APC BE325R Is A Good Inexpensive UPS
Written: Feb 07 '07 (Updated Feb 10 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Low price, 2-year warranty including battery, surge protection including phone line
Cons: Short battery life, no USB or software, only 2 battery-powered jacks
The Bottom Line: I highly recommend this UPS if you need short-term protection on a tight budget. It will let you save your work and shut down before too late.
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| dkozin's Full Review: APC (BE325R) UPS System |
Although the APC BE325R UPS usually sells for around $30, I bought it for $17 at an Office Depot sale. I wanted to get an inexpensive UPS system for quite some time to make sure that if the power goes off I will be able to safely save my work and turn my computer off.
What is APC BE325R?
The BE325R is an inexpensive UPS (uninterruptible power supply) that features 2 battery-powered and surge-protected DC jacks, 2 surge-protected DC jacks, phone and fax surge protection. The UPS is rated at 325 VA and features an alarm (beeps when power goes out). It has no USB port or software to turn the computer automatically so once you hear beeps, you better save your work yourself and quick - the battery will only last about a minute for a medium-powered computer with an LCD monitor.
The UPS comes with 2-year warranty (including battery) and automatically tests its battery once in a while. It also comes with $50,000 equipment protection warranty and claims to suppress RFI noise.
Getting Started
Once I got the device, I installed the battery (you have to open the lid and rotate the battery to make it connected). The UPS is a blocky and made of black plastic. It is quite heavy at 8.5 lbs. Once powered, the UPS has a green LED on.
I connected my computer to it (Athlon XP2800+, including Dell 19-inch LCD monitor, DSL modem and a wireless router) through a surge protector that I use as a splitter. According to my calculations, my computer system draws less than 300 W and more likely close to 110-130 W. But in any case, I did a test once the UPS had a chance to fully charge its battery. I disconnected the UPS from the DC power while keeping the computer on.
The UPS started beeping loudly (and quite annoyingly). I reconnected the UPS back about 30 seconds later, which would have been enough for me to save my work.
Again, I was not looking for a solution that would let me save my work automatically or make absolutely sure I shut down properly. For me, the most important thing is that I have a chance to save the source code or letter I am working on before the power goes out. And the APC BE325R is perfect for it.
I use its battery-powered jacks for my computer, monitor and DSL modem and wireless router and other two surge-protected ports for the printer and cell phone charger.
In the months I had this device I had no problems. I can hear it do a battery self-test once in a while (it makes hissing sounds), which is reassuring. And I trust that APC would design a product that will not let me down when I need it.
Recommendation
I highly recommend this UPS if you need short-term protection on a tight budget. It will let you save your work and shut down before too late.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
dkozin
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 in Electronics |
 - Top 10 |
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Location: California
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About Me:
I love to push buttons on electronic (audio and video) equipment. It makes me happy.
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