APC Back-UPS Battery System Review

This is a review of the American Power Conversion Back-UPS model ES 750G. The "G" in the name stands for "green." At a MSRP of $99.99, APC claims that the unit will pay for itself in about two years. How can it do this? One way is that it provides a centralized location for your computer's power connection and all the peripheral connections, too. A master/controlled outlet feature senses when the computer has been shut off (or hibernated) and smartly shuts down up to three accessories automatically. This translates into savings by reducing so-called, seldom considered "phantom loads" or parasitic power loss. Internally, the unit has a "high frequency design" that minimizes the use of copper. A total of ten surge-protected outlets are provided, as well as protection for cable (coax) and DSL and/or phone line.

Let's get the ES-750G unboxed and hooked up, and try it out.

Inside the box was the device itself, a literature package, and cables for USB (to communicate with the PC), cable, and DSL or phone. A prominent yellow sticker proclaimed, "Stop," and advised that the battery should be hooked up before plugging the unit in. A thoughtful inclusion was a black hook-and-loop strap with the APC logo in red. It was very handy for organizing the power cords that plugged into the APC and directing them to the PC.

A push of a thumb on the release tab slides off the battery cover. We found that it was easiest to slide the battery up onto the rim to connect the power wire. (For safety reasons, the unit is shipped with the positive red power wire disconnected.)

The battery should be charged for at least 16 hours, the manual says, before it will provide a full-length runtime on just the APC's power. They note that it also charges as long as it is plugged in, whether the switch on the unit is on or off.

Hooking Up Surge-Protected Non-AC Connections

All of the non-AC accessory connections are made on the power-plug end of the Back-UPS. There is also a line-fault indicator. If this indicator illuminates, stop and have an electrician check your wiring before you continue. You may want to unplug your PC and expensive accessories in the meantime, too.

The Back-UPS provides surge protection for two-line phone inputs, including DSL. To be effective, the line from the wall jack should be plugged into the center phone line port before the third port is connected to the DSL modem. There are also connections for cable TV or cable Internet in and out, as well as a USB jack for the line going to the computer.

Hooking Up Surge Protected AC Cords

A major "green" feature of the Back-UPS is the Master/Controlled outlet design. Beside the main, or master outlet for the PC, three controlled or slaved outlets are provided for accessories. Basically, the Back UPS shuts off power to the controlled outlets when it senses that the component plugged into the master outlet has been turned off. (We'll touch on this a little more when we look at optimizing the Back UPS for use with a laptop.) The notion is that things like monitors, printers, scanners, and external drives continue to draw power when not in use. By connecting these peripherals to the controlled outlets, you can assure that they will be powered down when the computer is shut off.

The flip side of this is that you should not plug accessories into the controlled outlets that you want to continue to run after the computer shuts down. This would likely be things like battery chargers for devices that sync with and therefore live close to the PC, like cell phones, iPods, and PDAs. (Maybe such devices should be hooked up to their own power strip, as vampiric power draw also contributes to the overall electric bill.)

Next: More Making Connections, Installing Software, Operation and Use