Customer Reviews

Belkin Universal UPS Series 800va 6 Outlet USB & Serial Part

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

 

 

I purchased one of these units to replace an aging APC unit. The unit has plenty of power for a desktop machine. I am using it with an Athlon Tbird 1.4 and a 19" trinitron monitor. Even so, I am only using about half of the capacity of the unit. The Bulldog software is kind of [slow]. I connected the unit via the USB connector. I don't know if there are stability issues with Belkin's USB interface, but the unit would "disappear" pretty regularly. This prompted me to remove the software. I still rate the unit at 4 stars because I have not been impressed to UPS software from APC either. Bottom-line: The unit is powerful and it is cheaper than a replacement battery for my APC.

I bought the Belkin UPS 800VA to replace an old APC 300VA unit. Overall I like the Belkin design. The 6 outlets at the back are well spaced and there is a surge protector for your telephone line. The unit sits unobtrusively under my desk.

Only the PC version of the Bulldog UPS software is included in the box. I had to download the latest Mac version from the Belkin website. The Mac Bulldog v3.0.3 software nearly works and I have reported its critical bug to Belkin.

Since this unit is line-interactive (it is constantly monitoring voltage) its inverter is always running. As a result, there is a bearly noticable 60Hz hum for the unit. The hum did not exist with my APC 300VA, but then, it did not provide any voltage regulation. The hum was pretty bad until I realized the UPS unit was vibrating my furniture! I stuck self-adhesive felt pads to its feet to isolate the UPS and now it sits quietly, humming to itself and not very loudly.

I own two of these units. The units work fine and they are high quality devices (software issues aside).

As with any UPS device, the wet-cell batteries wear out. That's usually not a big deal - you can buy replacement batteries (this unit takes two) for about $16. However, this unit is poorly designed and it is difficult to replace the batteries. It's doable, but if you compare the ease of replacement to an equivalent APC unit or OptiUPS unit you won't buy one of these. I also own 2 OptiUPS units and an APC unit and they are very servicable. I would recommend going with either of those.