UPS unit sesitivity recommendation help

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scgt1

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I got my first UPS in a few weeks back from the Dell SD rebate deal and I'm just getting around to looking at the paperwork to set it up. My initial intention was to just purchase this for our security camera system in case of power outage or if anyone ever cuts the power to our house to break in.

After seeing that it comes with software and can shut down my main media server pc/daily I think I'll be connecting it also just not running the power saving feature so if the computer goes to sleep it doesn't shut down the camera system or if I ever have to turn off the camera system it doesn't shut the computer down should I connect the camera setup to the master port.

What I don't know/understand how to set is the unit sensitivity.

It states:

Adjust the sensitivity of the Back-UPS to control when it will switch to battery power; the higher the sensitivity, the more often the Back-UPS will switch to battery power.

The low states it's not recommended for computer loads. While the Medium states it will frequently switch to battery power. High states the connected equipment is sensitive to voltage fluctuations.

Maybe I don't understand the conception of a battery backup but I thought the purpose of these was to engage when the power fails and not be in use when there is a supply of power. According to the sensitivity above (aside from low since it states not for computer loads) it's going to use the battery power off and on even when there is power available.

Am I just miss-interpreting the instructions?
 
Welcome to UPS ownership. :)
25+ year APC SmartUPS owner here.

The sensitivity setting is telling the UPS how long power events need to last (in milliseconds) before it switches to battery power.

Low sensitivity means the UPS will be more tolerant of power events of a longer duration before switching over to battery power. This setting will maximize your UPS battery life because it won't switch over to battery power for every little power event, however it also means that minor power events will be passed to the load, just like when there was no UPS.
High sensitivity means the UPS will switch over to battery power for most minor power events, even ones that the load could handle without issue all by itself. Depending on how stable your power is, this setting could cause the UPS to use the battery a lot more which reduces its lifespan.

I'd recommend starting with Medium sensitivity. It's a good balance between the others. If you notice the UPS switching to battery a lot, then you have noisy power and might consider looking into that (complaining to utility) or reducing the sensitivity to low.

Most good quality computer power supplies have a large enough main capacitor to ride out minor power events that cause the UPS to trip. The other way of looking at it is: If you've had the same load plugged directly into the wall and not had any issues, then medium or even low sensitivity is going to work just fine.

While this FAQ is for the SmartUPS series (I did not see one for BackUPS), it should help you understand what the sensitivity settings are for and what they do: http://www.apc.com/us/en/faqs/FA156514/
 
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Thanks for that info. The only time we ever have power issues is during bad storms or when some idiot down the street hits a power pole. So I don't think we have any noisy power but I guess the UPS will tell once it's connected. I think I'll start with the medium and switch to low if it seems like there are no issues. I just want to make sure it performs as it should when the power does go out to allow for non power interruption so the camera system stays on without hiccup and my pc stays powered long enough for the software that came with the UPS to shut it off. With this being said I have had the camera system connected for a tad over a month now and the power hasn't flickered or gone out since it's been connected and we have had a couple storms come through. We are on the same grid/block/service as the General Motors Assembly Plant behind our house so if their power goes down ours does also. So I'm sure we have better quality power then other neighborhoods in the area since Arlington isn't going to want GM to loose power. lol
 
scgt1 said:
Yes. I got this unit.
Click to expand...

I've got 6 of those but the smaller units. 650VA IIRC.
I have not touched the sensitivity, and my computers and lab equipment (a blood work thing and 4 PCs) work fine.

I think it could be a regulation setting as well.
Low sensitivity is for stuff like switches, high sensitivity is for the unit to jump in as often as possible but that'd wear out the battery quicker.
 
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BTW APC units, especially this particular model, are seriously f**g cool. They come with a factory QA report with individual tests performed and their outcome.
Also, APC is kind enough to provide easy access to the battery, has plenty of useful info stickers on the outlets and even the positive battery terminal comes unplugged for safety/battery quality.
I have nothing bad to say about any APC units.

Here in Poland, I aim for APC or a domestic company called EVER. We have some other domestic manufacturers like Lestar but they kind of suck. Activepower branded PSUs are also quite good. But I had no luck with Activejet branded units or even Cyberpower units. APC or bust for me.
Powerwalker have excellent specs on paper with a very good power factor. I think I had 1-2 at my previous job - they were okay.
Orvaldi is also well regarded here. But for me - again - APC 4 lyfe.
 
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michalrz said:
BTW APC units, especially this particular model, are seriously f**g cool. They come with a factory QA report with individual tests performed and their outcome.
Also, APC is kind enough to provide easy access to the battery, has plenty of useful info stickers on the outlets and even the positive battery terminal comes unplugged for safety/battery quality.
I have nothing bad to say about any APC units.
Click to expand...

Yea I was surprised to see a test report especially one as long as the one that came with my unit. I think all companies should provide extensive QC reports with products to show each item was tested prior to shipping to a retailer. Just goes to show some companies stand behind their products more then others if they are willing to go the extra mile. Only other company that has given any form of report I have ever seen was with Dell and a U3415W I purchased but don't get me started on working with their customer service for ownership transfers if you no longer have the receipt even though it's already registered to you. What a freaking joke. A proof of purchase is submitted to get it in your name from the retailer yet you have to show proof again to transfer to another owner. If you don't it is back and forth banter for a month and a half. I don't think I'll ever purchase another Dell product because of this. I now have a Samsung 43" 4K display and couldn't be happier other then the fact the HDMI 1 port keeps switching to DVI and I have to keep telling it that it's a PC to get the proper res quality. A simple software update could fix this issue.
 
scgt1 said:
Yea I was surprised to see a test report especially one as long as the one that came with my unit. I think all companies should provide extensive QC reports with products to show each item was tested prior to shipping to a retailer. Just goes to show some companies stand behind their products more then others if they are willing to go the extra mile. Only other company that has given any form of report I have ever seen was with Dell and a U3415W I purchased but don't get me started on working with their customer service for ownership transfers if you no longer have the receipt even though it's already registered to you. What a freaking joke. A proof of purchase is submitted to get it in your name from the retailer yet you have to show proof again to transfer to another owner. If you don't it is back and forth banter for a month and a half. I don't think I'll ever purchase another Dell product because of this. I now have a Samsung 43" 4K display and couldn't be happier other then the fact the HDMI 1 port keeps switching to DVI and I have to keep telling it that it's a PC to get the proper res quality. A simple software update could fix this issue.
Click to expand...

I still remember literally discovering an older APC back ups under a desk in a random room. It was powering a phone exchange. Noone knows how it got there but it was covered with approx 5 years of dust. Of course the f**g thing worked just fine.
 
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