After the recent blackout in Spain, many people lost documents and jobs because their Mac or other computer suddenly disconnected, with no option to save anything, something that could have been avoided with a device like the one we will see today.
It is a UPSand although it is very common in computing, few non-professional users know about it, so we are going to look at it in depth, so that if you want to avoid this in the future, you can, in a very simple and comfortable way.
What is a UPS and how does it prevent a power outage?
This equipment works in a very simple way. In an easy way for everyone to understand, we could define it as an intermediate battery that activates automatically when the power goes out electrical power, keeping connected devices on for a short period of time.
That is, it would be like attaching a battery to all the devices that connect to it, however, it will not be used while there is energy, and it will only be activated if the light goes out, preventing the devices from turning off, due to the speed with which it acts.
Depending on what we want to spend, we can have more or less autonomy, although the most important thing is to be able safely store and shut down equipmentsince keeping them on for hours is impossible, since they only last a certain time, since they are emergency systems, and not power stations, which we could also buy, to have the complete pack.
In the same way, we will have to calculate the power consumed by the devices that we want to add to it, that is, if it is only for a Mac Mini or an iMac, any economical one may be enough, however, if we also want to have the router, or an external screen, the consumption will be greater, and we will need something that can withstand everything.
| Model | We highlight | Price |
 economical sai |
650 VA, Constant Output Voltage 360W |
|
 Professional Sai |
800A/480W with LCD Screen |
*Prices updated at the time of publishing or reviewing this article. They may vary over time.
Disadvantages of using a UPS
There are some cons that we should know about, since not everything is as pretty as it is painted, and depending on your needs, it could affect you more or less.
- Slow response time: By activating only when the power fails, there may be a short delay that affects sensitive equipment. It shouldn't be common, but it must be taken into account.
- Limited protection: Does not correctly filter voltage variations or current spikes while electrical power is present.
- Shorter battery life: If it is activated frequently due to small interruptions, the battery wears out faster, just as if it were that of another device.
- Little efficiency with delicate equipment: Computers or servers can restart with just a few milliseconds of outage, so it is best to test it before expecting an actual outage.
- Not suitable for critical environments: It is not recommended for hospitals, servers or data centers where any failure has serious consequences, and we should only have it as a security measure at home.
If all this is clear to you, you now know how to prevent that Word document that you had half finished from being deleted the next time there is a power outage without warning.
