APC Smart-UPS 1500VA

Solid UPS, a bit pricey...

Strengths: Large battery, long lifetime, plenty of diagnostic indicators, USB connectivity

Weakness: Extremely heavy, fan can be loud, minimal threshold settings for noisy power environments, pricy.

I have three of these systems connected to linux machines, Macs and one PC. I have only tested the software with the Mac machines, which seems to work adequately. I had difficulty connecting the unit to the PC using the serial port, and have still not successfully done so. I purchased this system in part to replace a 700 which was maxed out with two machines and two flat panels. On the new device...
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I have three of these systems connected to linux machines, Macs and one PC. I have only tested the software with the Mac machines, which seems to work adequately. I had difficulty connecting the unit to the PC using the serial port, and have still not successfully done so. I purchased this system in part to replace a 700 which was maxed out with two machines and two flat panels. On the new device it is less than half loaded (as expected). Aside from the weight (which is not really solvable) and the fan noise that comes on when the device is highly loaded or swaps to battery power, I have been happy with these units.

By akj850 - Jan 9, 2007

Great UPS unit

Strengths: Large batteries, long runtime, fan on side vent, USB port, free basic management software

Weakness: APC shipping box is pathetic for this 50lb unit, APC replacement batteries are much more expensive than generic replacements

I purchased the SUA1500 to replace an 8+ year old SUA1000 that served me well. I replaced the batteries 4 times on my prior APC before it died, and have generally had very good experiences with APC, so I chose to purchase APC again. I found a great deal on Pricegrabber and was able to purchase the 1500 for less than a replacement 1000, so it was a nice upgrade. This unit has a few nice...
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I purchased the SUA1500 to replace an 8+ year old SUA1000 that served me well. I replaced the batteries 4 times on my prior APC before it died, and have generally had very good experiences with APC, so I chose to purchase APC again.

I found a great deal on Pricegrabber and was able to purchase the 1500 for less than a replacement 1000, so it was a nice upgrade. This unit has a few nice improvements over my older model. The large batteries of the 1500 offer very long runtime under reasonable load. For two workstations and two LCD monitors, and a basic home network, the unit reports an estimated 43 minute runtime.

The front panel is improved, and the cryptic and useless symbols for warnings and errors have been replaced with simple English words. It may be hard to believe, but this is really a nice improvement, since in the past I have literally had to review the manual any time a warning light came on to confirm the problem (such as the faulty overload error on my old unit).

Another very practical addition is a fan on one of the side vents that exhausts warm air. The fan does not always run, so I'm assuming it has a thermostat to run only when the unit gets hot, and has the benefit of keeping the unit silent under normal conditions. My old APC got quite warm and had no fan, which always concerned me a little.

The USB port is a very nice addition--I have had several issues in the past getting the serial cables and communication to work with APC units. The USB communication with PowerChute Business Edition was fast and flawless.

PowerChute does allow you to shut down the machine that is directly connected to the UPS, but I haven't yet found a way to shutdown additional systems that are connected to the UPS. I'm still looking into that though--with 8 outlets, I would think they would allow you to shutdown multiple systems connected to the same ups.

Finally, APC must really be out of touch if they don't realize that their UPS units are being delivered with the boxes totally destroyed. At 58 lbs shipping weight, my unit arrived, but the tape on the bottom of the box was completely broken and the box was half open. It isn't APC's fault that the shippers throw the heavy boxes around, but they should realize that they need to add plastic strapping or reinforced fiber tape to their boxes and make the boxes even thicker to withstand the serious punishment they get during shipping. Fortunately mine arrived without any visible damage to the unit, but I have read many reviews from others where the box arrived completely destroyed, requiring an expensive RMA return shipment and hassle. Just make sure to carefully inspect the box, packing material, and unit while the shipper is present before you sign and accept the package.

By sendow - Nov 21, 2006

Smart UPS 1500 is a reasonable value

Strengths: Worked right out of the box. Initial setup was easy. Lots of features for advance users.

Weakness: Mac OS X compatibility limited. Latest features lag in all software for Mac OS X. The interface is very slow with security enabled (Unix, Windows, or Mac).

We often work out of town for long periods. We set up the APC 1500 on a small business network so we could count on the main server to be there when we needed it. We remotely access our server applications to conclude business arrangements. Previous units would shut down after extended power outages and never return when power was restored, thus shutting us down from our applications until we got...
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We often work out of town for long periods. We set up the APC 1500 on a small business network so we could count on the main server to be there when we needed it. We remotely access our server applications to conclude business arrangements. Previous units would shut down after extended power outages and never return when power was restored, thus shutting us down from our applications until we got back on site. With the optional network management card installed we receive text message and/or email notification of power outages keeping us aware of problems. The 1500 also gave us several times the backup duration we had with our previous unit. Reasonable value for UPS with this capability. We will get one more in the near future for a second server.

By jwalker2u - Oct 3, 2006

I also received great help from...

Strengths: USB and Serial,Reliability, Powershute work great just install and go.

Weakness: The Powerchute software can creat newtwork chatter, these features can be turned off

I also received great help from the sales staff before I purchased. This unit has really help out our server and network equipment. We have plenty of lighting storms during the summer. I feel much better knowing that this unit can handle the brown out and power surges we have had.

By teel27 - Jun 12, 2004

A great UPS if you shop for a good price.

Strengths: Plenty of backup power, annoying "power failed" beeper can be silenced by software. Software control excellent for remote status/management.

Weakness: Big 'n heavy; you need room for it.

Was able to get it for slightly over $300 delivered. Since it weighs about 50 lbs, make sure you calculate total price including shipping when comparing various dealers. Software installation is optional but I recommend it for the many features to set it up just the way you wish.

By jimswitz - Feb 21, 2007