I sorta understand where you’re coming from, but you really didn’t address my need/use case. I work from home, so I need to be able to access the internet in the case of a power outage, at least for a half hour, so the processes I run don’t fail. My main purpose is to have the modem and router plugged in to the UPS so I won’t have any interruptions caused by a power failure (which are more common than internet failures where I live).
This really only became a need for me since our agency went remote. Previously we were telework, so 3 days home and 2 days in the office - and we had the option of switching our home and office days in the event of power failures or internet outages.
I can still go in, if needed, but I no longer have an office space nor free on site parking, and parking costs is equivalent to an hour or two of paid time, not to mention the lost time commuting, which means a potential loss of pay or leave as we are not permitted to work past 6 p.m.
A UPS is “sized” based on total output - for example 1000VA. Generally speaking, consumer UPSs have a set battery size/capacity. So those are the two factors in play. Understandably, this may not equate to anything so most manufacturers offer sizing calculators such as this one and run-time calculators such as this.
Cyberpower does offer UPSs with “simulated” sine wave output. They are less expensive and will work fine for most uses however I simply prefer the true sine wave for the reasons I mentioned in my previous response. Add up the total cost of all the equipment you are protecting and the extra cost for a true sine wave model is not that much more. UPSs in general, also offer far better EFI/RF and surge protection than a standard “surge” power bar. Most include insurance for any equipment electrically damaged while connected to the UPS. Any UPS is better than no UPS!
So the CyberPower CP850PFCLCD would be more than enough (well, overkill) for the typical home office setup (laptop, two ~22" LCD monitors, a router/WAP/modem). I have a 1500VA unit and the display shows 56 min run time currently. 1500VA is overkill for me now - I used to have a gaming desktop so it was originally sized for that and my laptop/monitors.
Anyone try using one of those big batteries as a battery backup? Like the ones from bluyetti or jackery? I wonder if one of those can keep a router running for a while.
In Reddit, there is a post regarding your exact question. The reply below makes sense because UPSs generally use sealed lead-acid batteries whereas a power bank (Jackery is basically that) use lithium-ion which do not like to held at full charge. Also the general opinion using a Jackery or similar is a way too expensive solution. A router/WAP uses hardly any power so if that is the only load, your UPS runtime would be very long…so long the UPS may start to overheat. My Cyberpower has a cooling fan that kicks in while on battery.
Quote from Reddit:
"The Jackery is not designed to do this, specifically to stay plugged in 24/7 and have the battery drawn from. The battery chemistry is different, and will the lifespan of the battery will be decreased significantly. Devices designed to be used as UPS use lead acid batteries designed to stay at close to full charge for long periods of time. Power is only drawn from the battery when AC power is lost, which is meant to be very infrequently.
Most Jackery models, especially the modern ones, turn off their power outputs after a predefined amount of time, usually 12 hours or so. There is no way to override this that I am aware of.
As a result, no, you can not use a Jackery as a (useful) UPS."
oh yes we use UPS for power conditioning big time.
In Mexico they sell power conditioning devices – no battery – for $40 USD, but the UPS devices cost 2x that at $80 USD and up. They don’t sell APC anywhere I have found. And yes I’d say they have gone down in quality since Schneider bought them.
I’ve been in IT a long time and worked remotely since 2004.
If you have not solved the ‘how to keep the internet, wifi, computer’ up and running when the power goes out and you telecommute, you may not have a job long. I have multiple redundant systems in place. 5G mobile hotspot. Battery bricks. A box full of various dongles, cables, and adapters. 6 battery backups. You have to invest in yourself and your career even if your employer won’t to keep yourself employable. Remember you can use your cell phone as a mobile hotspot too which I do at the airport almost 2x a week.
I have used my phone Hotspot on the very rare occasion my internet goes out, but oddly, my work makes allowances for internet and VPN server outages, but not power outages, and they frown upon mobile Hotspot use. They don’t want us using wifi, either, but most of us ignore that. If they start cracking down, I can connect via wired connection if I have to.
Shoot, the internet at my office and our VPN servers would go down more than my home internet does.
I’ve worked here for over 20 years, and I have very specialized knowledge that no one else knows, so I’m pretty confident the most I’ll ever get is a slap on the wrist. I’ve been telling them for years that someone needs to learn this stuff, and even moreso the last year when I was the last one in my unit. God forbid something happening to me… They’d be attached to an object by an inclined plane, wrapped helically around an axis.
My friend is in aerospace. He is a cobol programmer for power supplies that are on satellites traveling in orbit and beyond our solar system. He is super specialized. They call him every 9 months or so with a special assignment which starts like this: “the battery is going to run out in 3 months unless we come up with a fix…”
