Customer Reviews

APC BP500UC 7-Outlet Back-UPS Pro 500 Uninterruptable Power Supply (315 Watts)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have owned one of these UPS's for about 3 years. Earlier this year the alarms went off indicating that the battery needed replacement. I thought that was odd considering the age of the unit. No problem though, I'll just log onto APC's website and order a replacement battery. Wasn't I surprised to see that APC indicates that this model doesn't have a replacable battery. This didn't make much sense to me since the unit has an access door to the battery compartment.

Well, I removed the battery and found a web vendor that had a replacement for $18. It is a very common 12volt cell and was available from several vendors. The unit is back up and working well again.

I have experienced several black-outs in the past few years and this UPS can keep my CPU, 19" monitor, cable modem & network switch operable for enough time to save any work in progress and shut down my system.

In closing, it is a well designed unit with adequate power for most home or small office systems. But I was a little put off by the short life of the original battery and incorrect replacement information listed by APC.

I have owned five of these UPS units over the past four years. I purchased three for my Mac and PC at home. Then I had to purchase two replacements for units that simply quit. Currently only ONE still works! I have very infrequent power outages, perhaps three in the past four years. These units work well to allow you to save your work and shut down. My G5 mac was so power hungry that I had to use one for the computer and another for the 23 inch LCD. I can't comment on other UPS brands such as Belkin, but I have seen many competing brands on the web and at the computer stores. There seen to be quite a few dealers selling refurbished APC products but this may be a reflection of APC's popularity rather than the poor reliability of their brand. My experience over the past four years has been mixed. These are not inexpensive units and you have to decide how precious your data becomes. If you really fear the loss of data during a blackout then the answer is clear. I chose to switch to high quality surge suppressors and never work during potential storms. Many users do not have that flexibility so a UPS is essential insurance. The units I puchased were identical and only one unit is still operational after four years. I can accept the need to replace the battery every one to two years; three of the batteries failed and alarms beeped until I bought new batteries. Prices vary from $15 to $50 depending on the vendor. Battery life depends on many factors so I don't begrudge APC for wear and tear on the battery but to have 4 out of 5 units simply stop working is unacceptable. I bought APC branded batteries and can't explain why the recurrent failures. I'm frustated with my APC products but it may be a problem with this model. Just beware of the hidden costs of battery replacement when purchasing an UPS!

I have had three of these units for the past 5-6 years (one for my PC, one for the wife's and one for the Tivo & cable box). We have relatively unreliable power here with it going off an average of once a month -- usually for seconds at a time but occasionally for hours. Anyway these units have kept our stuff safe and running. However they don't last too long on battery power. Just long enough for short power outages or long enough to shut things down.

The batteries wore out after about 2-3 years so I replaced them using batteries from a web vendor. Now the first battery of this second round has failed so I'm buying another round of three batteries.

Hopefully these units will last many more years.

Had mine since December 1999 but noticed that the battery failed after about 3 years, like the other poster wrote, APC didn't list a replacement at first but now they do and I finally got around to replacing it. Battery type is RBC2 for those wondering.

Solid unit, having a telephone line/out and USB controller is a plus.

I have about 25 APC at my job where I am currently work for school. When the thurderstorm hits my school many time. It won't kill all of computer server and others important computer. I am so gladly to have this APC, because save my time to maintance if lost everything. I want buy one of my own personal at home which I need.