Best UPS for battery life

[geekman]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for a device that will power 2x 13" Macbook Pro 2015 laptops, and a 4G modem during power outages. My main requirement is that the device will initially charge from the mains, and then maintain power to my devices as long as possible in the event of a power cut. I don't really need any fancy features - my only real concern is the battery life.

As far as I can see, the type of device I need is called a UPS. Does anyone have any recommendations for the best one to get? I'm looking to spend around £500, but I could be persuaded to spend more if necessary. Equally, if there's some other device / solution, I'd be happy to hear it.

Thanks!

 

[EsaT]

So you're living in Mexico?
Some brands have products available in only certain areas.


Laptops don't need that much power.
While lower output UPSes also have lower internal battery, not sure if there are now affordable models available with big external battery pack.

 

[geekman]

So you're living in Mexico?
Some brands have products available in only certain areas.


Laptops don't need that much power.
While lower output UPSes also have lower internal battery, not sure if there are now affordable models available with big external battery pack.

Yes, but I can get anything available in the US, which I believe is most of the major brands?

 

[EsaT]

APC had easrlier consumer UPS with extra battery pack option, but not sure if it's available anywhere anymore.

Not sure if any other maker has made such consumer UPSes.
In server level UPSes battery packs to increase back up time are standard feature, but those are out of budget.

 

[VersionMonkey]

The APC Smart UPS range has some extended runtime units; although even the smallest might stretch your budget.

I don't know how much power the Macbooks will require but you might get 30-45 minutes from the SMX750 (the RRP from APC for the 120V model SMX750C is $579).

Do also take note of the size and weight of these UPSs, though - they are intended to be installed in server racks, but can be configured as a "tower".

 

[Quartz]

Are you sure this is the correct solution? Have you considered the combination of a UPS and a generator?

 

[geekman]

APC had easrlier consumer UPS with extra battery pack option, but not sure if it's available anywhere anymore.

Not sure if any other maker has made such consumer UPSes.
In server level UPSes battery packs to increase back up time are standard feature, but those are out of budget.

Thanks. I saw one of those for sale locally, and with my limited research it seemed like a good option.

The APC Smart UPS range has some extended runtime units; although even the smallest might stretch your budget.

I don't know how much power the Macbooks will require but you might get 30-45 minutes from the SMX750 (the RRP from APC for the 120V model SMX750C is $579).

Do also take note of the size and weight of these UPSs, though - they are intended to be installed in server racks, but can be configured as a "tower".

A friend of mine has some racks lying around, and we have quite a lot of space, so I'm not too concerned about that. I'd ideally like to get a fair bit more than 30-45 minutes though.

Are you sure this is the correct solution? Have you considered the combination of a UPS and a generator?

No, I'm not at all sure, which is why I asked here really. I have considered a generator but it seems overkill considering we rarely get power cuts, and I'd only need it to work for a couple of hours. A couple of friends have them and they seem to be quite noisy, as well as requiring fuel and regular servicing. I'm not 100% against getting one, but I'd hoped that some sort of UPS type device would be a better solution.

 

[Minstadave]

Something like the Jackery power packs may do the job cheaper?

The laptops should last a few hours on their battery anyway shouldn't they? So you're energy requirement is pretty small.

 

[Rroff]

UPS like the run of the mill APC units, etc. generally are designed to cover transient power issues and allow graceful shutdown to prevent data loss.

My current backup to keep things like laptops and my 4G internet ticking over during longer power outages is a Renogy inverter which has UPS functionality (‎R-INVT-PUH1-101235-UK) along with several 100ah deep-cycle gel batteries and solar panels (So far I've not long term tested it though). You can get stuff like the Iconica hybrid units which combine UPS, inverter and battery charge controller in one.

Other options like Minstadave suggested could be the likes of the EcoFlow River or Anker PowerHouse II (though they typically won't have the wattage/current output for higher end laptops or PCs, etc. though some of the higher end models do) also the big PowerOak units which do have higher wattage outputs.

EDIT: I basically built myself this https://www.photonicuniverse.com/en...-hybrid-inverter-and-6-x-100Ah-batteries.html but with a lower spec inverter and separate charge controller, higher spec version of the batteries and different solar panels - but I based it off that setup as an example.

The batteries are ~33Kg each the delivery guy was not impressed LOL!

Are you sure this is the correct solution? Have you considered the combination of a UPS and a generator?

Depending on the output from the generator the UPS may see the generator as "dirty" power and stay switched over to its internal battery.

 

[geekman]

Something like the Jackery power packs may do the job cheaper?

The laptops should last a few hours on their battery anyway shouldn't they? So you're energy requirement is pretty small.

That looks like an excellent solution, thanks! Yes, they should, but my wife likes to wander around the house with her laptop and often forgets to plug it in, so I need to plan for a scenario where we have a power cut and her laptop is close to being out of battery.

UPS like the run of the mill APC units, etc. generally are designed to cover transient power issues and allow graceful shutdown to prevent data loss.

My current backup to keep things like laptops and my 4G internet ticking over during longer power outages is a Renogy inverter which has UPS functionality (‎R-INVT-PUH1-101235-UK) along with several 100ah deep-cycle gel batteries and solar panels (So far I've not long term tested it though). You can get stuff like the Iconica hybrid units which combine UPS, inverter and battery charge controller in one.

Other options like Minstadave suggested could be the likes of the EcoFlow River or Anker PowerHouse II (though they typically won't have the wattage/current output for higher end laptops or PCs, etc. though some of the higher end models do) also the big PowerOak units which do have higher wattage outputs.

EDIT: I basically built myself this https://www.photonicuniverse.com/en...-hybrid-inverter-and-6-x-100Ah-batteries.html but with a lower spec inverter and separate charge controller, higher spec version of the batteries and different solar panels - but I based it off that setup as an example.

The batteries are ~33Kg each the delivery guy was not impressed LOL!



Depending on the output from the generator the UPS may see the generator as "dirty" power and stay switched over to its internal battery.

That's incredibly useful, thanks. The days of me having a high end PC are long gone - when our Macs finally die I'll almost certainly just upgrade to a newer model, so I can't see us ever needing a huge amount of power. I'll check out all those options tomorrow, as well as the Jackery ones - I'm pretty sure one of those will end up being our solution.

 

[Rroff]

Do you actually need instant failover? if not the devices like Jackery are very good in that you can leave them charged up and plug in as needed. For my usage it tends to be useful to have uninterrupted power i.e. for longer 3D prints, etc.

 

[geekman]

Do you actually need instant failover? if not the devices like Jackery are very good in that you can leave them charged up and plug in as needed. For my usage it tends to be useful to have uninterrupted power i.e. for longer 3D prints, etc.

Not necessarily- I thought it would be useful to avoid the modem rebooting, but I could easily swap to a modem with a battery so it wouldn’t be that big a deal.

 

[Minstadave]

Not necessarily- I thought it would be useful to avoid the modem rebooting, but I could easily swap to a modem with a battery so it wouldn’t be that big a deal.

That's what I'd do. Use the Jackery should the power go out - just plug in a multisocket bar to the Jackery and run everything off it's AC output.

 

[EsaT]

Thanks. I saw one of those for sale locally, and with my limited research it seemed like a good option.

Those were also IIRC consumer priced.
But getting both UPS and battery pack might be issue.

This is the kind of runtime you would get from normal UPS:
http://eg.eaton.com/ups-battery-runtime/en-gb/5S1500I

Laptop at idle-light load (like reading text/web) is likely around dozen watts.

 

[geekman]

Those were also IIRC consumer priced.
But getting both UPS and battery pack might be issue.

This is the kind of runtime you would get from normal UPS:
http://eg.eaton.com/ups-battery-runtime/en-gb/5S1500I

Laptop at idle-light load (like reading text/web) is likely around dozen watts.

Thanks. I'm pretty sure I'll go with the Jackery or something similar, but it's good to know that's an option too.