INTRODUCTION

   People who own PCs, consoles and even cars and bikes know all too well that due to its very high temperature levels (where i live they regularly surpass 40 degrees Celsius) summer is clearly the worst season for all of those things. High temperatures not only result in worse performance for most electronic devices, they are also the primary cause of electrical grid overload (which in turn result in blackouts) due to the overwhelming majority of people using fans and air conditioners to cope with them. As a matter of fact, out of the 7 local blackouts i recorded last year (of various time lengths/periods) 5 of them occurred during the summer so if you're planning on getting a new UPS for your PC and/or console this is the best time to do so. Being the leader in the UPS market APC has numerous high-end models available in the market and the Back-UPS Pro BR1600SI is clearly among them.

   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 BR1600SI is part of the same Back-UPS Pro line as the BR1500G-GR i reviewed a while back (review here), is available in just two capacities (1200/1600VA) and is based on the same line interactive topology (regulates voltage by increasing/decreasing utility voltage as needed prior to allowing it to pass to the protected load). Instead of using stepped approximation sinewave output waveform however the BR1600SI uses pure sinewave output waveform (AC to DC to AC conversion) which means it's ideal for use with PCs and electrical devices of all types, including very sensitive ones (SI models only - MI models feature stepped approximation sinewave). The Back-UPS Pro BR1600SI also sports a large LCD display (diagnostics/operation), IP20 certified housing, two quad columns of IEC C13 power connectors (6 are battery and surge protected while 2 are just surge protected), user replaceable and hot-swappable batteries (up to 5 years life expectancy), fast transfer times (8ms typical - 10ms maximum), RJ45 Gigabit network surge protection, RJ11 telephone line surge protection, 10A resettable circuit breaker and 2 USB charging ports (5V 3.0A / USB-C & USB-A). As for software features it packs everything demanding consumers and even professionals would like to see including 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 and temperature regulated battery charging (16W - ensures optimal battery charging). So, let's see if the Back-UPS Pro BR1600SI has what it takes to keep all your electrical equipment safe at all times.