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By James E. Powell
It's tough to get excited about a combination surge protector/uninterrupted power supply. But American Power Conversion's Back-UPS Office is worthy of attention.
The unit looks like an oversized power strip, albeit at 8 pounds it's a heavy one. It's got one plug at each end, with four in the middle, spaced to accommodate those big, ugly power transformers (you use with some peripherals) without blocking other plugs.
This unit offers six AC surge protection plugs with multistage surge suppression and EMI/RFI filtering. Three of the plugs are also protected with battery backup. If you lose power, the Back-UPS Office kicks in, sounds an alarm and lights the Using Battery LED, while providing enough power to let you save your data and safely log off or power down your system.
The company says the battery can last seven to 13 minutes. With my light load, I tended to get 10 to 12 minutes of protection on average-more than enough to exit my applications safely.
At one end, the unit has two telephone jacks (in and out) to protect a single telephone line. In addition you'll find a site wiring fault indicator that glows when it detects hazardous wiring problems, such as reversed polarity. My test unit properly signaled that the outlet I plugged it into was not properly grounded. The Back-UPS Office also has a master power switch, along with a circuit breaker to protect against an overload or short circuit. The unit has a surge energy rating of 240 joules and a 6500-amp peak current capability.
Adding the Back-UPS Office to your system is like paying $179 for hardware insurance. The company offers a $25,000 guarantee against any power damage to your connected equipment. Replace your present power strip with the Back-UPS Office and you'll sleep easier.
--Info File--
APC Back-UPS Office
Price: $169
Pros: Good battery life; design
Cons: None significant
American Power Conversion
800-877-4088, 401-789-0204
WinMag Box Score 4.5
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