Power Management at Home and in the Small Office: Feature-Rich Surge Protectors and Uninterruptible Power Supplies

The previous article explained the requirements for a basic, under $20 surge protector, but, even at those prices an extra feature or two can be had. As you spend more, like in most cases, you get more. We'll look at some features so you know how to choose a surge protector or UPS for your needs.

The single light (mentioned in the article about basic surge protectors) used for diagnosing problems isn’t perfect; it can be difficult to interpret even its most simple function of determining if protection is working, and it does nothing to indicate whether the problem lies within the surge protector or the building’s wiring. A better solution uses at least two lights, one for surge protection and one for wiring status. Both are green if everything is working, and one or the other should go off, or preferably blink red, to indicate a problem. Some units sound an audio alarm and/or shut off power to connected equipment, which can be very helpful if the surge protector is behind a desk or entertainment unit. High-end units can indicate these conditions even more clearly through an LCD display. If your surge protector shows a wiring or ground fault on a frequent or permanent basis, make sure it isn’t a malfunction in the surge protector (try it somewhere else or another surge protector there) then talk to an electrician.

Another important thing you might want to spend an extra couple bucks on is dataline protection. Phone lines, Ethernet cables, and co-axial cables are all capable of transmitting destructive voltages to your equipment. Worse still, a surge that bypasses the surge protector via data line can fry not just the modem or Digital TV box to which it connects, but then go on to damage other components to which it is connected, even if they are all plugged into a perfectly good surge protector. Altogether, a unit that protects against surges on these lines is a very good bet.

Ergonomics can also be very important depending on how the surge protector will be used. Design elements like flat plugs that allow furniture to be flush with the wall in front of them, outlets spaced to allow power adapters (wall warts) to be plugged in without blocking adjacent outlets, cable management, and baby proofing, can all be useful or superfluous depending on your needs.

Spending more will also get you surge protectors that can handle larger power events, as measured in joules, as well as better filtration of the incoming power. Electronic equipment will last longer and perform better the “cleaner” the power it receives. Part of cleaning, or “conditioning” the power involves reducing electrical “noise,” and the degree to which a surge protector does this is measured in decibels across a range measured in Hz. The higher the dBs and the wider the range, the better.

Cleaning power also involves increasing power when incoming power is too low, not just filtering noise and cutting off surges, but equipment that does this is called a Voltage Regulator. Note that most Voltage Regulators also offer surge protection, so this could be viewed as the next step up, as prices for them are $60 -$100 dollars and up.

By choosing the right surge protector, not only is your gear safe from all but the biggest surges but you’re feeding it a steady, consistent diet of tasty, clean power. The only problem left is the power outage that often accompanies a surge. To be able to shut down your equipment properly (or let it finish flashing a bios) when the lights go out, you need to look into getting an Uninterruptible Power Supply, which we discuss on the next page.