Customer Reviews

APC BE350G UPS System

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Length:: 2:22 Mins

I certainly understand why some people are upset that the APC ES-350 does not support Power Management software However, I would like to show that even without Power Management support it can be very useful as a battery back-up for your home entertainment system.

I love my TiVo TCD652160 HD Digital Video Recorder so much so that I purchased a Western Digital My DVR Expander 1 TB eSATA Desktop External Hard Drive WDG1S10000VN (Black) to supplement the memory. Unfortunately, I live in an area that is prone to power outages and power "flickers". While I can not do much with the power outages the power flickers drive us crazy. Each time the power flickers out Tivo unit must completely reboot (which takes about 10 minutes) so not only do you miss the shows you are watching it also interrupts any recordings that are taking place.

While the APC ES-350 does not help me with power outages (the battery back-up is only good for a minute or two) it does save the day when have a flicker. Now please note, I do not have my television hooked up to the back-up, so still see the the TV flicker but now I do not have to wait for the Tivo to reboot. Could I hook my TV to the APC 350... maybe although it would likely draw too much power to be of any use... for that you would want to consider a bigger battery back-up (such as APC BE550R 550VA Back-UPS ES 8-Outlet Battery Backup System but it even it may be too small).

Other notes

- 6 total outlets - 3 provide battery back-up and 3 offer just surge protection
- Has a very loud audible beep once you lose power
- 200W of total power - in terms of computer equipment it will power a desk top computer with a 17" LCD screen for 7 minutes
- Does offer telephone line protection

Final Verdict - It seems to be a perfect choice as a power stand-by for our home entertainment center.

4 1/2 stars

1. Amazon shipping was very fast (arrived the next day, PA-> NJ)

2. The 6 outlet is actually 3. That is, 3 with UPS, the other 3 is just
serge protection. My usage is for computer work station protection during
summer time's short power outage (like 2 seconds). So, the computer work
statation needs 1 UPS outlet. The computer monitor plugs into the
serge protection outlet so that not to overload the system. So far,
there have been about half a dozen short power outages and the unit is functional.

3. this unit, unlike my prior one, features a removable battery.
That may help in recycling, even though the stated purpose is
for easy battery replacement.

4. All lead acid batteries will eventually die. My prior unit lasted for
about 5 years. I don't know how long this one can last.

APC makes good UPS products, but I wouldn't buy this particular model. What isn't clear from the description is that this PARTICULAR model doesn't support connection to your computer via a USB cable like most of the other APC models so that you can monitor its status. Why do you need this feature you ask? I bought this to provide a graceful shutdown for my RAID NAS after the battery ran-out so that I didn't have to have a long startup every time the power went out. I had to return this when I realized it didn't have that feature. Buy the 450G or 550G ($69 on this site) instead which both support this. Apparently the older version of this model (350R) DID support it. They should make this clearer on this web site.

Small battery, useful for surviving electrical storms and brown outs. Not intended for long term use.

A severe storm came through and damaged the hard drive in our DVR as the electricity went off then on several times in the space of a minute. I called the manufacturer of the DVR and asked what I should do to prevent future storm damage, and was told that I should get a UPS which will act as a parachute to gently allow the DVR to shut down normally. A small unit was recommended, since only a few minutes of backup are needed to protect the DVR. The APC 350VA unit is well suited to this duty, and is reasonably priced.

Great product with one execption. A light tap on the flush-mounted power button is all it takes to turn this device off. That being said, my cat turned this device off several times. Initially, I thought the UPS was defective or I was experiencing some sort of overload. Fortunately, I caught my cat standing on the unit one day. If you have pets or children you may want to do what I did; place a small piece of rigid cardboard over the on/off switch and tape it in place to protect against curious fingers and paws. I have my DVR plugged into this power unit. My cat was a little less loved on days when my favorite TV shows didn't record.

WARNING - THERE IS NO WAY TO DISABLE THE LOUD ALARM ON THIS UNIT

I bought this unit because I wanted to have backup for a small switch on my network, which is located in a utility closet. Since there is no computer attached, there was no need to have auto-shutdown software. I thought it was a good value for the price. What they didn't mention anywhere on Amazon, or on APC's website is that you cannot disable the alarm. So after having the unit for several months, we had a power outage at 4am. The unit was in a locked closet, so it beeped loudly all night long, keeping everyone awake. Now I have to keep the unit as a doorstop since I discovered the problem too late, and they won't take it back.

When I contacted APC's tech. support, they put me on hold for a long time before telling me that I couldn't turn off the alarm. When I explained my problem, he told me basically "too bad". Somehow I was supposed to know that "without auto-shutdown software" equals "cannot turn off alarm". When I argued that that's not reasonable to expect customers to know that, he hung up on me.

I'm using this APC UPS for only 1 device, my electric ignition tankless gas water heater. Since my water heater only ignites upon demand, the UPS does not provide a constant flow of backup power; for the most part it is in standby during power outages. Since "most" of us feel (or felt) the 2010/2011 winter storms, we had our share as well. We had a power outage for about 6hrs (yea, I know, fairly short) and we continued to have whole house (shower, bath, shaving) hot water throughout the outage. My guess is that unused, this UPS should standby for at least 12+hrs. Maybe more. For the price, it's good insurance for those outages on small stuff. Not recommended for larger wattage items.

This is the unit our IS guy recommends for our office computers. I have had one on my machine for over 5 years without problems. I bought this unit for home use to hookup to my TV, DVD, and especially DirecTV unit, so when the Florida thunderstorms hit and we have momentary power outages, I won't have to wait 5-10 minutes for my DirecTV receiver to boot up again. Works fine so far and provides an extra layer of surge protection for valuable electronic equipment.

My garage only has access through the garage door, and when the power is interrupted, we didn't have any other way to open it, my son who works for e-bay sugested we use this product as a back up unit, I made a box attached on the wall and try it, it works well, I try it by opening and closing the garage door ten times with the remote, from the driveway inside the car, I'm happy with it and is not as expensive as to a new door on the side of the house, also I try it from inside the house with the wall mounted opener.

Sergio Mendoza