Recommended Battery Usage

If you can effort a big dent in your wallet, we would recommend you to buy an inverter with batteries for the house and a UPS for the PC. The batteries will power your home during a blackout, and the UPS will protect the sensitive devices eliminating the chances of data loss.

If the budget is limited and your top priority is work, go for a UPS. It will power your system long enough to save your work and offers protection against voltage fluctuations. You can also add a smart power strip to detect when the devices are not in use and automatically turn them off, saving power. Buy models with a Smart-UPS On-line tag because they can handle more voltage variation.

And if you are only concerned with the lights or the entertainment system where a slight delay won’t cause problems, opt for an inverter-backed battery system.

Do not buy an inverter backed battery system without a single unit UPS if your aim is to work at home on PCs because there is a 3-7 millisecond second delay for the inverter to activate its back up; it will turn the devices off and back on, corrupting or deleting the unsaved in the process.

The newer inverter models have a power-saving backup ups mode which reduces the voltage range from 190V-260V to 220V-240V for sensitive devices, the backup also kicks in faster. But high voltage devices like fans and TVs won’t work, so using them like this is a waste of money compared to a small UPS.

Best Options In The Market

Brand names like the APC and Luminous are well-known for their UPS line ups; they make some of the best affordable products without compromising quality. Before selecting a UPS, you have to decide how much backup you need. For that, type in “APC runtime calculator” or “ups power calculator APC” into google, open the first APC website, then select your device or power usage; it will calculate the power required and show you options. The best choice to power a single PC with a modem would be an APC 700va UPS; you can also connect the phone systems to it.

In the case of inverters, go for options from Luminous or Microtek; are the leading companies offering a wide variety of great choices.

Congrats on making it to the end; we hope you have understood the benefits of having a battery backup system and are armed with enough knowledge to choose the best for your house. And keep in mind whether it is an inverter or a UPS only connect devices that the system is rated for.

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