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.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The Back-UPS Pro is shipped inside a cardboard box that has a product drawing at the front surrounded by the main product features, output, runtime and warranty.

A large sticker with everything you need to know about APC and their warranty is placed on the left side.

The features and technical specifications of the unit are printed on the left side of the box.

Another drawing located at the rear of the box is used to showcase all available connectors in 3 languages.

As with previous models the Back-UPS Pro is wrapped inside a plastic bag and placed between two thick pieces of foam.

Along with the Back-UPS Pro inside the box you’ll also find an RJ45 to USB cable, RJ11 cable, software and instructions CD, safety information guide, warranty guide, product registration paper and the operation manual.

THE BACK-UPS PRO 1500 (BR1500G-GR)

The first thing I noticed when I took the BR1500G-GR out of its box was the quality control paper placed on the left side (this paper has a large number of tests this UPS passed in order to make it to the market).

Measuring 382mm in depth, 301mm in length and 112mm in width the 13kg heavy Back-UPS Pro 1500 is a medium sized model.

Typically, APC has placed their logo on both sides of the UPS.

Moving at the front we see that most area is polished and just over it we find the mute alarm, on/off and LCD information display buttons (all are illuminated).

Turning the Back-UPS Pro 1500 around we find a warning sticker which needs to be removed prior to using it.

With that out of the way we see two RJ45 surge protection ports, two RJ11 surge protection ports, ethernet to USB port, grounding screw, extra battery pack port, circuit breaker button and the 6 schuko outlets.

To activate the interior battery pack or to replace it when the time comes is extremely easy with the Back-UPS Pro model, just turn it over and remove the plastic cover seen above.

After that take the battery pack out, invert it and place it back in (for 1^st time use).

The Back-UPS Pro 1500 uses two RBC 9h/12V batteries connected together.

LCD SCREEN

Unlike the Smart-UPS model the LCD screen of the Back-UPS Pro model only lists information like battery capacity and load, incoming/outgoing voltage, electrical frequency, remaining battery time and battery load.

POWERCHUTE PERSONAL

For more control over your APC UPS you can download the PowerChute Personal software from the official product website.

From the monitor system tab, you can check the performance of the UPS, current status, perform a self-test and check your energy savings.

Inside the configuration tab you have the ability to enable/disable notifications, send power quality information back to APC, set the UPS running time for your system, change the sensitivity of the UPS (i do recommend setting this to high if the electrical grid is not the best) and finally you can set the voltage range manually.

Finally from the help and support tab you can seek help by contacting APC and check the technical data (strangely enough the Back-UPS Pro 1500 model was recognized as Back-UPS RS 1500G here).

TESTING METHODOLOGY

   I decided to test all UPS models that make it here in real world scenarios so what better way to do that than to use one of my TV sets and one of my test rigs? So, to check battery life I’m using a 55-inch SONY 4K TV paired with the HD Dune Pro 4K II player (4K MVK playback) and the X79 test rig (while playing several game titles). Needless to say, power draw is not 100% fixed but I did measure the minimum and maximum numbers during all tests which don’t exceed 10W for the first and 20W for the latter (so do keep this in mind).

   To simulate real power outages, I will be turning the corresponding power switch in the lab a total of 5 times (5 for each test), 3 of which I will pushing it back on immediately and 2 which I will allow a couple of minutes to pass. If any of the UPS models I test fail to protect the connected equipment (or fail to keep it running) I will be sure to mention it at the end of the review.

   As for noise levels I’ll be using the ExTech HD600 decibel meter placed 5cm away from each UPS model (i will not however be recording beeping sounds coming from their internal speakers).

TEST RESULTS

CONCLUSION

   The Back-UPS Pro line may not be on par with the Smart-UPS line but it actually ended up being more “friendly” to my systems since not even once did i encounter the shut-down problem i had with the SMT1500IC. Yes, the Back-UPS Pro doesn’t feature the same output waveform so it’s not as ideal for very sensitive equipment as the Smart-UPS line but it’s smaller, lighter and shares many features with its larger brother. Granted battery life is nowhere close between the two 1500VA models i reviewed from those lines (and to some people, primarily professionals, this will obviously matter) but for the majority of potential buyers this will be more than just enough. Being actively cooled thanks to an internal 80mm fan is a double-edged sword, yes this ensures good operation for the UPS even at high temperatures but noise levels are also somewhat high (still not as high as with some other models). 3 battery operated outlets may be more than enough for the majority of users out there but I was really hoping APC would give all 6 that ability. Other than that, the BR1500G-GR passed all my tests with flying colors so time to see just how much APC asks for it.

   Retailing for just USD225 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 399Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) the Back-UPS Pro 1500 (BR1500G-GR) is priced extremely well on the other side of the Atlantic (not that well over here). EU price is the sole serious drawback of the Back-UPS Pro 1500, in everything else it delivered and then some and since I had no problems with it during the 1+ month I used and tested it for it gets the Golden Award.

PROS

- Battery Life
- 6 Schuko Outlets (3 Battery Powered)
- 1500VA/865W
- LCD Display
- PowerChute Personal Edition
- List of Features
- Ethernet & USB Connectivity
- 15 Available Models
- 3 Year Limited Warranty (2 For Battery)
- USA Price (For Some)

CONS

- EU Price (For Some)
- Only 3 Battery Operated Schuko Outlets