After cutting his teeth on tech writing at Lifehacker and working his way up, he left as Weekend Editor and transferred over to How-To Geek in 2010. He's been in love with technology since his earliest memories of writing simple computer programs with his grandfather, but his tech writing career took shape back in 2007 when he joined the Lifehacker team as their very first intern. ![]() Jason has over a decade of experience in publishing and has penned thousands of articles during his time at LifeSavvy, Review Geek, How-To Geek, and Lifehacker. Prior to that, he was the Founding Editor of Review Geek. Prior to his current role, Jason spent several years as Editor-in-Chief of LifeSavvy, How-To Geek's sister site focused on tips, tricks, and advice on everything from kitchen gadgets to home improvement. He oversees the day-to-day operations of the site to ensure readers have the most up-to-date information on everything from operating systems to gadgets. Jason Fitzpatrick is the Editor-in-Chief of How-To Geek. Or, if you want a little more runtime and a built-in USB charging port to top off your phone during power outages, this 600VA APC UPS is a nice upgrade. Something like this 425A APC UPS will suffice. ![]() With that in mind, you can easily get by with a smaller UPS unit, especially if your primary goal is simply smoothing out the brownout dips. All the devices added up together likely use less than a single incandescent bulb. So minimal, in fact, that leaving them on 24/7 barely costs you anything. In the case of a modest home network setup composed of a modem, a router/Wi-Fi combo unit, and perhaps a small addon or two like a smart home hub, power usage is minimal. Related: Should You Leave Your Wi-Fi Router & Modem on All the Time? ![]() UPS unit power capacity is listed in Volt-Amperes (VA) with a higher number indicating longer run time (a 425VA model will be exhausted long before a 1500VA model, for instance). What UPS selection ultimately comes down to is how much power your gear uses and how long you want it to stay on when the power is out. Stick with UPS designs from trusted companies, like APC or CyberPower, with AC outlets you plug your devices' manufacturer-supplied chargers into for the safest experience. Don't spend $50-80 on a no-name device that might destroy your modem or catch on fire when you can spend the same amount to get a UPS from a company with a 20+ year track record in the industry. In turn, the mini UPS, via its own 12v power cord, supplies the power along with a small internal battery as a backup.īut they're very low quality, a potential fire hazard, and we simply can't recommend them when there are very high-quality products on the market at similar or slightly higher price points. The idea is you plug adapter cables for your modem, router, and other low-voltage gear into the mini UPS. ![]() They look like a portable battery pack you might use for your phone but with a plethora of 12v and USB ports on them. It doesn't just offer better protection, it'll help keep your internet on in the face of brownouts and blackouts.īefore we dig into talking about the right size UPS and offering some recommendations though, let us steer you away from any products with names like "Mini UPS" or similar. But by doing so you'd be missing out on the biggest benefit of going with a UPS unit over a surge protector. If you're just interested in protecting your network equipment from getting fried, sure, you could put a really high-quality surge protector on your network gear and call it a day. The Internet Stays On During Blackouts and Brownouts Even if you're rocking a good budget Wi-Fi router it's still not cheap to replace. Even though you might not have given it much thought before now, though, your home network gear and related components are likely worth quite a chunk of change.īetween the modem, the router, any extras you may have added into your setup like a network switch, and then various smart home gear add-ons like a Phillips Hue Hub for your smart bulbs, you're looking at a few hundred dollars or more worth of gear. When it comes to the kid-glove treatment, the PC gets all the love.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |