APC’s Back-UPS ES BE750G 10 Outlet 750VA 120V Master Control

Protect your computer and other electronics with a surge protector that also saves you money by reducing so-called ‘dark loads’.  It is important that you protect your electronics from fluctuations, both surges (and more extremely, power spikes) and dips (which are periods of reduced power) that occur in the power that is sent to your power outlets.  You may have seen this phenomenon when your air conditioner starts up, or hair dryer or even when there are fluctuations in the power sent to your house from your utility.  These fluctuations can damage your electronics, especially when storing data or performing complex processes.  Most consumers are used to seeing power strips with built in surge protection–usually they have a power switch that will shut down if there is a spike. 

One problem with using just the basic surge protection is that it doesn’t protect against dips in power or brownouts and definitely provides no protection against complete power loss.  Most business computer networks protect their individual PCs and network servers with a device called a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) which is a battery backup system.  Some of these have longer battery lives, but the most important function is that when power is interrupted, an alarm goes off and there is enough battery life in a UPS to allow for the proper shutting down of sensitive electronics like a computer.  As you know, if your computer just shuts down by turning off the switch, none of your current projects are saved and the improper shutting down of your computer can do damage to the sensitive electronics.

We like this device — APC’s BE750G — because it gives you the benefits of both surge protection and UPS benefits.  It is also easy to install and use.  And there is another benefit to using it versus its competitors: it detects when the computer is turned off or in sleep mode and shuts off power to your peripherals.   They estimate that this will generate $40 in savings on your utility bill each year.  This model also has software that when installed detects power interruptions and shuts your computers down safely even when you are away.  APC even provides an insurance policy that protects you from data loss when their equipment is used.

The suggested price of $99.95 and ease of use lead us to recommend this product as a good value in protecting your electronics AND your digital life.