APC Smart-UPS SMT1500 1500VA 120V LCD UPS System

• 8 outlets; 120Volts
• LCD UPS System
• Alpha/numeric LCD display
• High-efficiency green mode
• Automatic voltage regulation
• Patent-pending operating mode that bypasses unused electrical components in good power conditions to achieve very high operating efficiency without sacrificing any protection.
• Simulates utility power to provide the highest degree of compatibility for active PFC (power factor corrected) servers and sensitive electronics
• Single outlet group that may be controlled separately from the UPS for discrete reboot of hung devices, sequenced on/off and non-critical load shedding.

Purchased this unit a month ago and out of curiosity I connected it through a power meter. The power consumption with no load and batteries at 100% charged is 1.25 Amps. With my IMac plugged in the consumption is at 2.4 Amps. I've owned several APC units before and the no-load current for the trickle charger was about 0.2 Amps. Answers from APC were responsive but unclear as to why this inefficient unit was designed to consume 130 watts with no useful work being done. Also, the fan runs most of the time even though the battery indicator on the display show the charge is at 100% which would seem to make cooling unnecessary. While APC does design some great hardware, in this age of energy efficiency this unit is going in the wrong direction.

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I'm sure the APC Smart-UPS SMT1500 delivers good quality power. Setup was easy, especially on my Mac, which has UPS support built into the OS. I didn't even have to load any software. Just hooked up the power and USB cables and done.

There are, however, two issues. One is that the documentation is somewhere between atrocious and non-existent. Nowhere, for example, does it explain what should get plugged into the different outlet Groups or how the Groups operate. All you can do is experiment and hope for the best.

The bigger issue is that the fans run continuously, even when line power is on and the computer is off or asleep and drawing zero power through the UPS. And the fans are not quiet. Which is a problem because the recommendation is that things be plugged directly into the UPS outlets---not through extension cords. Extension cords would be a hassle anyway, because multiple things plug into the UPS in multiple groups. This pretty much requires the UPS to be located near the computer, where the fans are maximally annoying. But even if you could remote it, the fans are loud enough that they would be annoying anywhere within the same room. I would only buy this UPS again if I had some way to remote locate it to a machine room.

--

Keith

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I found Amazon to offer the best bang for the buck on the product. I was able to get it faster than I thought. I only rated it a 4 because the fan is a bit noisy. To better explain what I mean. It's like listening to a computer fan speed up, only it doesn't slow down. It runs for a long time with only a few seconds of silence. But it is soft to the ear. It just seems loud because I am in a room with very little noise. If I have my radio going. I really don't notice. Hope this helps anyone who wants to buy it. By the way, the picture is not what you will get. It is the newer version of it. Look at the model on APC.

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I just spoke to APC about this unit. She confirmed that APC redesigned this unit with a quieter fan (see APC's web site for more info). She also said that any serial number starting with a "10-" was the newer redesigned system. So good luck to you power users!

Followup based on my purchase of one of these. I don't see what the APC lady was talking about when it comes to serial numbers, as the serial number is nothing like a "10-". In any event, the UPS works great, and it's pretty quiet, even under high load. As a result, I changed my rating from a neutral 3 stars (given b/c I had to give some rating just to pass along the comment about the fans) to a happy 5 stars.

So there you go.

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I used APC products to protect my electronics, but the Back-UPS 1500 wasn't doing the job for one of them my MacPro. When the power spiked, the UPS would alarm and then crash. I emailed APC, and they suggested an upgrade to the Smart-UPS SMT 1500 and it works great! When in sleep mode and a power spike hits, the UPS handles the load, starts the MacPro, and then shuts it down. When not in sleep mode, the system stays on for a graceful shutdown (set this up in the OS's Power Config/Control Panel. So far, so good!