INTRODUCTION

   Winter is coming and with it brings serious headaches, especially for people living in the European Union. This of course doesn’t apply to just people but also every piece of electronic device we have in our houses (power outages, blackouts, etc) so for today’s review I wanted to get a rather compact UPS model which could be used by anyone with a large number of devices without breaking the bank in terms of cost. In the end after checking out the 20 most popular models today my pick was no other than the Back-UPS BE850G2-GR model by APC (Schneider Electric).

   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.

   This specific line of Back-UPS uninterrupted power supplies by APC includes just two models with rather limited capacities (650VA, 400W/850VA, 520W) making it clear from the get go that they can be used with pretty much any electrical device found in homes and offices (still not the ideal choice for sensitive equipment). Both models are available with either schuko or BS 1363 power sockets (8 in total – 6 battery and surge protected and 2 surge protected) and feature standby topology with stepped approximation to a sinewave output waveform which according to APC means low transfer times from 6ms and up to 10ms. Of course, these models also feature user replaceable and hot-swappable batteries (RBC17 model - up to 5 years life expectancy), audible alarms, building wiring fault indicator, user adjustable voltage sensitivity, automatic self-test, resettable circuit breaker and intelligent battery management (ensures optimal battery charging). Finally, these models pack two USB charging ports (USB-A & USB-C / 2.4A), Ethernet to USB connectivity (PowerChute Personal Edition) and two RJ11 telephone surge protection ports. This may be a budget friendly model for both home and office use but it does look very nice on paper so let’s see what it has to offer.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

This Back-UPS model is shipped inside a cardboard box that has a product picture at the front surrounded by the main product features, output, runtime, warranty and of course the company logo.

Another product picture is printed on the right side of the box and is used to showcase what kind of devices you can plug into it.

Moving on the left side we find a partial product picture alongside the main product features.

Several pictures are located at the rear of the box along with warranty information (APC provides a 3-year limited warranty for this line and covers it with a 100.000Euro equipment protection policy).

For this model APC has used a plastic bag to wrap it in and two cardboard spacers to keep it safe.

Along with the Back-UPS BE850G2-GR inside the box you’ll also find an RJ45 to USB cable, safety information guide, warranty guide and the quick start guide.

THE BACK-UPS BE850G2-GR

For one of the “entry” level models in the APC lineup the BE850G2-GR is quite large measuring 365mm in length, 130mm in width and 120mm in height.

To get a better idea about its size i placed it right next to the APC BR1600SI and BR1500G-GR models.

At the top of the UPS, we find the 8 power ports, USB-A and USB-C ports, battery charge LEDs, activity LED, alarm silence button and the on/off button.

The quality control paper is once again attached to the enclosure of the UPS.

Moving at the rear we find the two RJ11 phone ports, circuit breaker and the RJ45 to USB port (for the PowerChute Personal software).

At the base of the BE850G2-GR we find the battery compartment and 3 wall mounts.

Connecting and/or removing the battery is easy, just slide the cover out and connect the cable (or pull it out to remove it).

The BE850G2-GR uses a single 12V 9.0Ah lead acid battery (RBC17).

POWERCHUTE PERSONAL

If you'd like to have more control over your APC UPS you can download the Powerchute software from their official website.

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

The name and serial number (among other things) are accessible from the technical data page.

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

   Even though both at home and at the office I have all my systems plugged into line-interactive UPS models everything else from TVs, projectors and media players to refrigerators, dehumidifiers and air cleaners are plugged into standby/offline models like the Back-UPS BE850G2-GR (and with what’s been happening lately that’s a good thing). So, this time over aside using one of my test rigs and a 4K TV with the Dune HD media player I also used a small refrigerator and a dehumidifier to see if the BE850G2-GR can hold its own when connected to devices that feature compressors and after well over a month of testing, I came across no issues whatsoever. Yes, battery life is not quite stellar but even at full load this model should give you sufficient surge protection and well over 2 minutes runtime which is more than plenty in order to shut down any devices connected to it. As mentioned in the introduction page due to its standby/offline topology which doesn’t provide the same level of protection (noise, transient, spikes and other power issues) as Line-Interactive and Online models I don’t recommend using it with the latest computer systems or sensitive electronics in general (not if you can get something better). Just to clarify, you can use it (as long as your computer doesn’t draw over 520W that is) and it’s a fact that many people do use offline/standby topology models with personal computers but if you own a new system (newer systems tend to be far more sensitive) the ideal scenario is to go for a line-interactive model instead.

   The Back-UPS BE850G2-GR is an EU only model and currently retails for just 118.90Euros (Amazon.de) a price tag which is very balanced for what you’re getting in return. Remember that aside its relatively good battery capacity, surge protection, number of power ports, two USB charging ports, RJ11 phone line protection and USB PC connection APC also covers the BE850G2-GR with a 3-year limited warranty and a 100.000Euro equipment protection policy (just be sure to read the small letters). Long story short if you’re in the market for a new budget-oriented UPS and the Back-UPS 850VA (BE850G2-GR) is sufficient for your devices I strongly recommend giving it a chance, it’s good enough to receive the Golden Award after all.

PROS

- Good Performance
- 8 Schuko Plugs
- Two USB Charging Ports (2.4A)
- RJ11 Phone Protection
- 3 Year Limited Warranty / 100.000Euro Equipment Protection Policy
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Limited Capacity (850VA/520W)