It can be a pretty daunting task trying to figure out which UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) to buy for home use, or small home office use. Every user will have different power requirements and value certain features. For the purposes of this UPS list, the minimum goal will be for the user to have enough time to save any open documents, and safely shutdown their computer.
Why Use A UPS?
Well, to have a battery backup to allow you to save your files without losing work. Not only can a UPS let you save important files, but they also offer surge protection to help protect the internal components of your electronic devices safe and power surges or power fluctuations. If you are updating the firmware on certain devices that do not have a battery, such as a desktop computer, you can see why they are necessary. As well, some devices such as cameras require them to be plugged into a computer during the firmware update process. Imagine losing power during that kind of firmware update.
Remember to take inventory of your plug head sizes to ensure that you will be able to plug in everything that you want. Here are some of our top picks to cover most situations.
UPS For Basic Home Office Use
If you mostly work using an all in one computer (AIO computer), or a basic or entry-level type of desktop, it’s likely that you won’t need a UPS that offers a very long run time or battery capacity to let you save your files quickly and safely shut down your computer.
APC Back-UPS BE600M1
Features
Battery Capacity: 600VA / 330Watts
5 Battery Backup Plugs
2 Surge Protection Only Plugs
1 USB port
Expected Run Time: 3 to 10 minutes depending on how many devices are connected to the UPS, and their power draw requirements.
Output Voltage: 120V
Input Voltage: 120V
Warranty: 3 Years (Replace or Repair)
Equipment Coverage Limit: $75,000 USD
Expected Battery Life: 3 – 5 Years
This UPS is a great choice for home and small home office use. There are enough plugs to power your desktop computer, monitor, and networking devices. You can also safely charge devices using the additional surge protector plugs. This model also has a small LED display to notify you when you should replace the battery and when the system is overloaded. The ability to use hot swappable-batteries means no downtime while you replace batteries.
If you have larger plug heads, you may not be able to use all of the battery backup ports due to spacing of the ports, keep that in mind.
Tripp Lite INTERNET550U UPS
Features
Battery Capacity: 550VA / 300Watts
5 Battery Backup Plugs
5 Surge Protection Only Plugs
1 USB port
Expected Run Time: 2 to 6 minutes depending on how many devices are connected to the UPS, and their power draw requirements.
Output Voltage: 120V
Input Voltage: 120V
Warranty: 3 Years Limited
Equipment Coverage Limit: $100,000 USD
Expected Battery Life: 3 – 5 Years
This UPS is a great choice for home use. It comes with 5 battery backup plugs for your desktop computer, average-sized monitor, and networking devices. In comparison to the APC model above, you have three extra surge protector inputs for more of your devices. This model also has a green LED light to show the fault status and operating mode.
Notice that the plug inputs are packed tightly together, so any plug heads that are larger will affect your ability to use all 5 inputs.
UPS For Professional Home & Office Use
APC Back UPS PRO BN 1500VA
Features
Battery Capacity: 1500VA / 900Watts
6 Battery Backup Plugs
4 Surge Protection Only Plugs
1 USB port
1 USB Type-C port
Expected Run Time: 10 to 25 minutes depending on how many devices are connected to the UPS, and their power draw requirements.
Output Voltage: 120V
Input Voltage: 120V
Warranty: 3 Years Limited
Equipment Coverage Limit: $250,000 USD
Expected Battery Life: 3 – 5 Years
This UPS is a great choice for home and office use. It comes with 6 battery backup plugs for your high-end or gaming desktop computer, large or high resolution monitor, networking devices, speakers, external hard drives, etc. Two of the battery backup outlets are spaced far apart to accommodate larger plug head sizes.
It also comes with inputs for coaxial inputs, RJ45 networking cable, and USB ports to charge your devices – including USB type-C. The LCD window provides a host of information so you can get real-time readings of power usage, estimated run time, percentage load, etc.
CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD UPS
Features
Battery Capacity: 1500VA / 1000Watts
6 Battery Backup Plugs
6 Surge Protection Only Plugs
1 USB port
1 USB Type-C port
Expected Run Time: 10 to 25 minutes depending on how many devices are connected to the UPS, and their power draw requirements.
Output Voltage: 120V
Input Voltage: 120V
Warranty: 3 Years Limited
Equipment Coverage Limit: $500,000 USD
Expected Battery Life: 3 – 5 Years
This UPS is another great choice for professional home and small office use. It comes with 6 battery backup plugs for high-end gaming or rendering desktop computers, large display monitor or monitors, router, external hard drives, etc. Only one of the battery outlets is spaced further apart from the rest.
Similar to the APC Back UPS PRO BN 1500VA, the LCD display shows a host of information in real-time. You can also plug in an RJ45 networking cable and a serial cable for older devices.
Our Advice
If possible, try to find out the power requirements of your existing devices to determine which type of UPS is best suited for your needs. Most users will not use their UPS at full load, so the estimated run times mentioned above are not based on full load usage. Try to find a UPS that utilizes 50 to 75% load during daily usage to give you a reasonable run time to save your files.
I recommend the APC Back UPS PRO BN 1500VA due to APC’s reputation and reliability.
