With the brunt of the Texas winter storm now passed, local officials and the federal regulators plan to investigate the massive electrical grid failure from the largest energy producing state in the country. But, it’s not just officials that will be doing a post mortem, so should homeowners.
After days of fluctuating electricity and no running water, one device proved to be critical in ensuring my devices stayed safe and connected to the outside world.
An uninterrupted power supply (UPS), also known as a battery backup, is essentially a power strip with a large battery inside. This device protects your electronics from random electrical spikes and power outages. Not only does it shield against surges, if the power ever does go out, the battery kicks in ensuring your devices don’t immediately shut off.
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A UPS is particularly useful if you’re working on something important on your computer. It can give you precious minutes to save your work, shut down your computer, and safely unplug. The surge protection will also protect critical components, such as power supplies, processors, and graphics cards.
The first day of the winter storm left my family and I without power for over 30 hours. When the power did come back on, I immediately took the time to charge phones and top-up battery banks. But I knew that the power would go out again. I decided to unplug my UPS’ from my PC and game consoles, and instead hooked both up to our modem and router. When the power did go out later that night, the UPS ensured that our internet connection stayed on for an extra hour.
That extra hour allowed us to check in on the news and keep track of our family and friends who were also dealing with the icy rain around the state. And of course, if we had beefier UPS’, we could continue browsing even longer.
My recommendation for anyone with a large set of expensive electronics, make sure all are connected to a UPS. Not only will it keep your devices safe, it can also prevent you from losing data.
Get your own UPS
UPS’ aren’t cheap, but they're worth it. Many start at around $60, and go up from there depending on battery capacity. Not only that, quality varies. It’s important to buy one from a reputable brand, like APC or CyberPower. I use the APC Back-UPS ES 550, and the newer APC 550UA model is available from Amazon for $79.
Luckily, UPS’ are plentiful. Jumping on to Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace, it’s easy to find many offices selling older used UPS’ for really cheap prices. I’ve found some for as low as $20. The problem is most of these tend to not include the battery.
Even then, there are multiple companies that make UPS batteries. I personally order batteries from ExpertPower. The company creates good quality batteries and pairs it with excellent customer service. While ExpertPower’s batteries are available via Amazon, and are Prime eligible, I order directly so all my dollars go towards supporting the California-based company.
Of course, in the list of things to buy for emergencies, a UPS shouldn’t be at the top of the list. Having warm clothing, water and non-perishable foods should be at the top. And having a generator also isn’t a bad idea if you live in an area that’s affected by large climate events. But if you’re someone who values their electronics, making sure everything is connected to a UPS will ensure you’re covered.
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