INTRODUCTION

   A couple of months ago due to severe storms the electrical power grid of the area i live in (actually a few kilometres away but very close) broke down in several locations resulting in the damage of hundreds of home appliances in a large number of households ranging from refrigerators and washing machines to TVs and air conditioners. This is actually just the latest incident in regards to the local power grid, not only did the same exact thing happen a few years back in a different area but damage to sensitive electrical devices is a frequent phenomenon (alas in small numbers). This is one of the reasons I’ve always supported and even recommended the purchase of a UPS (uninterrupted power supply) to people looking to safeguard expensive devices like PC's and home appliances. As far back as i can remember APC has always been the number 1 name when it comes to UPS devices and today, I’ll be testing yet another of their award winning and highly popular models, the Back-UPS Pro 1500 (BR1500G-GR).

   As a global specialist in energy management and automation with operations in more than 100 countries, Schneider Electric offers integrated solutions across multiple market segments, including leadership positions in Non-residential & Residential Buildings, Industries & Machines Manufacturers, Utilities & Infrastructure and Data Centres & Networks. Focused on making energy safe, reliable, efficient, productive and green, the company's 170,000 employees achieved revenues of 30 billion US dollars in 2014, through an active commitment to help individuals and organisations make the most of their energy.

   The Back-UPS Pro line of uninterrupted power supplies by APC includes a total of 15 models with 7 different capacities (650/700/900/1200/1300/1500/1600VA) all of which feature line interactive topology (regulates voltage by increasing/decreasing utility voltage as needed prior to allowing it to pass to the protected load) and stepped approximation to a sinewave output waveform (results to less stable power compared to pure sinewave models) making them ideal for use with PCs and electrical devices of all types (not very sensitive though). Of course, since the Back-UPS Pro is one of APC's best-selling and most awarded UPS lines it also features a large LCD display (diagnostics/operation) and delivers in numerous other areas including fast transfer times (10ms typical, 12ms max), user replaceable and hot-swappable batteries (up to 5 years life expectancy), automatic voltage regulation (AVR) with boost and trim support (corrects low and high voltages), user adjustable voltage sensitivity, green power saving mode, automatic self-test, audible alarms, resettable circuit breaker and temperature regulated battery charging (ensures optimal battery charging). As for available connections the BR1500G-GR which i have here with me today features ethernet and serial USB connectivity (PowerChute Personal Edition), external battery pack port, RJ45 ethernet and RJ11 telephone surge protection and a total of 6 schuko outlets (3 battery backup outlets with surge protection and 3 with just surge protection). So, once again the time has come to see just what this APC UPS is capable of.