UPS 3 hour up time for 30W?

Meddling-Monk · 2 Aug 2023 at 13:10

Hi all, wondering if anyone knows of a UPS I can grab that can keep several devices totalling around 30W of power up for around 3 hours? I'm aware that the rolling brown outs/black outs are unlikely to be a thing now, but as I'd like to keep options open in case things take a dive out of the blue again.

I'm hoping to keep alive the following items:
Modem (Adtran 621i): Required to keep Internet alive. 12W needed.
Router (Linksys Velop WiFi6): Needed to get everything connected to the Modem (VOIP is directly connected to this) also for any WiFi connections needed. 13W needed.
VOIP Box (Grandstream HT801): Required to have a Voice Line out (Phone is directly connected to this). 2.3W needed.
Phone (Panasonic TGJ423, only need base unit though during such times connected): Required to make calls if needed (and mobile connections are flakey). 0.7W needed

So they average around 30W of power needed.

Anyone able to recommend something that can power all of them for that period of time? Or even multiple UPS if I split it up (~15W between two UPS)? Just want to plan ahead in case needed down the line given I am now a full time carer for a family member now that remains a falls risk and has other medical issues and thus need a line out if required. Also during such times, I could also offer my neighbours guest wifi network access so they're not cut off if the mobile networks are swamped.

Silent and easy battery swap or a purchase/delivery and recycle service (if battery is non removable) would be great as well (my old APC Brick was a chore to remove as no local Electronic Waste Recycling and APC wouldn't deliver and recycle for consumers).

Thanks all.

Meddling-Monk · 10 Sep 2023 at 15:44

With the talk about another "possible" outtage season ahead, I'm re-upping this post.

I've seen a Cyberpower UPS that is 900W and 1500VA (Cyberpower CP1500EPFCLCD-UK Backup UPS PFC Pure Sinewave 1500VA/900W 2 x UK Sockets 4 x IEC) that has a battery that can last at least 2 hours. It's provided graphs by Cyberpower give an in use wattage that is much higher than the 30W I'll need when it can provide 2 hours of power, but I believe that the battery is the main detail on how long the battery can last, and thus the maximum I can get out of this would only ever be 2 hours, anyone know if this is correct?

And if anyone knows, if I grab another UPS to put these into serial (one plugged into the other via their mains), to - in theory, grab another hour out of the UPS, would this be safe to do so?

Thanks for any and all info.

Meddling-Monk · 11 Sep 2023 at 01:21

Thanks guys for the suggestions for alternatives, I'll start looking towards those to see if any fit what we need here.

Not a new build here, so unfortunately all the legwork is required by us here to get this up and running in case of any 3 hour time outs up ahead.

If anyone has any other suggestions, I'd be happy to read about them too.

Meddling-Monk · 30 Nov 2023 at 01:17

Grabbed the Cyberpower 1500VA when it was on offer, so have it with me now. The only question I have left (before I start charging it up proper and seeing if it can also last the 3 hours desired), is this (I hope someone knows the answer to as online seems to be varied on what's what):

I know from what @Rroff said that going serial from one UPS to another is problematic (battery may kick in often if not all the time causing premature downgrade and burnout of the battery if not potentially a fire hazzard). But due to my parents place only having the one outlet where the communications equipment is there's not many options available to us. This is where the TV and a small media PC is as well, we currently have everything plugged into a Belkin Surge Protector strip (8 sockets).

Would it still be problematic plugging the UPS into the Surge Protector strip (just to receive power) and having the communications moved to the UPS only? Would it still bounce between battery and online power? Or any other issues? We only need the UPS to power and maintain the comms in case of power outtage. And the other outlet sockets on the Surge Protector strip will be used for the other devices so the UPS will never be overloaded.

Going the other way, UPS first, and a PDU out to power the rest is not viable unfortunately, as this UPS has battery backup for all the outlets it has, meaning it'll try and keep everything up on power out instead of just for the comms units.

Incidentally, anyone know of a basic Power Strip (non Surge Protected) that I can grab if need be (to go from AC Wall Outlet, and then UPS and devices into this strip?). As I'm looking around and so many of them include the surge protection anyway, so just not sure if this (UPS and Surge Protectors) is still an issue, and what my (safe) options are going ahead.

Thanks all.

Meddling-Monk · 30 Nov 2023 at 01:50

Rroff said:
Having the UPS connected to a surge protector then into the wall while not ideal should be OK as long as the surge protector doesn't have an active power filtering component (your average consumer power strip one doesn't) and peak power draw from the surge protector is low (like 100s of watts) - but you shouldn't really have devices with a high power on surge or peak power spikes into a surge protector anyway.

Thanks, that's exactly the confirmation of information I needed (not ideal but safe enough still to plug UPS into the Surge Protector strip).

The Surge Protector strip is an older Belkin standard protected Surge Protector with no active filtering. So just need to make sure the rest of the attached devices don't cause problems through pulled power (it shouldn't given the power needed from them).

Thanks again for confirming.

Meddling-Monk · 5 Dec 2023 at 13:51

An update to this, so I've got it all installed up properly and set up. And the battery indicator suggests it can give 195+ minutes of power up time during any power outage for the communications equipment (also timed it to see the estimation go up/down and it does seem to tally). More than enough for the 3 hours rolling outages that the grid are thinking of in case it's necessary. This is for the aforementioned communications equipment (VOIP, Phone, Router and ONT Modem, totalling around 30W).

Thanks for the help all, also hope this helps anyone looking to do the same thing for vulnerable family.

Meddling-Monk · 27 Jan 2024 at 08:53

5abr3 said:
One thing that wasn't mentioned early on in this thread (and may help someone else) is if you got a pair of UPS you could run them in parallel and split the loads (if you manage to get a 50/50 split then you should get roughly the same runtime).

That does however need a bit of planning in terms of current when charging so I wouldn't personally do that unless there's a twin (or more) socket from the wall available.

Yeah, I did query if splitting it by two UPS (in parallel) and whether that would be able to hit the target 3 hour mark given the power requirements of the comms units in play. Unfortunately it's not a common topic is appears with many variables (especially from the UPS in question, particularly the battery and its uptime vs power needed). Also, as you correctly identified, would need another socket from the wall which I didn't have here available

. But even then in my scenario, it probably would not have been viable, because it would need more space for the UPS units as well as more trailing lines for the power distribution, which would cause a hassle when my parent would waddle over with their frame and/or stick and being potentially a trip hazzard. So the less clutter option was the best choice (for me here).

Looking at the power graph of the 1500VA Cyberpower, it also appears to have a (relative) upper limit (minimum load) to battery time where it can't hold the power up longer. So being able to go from it's projected 120 minutes (2 hours) at 50W load to 180 minutes for around a 30W load (probably less given it was giving me 195+ minutes projection from the UPS), suggests that the normal halving of power required doesn't provide back double the up time available from the battery that they have in their runtime chart projections once below a 50W pull and there likely being a limit to the uptime vs power pulled.

Would absolutely go with a parallel setup if viable though, just it wasn't in this particular scenario.