Uninterruptible Power Supplies: 5 Questions to Ask When Buying

Dusty Lawless is the SEO program manager on CDW's Digital team and writes content for CDW.com.

Even in the most solidly wired cities, a sudden storm, power surge or downed utility pole can take out your electricity for hours. An uninterruptible power supply can keep the work going and prevent data loss during the outage. Here are five questions to ask as you shop for a UPS:

Simple: Count the number of devices you plan to connect, and make sure there are enough outlets on the UPS device to fit them all — with a few extra, just in case.

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A standby UPS is best for small, noncritical electronic devices and home or personal office use. Line-interactive UPS systems can power up to 4,000 watts of connected equipment. Online UPS systems provide the highest level of protection for IT equipment in hospitals and data centers.

A UPS will also provide power during brownouts, frequency variations, harmonic distortion or overvoltage events, power surges and voltage sags.

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Your load should not exceed 75 to 80 percent of your UPS system's capacity. A UPS will never support full capacity, and the closer you get to capacity, the less runtime you will have.

The usual life span is about three to five years. At that point, you will have to buy a new UPS if the battery is not replaceable. High-end UPSs can be monitored for runtime and battery health.