APC SMT750 Smart-UPS 750VA LCD 120V

• 6 outlets
• 120V
• Alpha/numeric LCD display
• High-efficiency green mode
• Automatic voltage regulation

I bought this UPS to replace another APC UPS that had failed after about 10 years of continuous use.

This UPS is designed for server installations, and there are some aspects of its behaviour that make it less-than-ideal for a desktop installation. If you are considering this UPS for a home PC installation, make note of the following:

there is no fast way to turn it off -i.e. an on/off master power switch. Turning it off is a multi-step process requiring interaction with the hardware menu and by default there is a 90 sec. delay before it actually turns off (this delay is configurable but, as far as I know, the multi-step "off" is not).

since you will likely choose to leave it turned on 100% of the time (as APC recommends for all of their UPSs, though I never have), then be aware that by my measurements it has an 18W power consumption with the battery fully charged and nothing plugged in -that is, the UPS itself needs 18W of electricity constantly just to function, which translates into about $1.50/mo in electricity. Not a lot, but it seems more than necessary.

This UPS does exactly what it says it will do, and I picked a product that was meant for a different application, so I'm not going to fault it for some assumptions I had made about how it would behave. I will fault it for the base power consumption, though -especially when it makes mention of its "green" attributes in the marketing material.

Still, if you accept the above, it is a very nice UPS and provides a lot of status information, including the power consumption of the devices connected (similar to a Kill-A-Watt meter's info).

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I have a Dell Studio XPS 9000 with a 64-bit operating system. My old, trusty, easy-to-use UPS will only work on this system as a surge protector but not as a battery back up (which is what gives you a few minutes to find a stopping point, save your documents and properly shut down Windows). So I purchased two of these units (one for me and one for my sister-in-law's new computer.)

If you're used to the regular UPS interface which has a Personal Power Chute interface window that provides all the system information you need by just clicking on the icon, this one is different. There is no user interface other than the panel on the front of the unit which gives you a lot of information but not all you'd like. All that information (minutes her system can keep running without a/c power, etc.) is now provided online--which explains why you need a password.

I'm not too sure that I like this system because, in case of a serious weather emergency the modem may not work and I wouldn't have access to information I'd need in the short time that the computer will be running. I like the computer-based system a lot better for an individual computer. I have the feeling that this system, while it will work with individual home computers, is really designed for networks and workplaces.

The first installation was flawless, everything worked right away, and the unit was recognized by the web interface and all the system information was provided.

The second installation, performed exactly in the same sequence, went fine until I tried to connect to the web interface and was told this was an "unknown device" and no information could be provided about it. This is a little unnerving because I have no confirmation that it is properly configured and will work in an emergency. So, at this point, I'm waiting for the reply to my e-mail service request.

I tried to find information to help me solve the problem in the user manual (on cd) without any success. The book is not written for a lay person. You get terms such as "name string outlet group," "switched outlet group", and "normally closed contacts" which probably make sense to an IT professional, but don't mean anything to me. I can't see anything on the manual that could address my problem (of course, heaven only knows what creative name my problem might have).

I am giving this product three stars because, due to my previous experience with APC tech support, I'm pretty confident that this glitch will get straightened out. (I will update if it doesn't). Also, my sister-in-law's unit is working beautifully. Besides, it is the only reasonably-priced smart ups I could find and it has the capacity to protect the five items that I've plugged into it: the CPU, two monitors, a scanner, and an external hard drive and still am at a 48% load capacity.

However, I'm deducting one star for the layout of the outlets. They are so closely spaced that, unless you're plugging in just ordinary sized plugs, you lose at least one (maybe even two) of the six available outlets because you just can't jam another in between the chunky plugs that come with scanners, CPU's, etc. (Let alone if you should want to plug in an external hard drive that comes with one of those little adapter boxes!) I wasn't able to plug in the printer, not because of lack of load capacity but because of lack of space.

I'm also deducting one star for the software. A business enterprise with many computers on a network and an IT professional on duty might find this system to be perfect. But a little old lady in Miami with one computer to protect finds it unnecessarily complicated--not impossible, but just not as simple as it should be.

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Purchased this to replace an older APC that went on the fritz. Though the company sent me a direct replacement for the older APC, I went with this purchase to future proof as it seems newer computers will need this type of UPS that produces a sine wave output. Item works as any other, except it comes with a web-based system to configure options, shutdown notifications, etc. To that end, I have a reliable electric system that this has not had to do too much 'work' so I cannot comment on its functionality under demanding conditions.

The buttons and LED on the front are neat, though not user-friendly enough to figure out if your UPS will be installed in a remote or difficult to access area, as mine is. Basically I went to shut it off and accidentally changed it to Spanish menu's which was not fun trying to get it back. It does show the load currently on the system, which is neat but not something Im going to be using very much since its tucked out of view.

Probably would buy again, given reputation of company, replacement policy, etc.

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About two hours before leaving for a long holiday weekend, this UPS started sparking. We rushed it out of the building and it burst into flames! I cannot imagine what would have happened had no one been here.

After the fire burned itself out, we plugged it in again to see if the problem would continue. Sure enough, the sparks started flying and the flames came back. Unbelievable! Goes to show it would have just kept burning worse and worse if we hadn't been there to get it out of the office. APC came a couple hours away from burning down our office building. When we called to report the problem, they couldn't care less. They offered to send a replacement (how could we trust it?!) and weren't even interesting in getting the unit back to see what went wrong. They did tell us if we wanted to send it back, we could, at our cost. Always thought APC was a leader in the UPS industry. Now we're replacing all their products.

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I've been an APC fan for 10+ years, and have always appreciated their well engineered products. The newly designed Smart 750 is a great UPS. It produces a lot less heat than the prior model that I had, and the LCD display is really nice to keep an eye on everything without having to open up Powerchute every time. I always seem to get 2 years out of APC batteries, maybe the new circuitry in these models will make the batteries last a bit longer. Regardless, this is a great model and it puts APC back in the game amongst its competitors. The price and free shipping could not be beat either!