APC UPS Battery Backup for Computer, BE550G Surge Protector with Battery Backup, Dataline Protection

I live in Nevada, and power outages are a regular thing, especially during high temperature power drains in summer or A-N-Y type of other weather extreme.Just purchased my very first battery backup EVER (APC® Model BE650G1) after a catastrophe. In the past, I was too cheap to buy this level of protection, and frankly, thought I didn't need it.Anyway, this unit will be in my home office FOR AS LONG AS I AM ALIVE, connecting a: 1) NEW Windows 11 Pro PC desktop [tower] computer, 2) a 32" LCD monitor, 3) a fiber-optic modem, and 4) a DECO® "mesh" router, to the "BATTERY BACKUP/SURGE PROTECTION" side ... and a network "Hub", a TABLOtv®, and an HP Laserjet printer, to the "SURGE PROTECTION ONLY" side.NOTES:1) The instructions say to charge the battery for 16 hours, but I would suggest a FULL 24 HOURS, to condition the battery. ALWAYS plug-in the APC® unit DIRECTLY to a 3-prong wall plug (NO extension cords, strips, etc!).2) I mentioned Windows 11 because of the included "PowerChute®" setup software. The included USB cable is to FIRST, connect the APC® unit to your computer, then have your devices plugged-in to the chosen outlets, and make sure the unit is "On" (green light). Then install the software.3) If your unit was shipped with a CD in the box, DON'T USE IT! Download the latest "full" version from the APC® website. (Check for Windows versions compatibility).4) The "PowerChute®" software is GREAT! It lets you choose all types of "shutdown" options and displays battery statistics - including a log! This software is not necessary for your unit to function perfectly ... BUT I WOULD NOT BE WITHOUT IT!! (Make sure it is in your Windows "Startup" programs too!)5) This unit contains Surge Protection for any network or cable connection that uses an "RJ-45" jack. Fortunately, if you have a "Fiber Optic" connection, surge protection is unnecessary, that is why there are no connection jacks for optics.TESTING:I have not done a total "Rundown" test to see how long the battery will last, but the results of the "pull out the plug" tests I have run, showed the battery engaged and powered my four devices WITHOUT A FLICKER, and the software did EXACTLY what I had chosen for it to do!CONCLUSION: Why don't you have one of these? I know TOO well! ... You had better change.I can't speak to durability or longevity since it's been functioning less than a week, but after reading MANY reviews on this and other "backup battery" solutions, APC won hands-down.

The first one was purchased simply so we didn't have to wait 20 minutes for the DirecTV receiver to reboot when the power went out for a short period. Then the second was purchased to keep the modem and router online for a while when the power was out. Due the shift to working at home full time because of the pandemic my computer was added to that UPS. My wife also worked at home so a third UPS was purchased for her PC. Most recently I purchased one to protect the electronics in my home theater.They work great. They keep the power stable at least from low power conditions. I don't have a monitor to see how stable the power truly is. It's very convenient to continue doing whatever we are doing when power goes out at least for a while particularly when on the computer so we have time to save things, send final emails, click the buy now button on Amazon items etc. We have a 75" LG LED tv and we get about 30 minutes of run time after the power goes out. I can't provide an estimate for the computers because we shut them down after a few minutes if the power hasn't bee restored.

I live in an area that sees occasional surges and temporary power outages. This has messed with some of my smaller devices and I lose internet access with each power blip/outage.Post install (3 years running) , this device has protected my small electronics and keeps my internetup and running for almost an hour longer.I also like that it communicates with my small server with information on its battery status. This allows my server to automatically shutdown properly before the UPS runs out of battery.

Pros:Easy to replace batteryUSB monitoringUSB charging port that works off battery or utility powerWall-mountable (though screw keyholes are 213 mm or 8.39" apart, not sure where they got this odd dimension)Entry-level costCons:No LCD displayNo mute buttonI'm not crazy about this form factorBattery is expensiveI have two of these. They don't have huge capacity so they won't run anything with a lot of power draw for very long, but if you want surge protection and a computer or other device to not instant-off with a 2-second interruption in power, these work great. There is an easy-to-access, toolless battery compartment though a replacement battery is more than half the cost of the unit, which is not typical. It has a USB-A charging port and a USB-B port to plug into a computer (it comes with a cable) to monitor the power status. I'm not crazy about this form factor and it doesn't have an LCD screen or mute button (it only has one button) so you have to refer to the manual for the color and blink pattern to determine what it's telling you and will need monitoring software to know what the load and available battery power are. It's a good entry-level UPS.