POWER-LESS

Dear Geek;

I have my computer, printer, etc. plugged into a power bar.  A friend told me this isn’t good enough, and that I should have something called a “UPS”.  What is that, and do I need one?

Sincerely,

Power-less

Dear Power-less;

In the world of power fluctuations, power failures, and power surges are very common.  If you aren’t fully prepared for them, your equipment, and your data, are at risk.  There are 3 main options to protecting your equipment.

1.  Power Bar:  The poor cousin of the three.  Most power bars available, include a built-in circuit breaker.  This provides some protection against power surges.  It is a great, affordable option for devices that aren’t critical (ie. lights, fans, radios).

2.  Surge Protector:  The blue-collar worker.  Similar to power bars, but surge protectors can detect when power surges are larger than an “acceptable level” for your devices.  In a surge protector, excess power is re-routed to a grounding wire and fuse, which will burn out when power exceeds what it can handle.  Surge protectors provide adequate protection for vital devices such as monitors, printers, tvs, entertainment systems, and smartphones.  Something to note:  surge protectors can come with different “joule ratings”.  The higher the joule rating, the more excess power the surge protector can take .

3.  UPS a.k.a. Uninterruptible Power Supply:  The rich relative.  An UPS contains an internal battery which, in case of a temporary total power failure, can keep your equipment functioning for a short amount of time.  Usually, just long enough for you to shut everything down…safely.  A UPS is invaluable for computers, servers, etc.  Anything that could cause a loss of data, or damage to the equipment, if not shut down properly.  A bonus to the UPS, it will protect your equipment against damage from any power fluctuations.  Most UPSs will provide surge protection to equipment plugged into the battery backup outlet.  Most also have additional surge protection outlets (without battery backup), for other computer equipment (ie. printers, monitors, etc.).

In short, your friend is partly right.  In an ideal world, your computer tower should be plugged into a UPS, and your computer peripherals (monitor, printer, etc) into at least a power bar, preferably a surge protector.  Price may influence your decision, as power bars start at approximately $5, whereas UPSs start at around $60.

If you have a question for our Resident Geek, send it to:  geek@tbyd.ca.  We’ll translate it from Geek-lish to English, so it actually helps!

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