The Other UPS

Q: I enjoy your writing and articles. I would like to know more about the UPS appliance that you mentioned in your article about preparing for monsoon season? Are UPS’ the same as a surge protector? Also, where can I buy one?
M. Lillian
First and foremost I would like to say that I appreciate that you enjoy my column. I am actually pleased that you asked these questions. It can become easy from time to time not to fully detail the intricacies of topic for fear of digressing.
I know that when most people think of UPS, they most likely envision people in brown uniforms getting out of brown trucks and carrying packages. The UPS’ that I referred to in one of last month’s articles is called an uninterruptible power supply or UPS for short. Simply put, a UPS is a battery powered power supply that is used in case there is a sudden lost of power. A computer is plugged into a socket on the UPS, and the UPS is plugged into a wall outlet. A battery located inside of the UPS is being charged to power the computer in the event of a power failure. UPS’ generally only offer a few minutes for a computer to be properly shutdown. The purpose of this is so that no data, specifically that which is stored in the temporary memory, is lost because it wasn’t saved.
There are two types of UPS’. The first is known as a standby power system or standby UPS. They power a computer after it has been without power for about five milliseconds. The other type of UPS is called an online UPS or continuous UPS. The continuous UPS is always powering the computer and running off of a battery that is always being charged or recharged as the case may be. When power is lost it does not have to wait the five millisecond downtime that is the trademark of the standby UPS. With that said, it is no wonder that the continuous UPS’ are more expensive than their standby brothers.
To answer your next query, UPS’ are not the same as a surge protector. It is not uncommon to find that some UPS’ have surge protection integrated into them. The main purpose of surge protectors is to be a buffer between your electronic products and their power source. They were made to take one for the team by absorbing a spike in power that would otherwise fry your piece of electronics, and instantly turn it into one of the largest if not most expensive paperweights in your home. It is not uncommon to find that some UPS’ have surge protection integrated into them. Surge protectors are relatively inexpensive starting in price from $5, and they can be found anywhere from grocery stores to Wal-Mart. UPS’ on the other hand begin at about $150, and they can be found at any local store that sells computers or even major hardware chains.