APC Smart-UPS SMT - SMT1500I - Uninterruptible Power Supply 1500VA (Line Interactive, AVR, LCD Panel, 8 Outlets IEC-C13, Shutdown Software)

I purchased 1000W version. I thought I would leave it a good year before writing a review on this product so that I had some time with it.I purchased this for two reasons. First to protect my computer and components from brownouts, second so that I still had a phone line and wireless internet in the event of a power outage. I recently had a computer fry itself after a brownout. It took the motherboard, PSU, hard drive and CPU with it on it's way out... I wasn't going to let it happen again !Additionally with most people having wireless handsets for their land line phone, I'm not convinced people realise that if the power goes, you have no land line any more.... as well as your wireless internet.First a preface - 24/7 I have mine connected to:"Full size" tower desktop computer (Think mid thigh height powerhouse) - 5 hard drives, two graphics cards & an over-clocked processor.Two 1080p Asus 27 inch monitorsNetwork routerManaged network switchHome telephoneTwo POE (Power over Ethernet) access points at 27 volts eachBe warned.. This is not a "desk standing" piece of kit. The only place you want it is directly on the floor. Don't even think about balancing/placing it on top of something. It weighs much more than you think it will...I live in an area that has pretty frequent "brown outs" and the occasional complete power cut, usually for a couple of hours at a time.The self test function is reassuring, and you feel the "clunk" of the relays switching in your feet a good meter or so away.So far, i must have had a good 8 or 9 brown outs, and two complete power cuts. I only realised when the sound stopped on my speakers (These are not connected to the device) and feeling the relays switch over. This device has never missed a beat, and silently waits until it is required. Even when it is doing its desired job it is practically silent. No louder than the desktop it is keeping powered.With all equipment connected and running at full whack, it will last a good 1 hour even if i am doing some serious editing of footage or in a full screen game. (Two Nvidia 980 in SLI)With the desktop turned off, it will go for a good 5 to 6 hours depending how fast I was turning off the desktop.Configuration was a breeze. The User Interface is straightforward and easy to understand. You can switch the " on battery" alarm on or off, send notifications to your desktop via Ethernet connection or USB. You can even install software that lets you monitor the UPS. I have not done this though so i can't comment on how that works. There are many other settings, but i won't go into them on here.Long and short of this review - It functions flawlessly, has kept my computer going on a number of occasions, and just sits there silently requiring no user intervention at all. It's not cheap, but spending some money to protect about £2000 worth of computer and network equipment has been worth it tenfold. What more could you want !?If your on the fence about this purchase. Get it, you will not be disappointed.

Although this unit was bought as "Warehouse Damaged", and trust me, it really was. I can say that since switching it on a couple of months ago, it has performed faultlessly - despite looking like it had been dropped onto the floor: Hard.This speaks volumes as to how physically tough these APC devices are. The UPS has been called on to provide power several times since installation and we have had no issues. The UPS protects a Synology DS2411+/DX1211 server system and all works as it should.I cannot go into the supported operating functions much as all it does is protect this server. By this I mean, it is smart enough to run self-tests automatically without the need of a PC to initiate a test. The automated self-test and large capacity (indicates a 14% load) were the main reasons for purchase.APCs reputation and the low offer price from Valutech Ltd., made it something we had to buy.Something that may interest you: If you use the PowerChute software to control the UPS, you can specify, in some detail, how you wish the UPS to react to different failure conditions - how it can shut down attached devices in stages, etc. How? The SMT1500I has TWO banks of outputs at the back of the unit. These can be set so that power on/off can be staggered to increase the unit's run-time by shutting off unnecessary peripherals first, etc.Crucially (and unlike the SMC1500I), the SMT1500I also ships with a (bespoke-wired) serial cable (APC 940-0625A) for direct connection to some older servers - these cables can be hard to obtain as an after-market purchase. I mean REALLY hard.There was however a bit of a mix-up at the Valutech Ltd warehouse, when a kind individual decided not to send us the damaged unit, but sent an undamaged Smart-UPS SMC1500I instead - they did not realise the difference in model and they and the boxes look pretty much identical to the untrained eye.The SMC1500I didn't have the features we wanted for this installation, but Valutech offered us a good deal on that one too, so we bought both. It was either a genuine mix-up, or some really clever sales-work on Valutech's behalf, either way, they now have a customer for life.VERDICT: An incredible piece of kit at an unbeatable price. Even undamaged, worth every penny.

Well made as usual, easy battery change/hot-swap. However, for ordinary use like very small business or home/office use, it seems impossible to switch-off the UPS when not needed. Hence, it remains on and the battery is still using some of the 5yrs before replacement! Also, the menu operation is not that easy and provides info that is rarely needed. I have other APC UPSs and there is a simple on/off duo of buttons coupled with active illuminated bar-graphs and icons. This later model is most suited for home/office users. Also, rather pricey for what it does.

After a lot of research I bought two units. Very high quality, well built and apparently reliable . This UPS is pure sine wave.....cheaper ones appear not to be. Very useful feature is that you can disable the audible alarm and not be woken at night to be informed of a power cut! (My old UPS did this). Comes with PowerChute software to control computer in the event of a power failure. The unit is quite large and is very heavy and no carrying handles.My only problem with the units (which are not cheap) is that they come without mains power leads...why?