rphair
Apprentice
I'm posting in this same category since I found a similar thread here (really helpful, but without a specific answer to this question): https://techenclave.com/threads/ups-for-someone-who-hates-apc.215197 — I need to find the cheapest & best UPS (we only need the minimum 600VA) that I can silence without melting the speaker with a soldering iron: or anything else that voids the warranty.
... i.e. a UPS that can be configured not to make that regular beeping sound when the mains power is lost (i.e. when it's delivering battery power) and not start sounding the alarm again after the mains power is restored & then goes out again... i.e. the usual behaviour of a UPS console "mute" button. I got halfway to answering this for 3 of the top vendors:
Artis - actually replied to my customer service email: agent told me they have a 600VA model with an LCD and therefore "you’ll not hear any beep sound". He attached the user manual I requested: which confirms this LCD model beeps every 10 seconds when the power goes out.
I noticed Artis has a "Powersafe PRO" series with "built-in RS-232 and bundled monitoring software" which would in principle allow the power-out alarm to be configured OFF... but their sales pages don't show which of these models have a serial connection. (The agent abandoned our email conversation without answering either question.)
APC - as I recall they offer higher end UPSs that can be configured through a serial port, via management software that seems so versatile it can even configure UPSs from other vendors. I wrote to one of their more popular distributors (eStoreWale) asking which models — APC or other — are configurable, and never got a reply.
A current Amazon India page for the ubiquitous APC model BX600I-IN (slug B0DS2726PW) has in the description "w/o auto shutdown software". Since auto-shutdown would require a serial port or at least Ethernet + SNMP, this term may be a synonym for "configurable"... but unfortunately there aren't enough models on Amazon to find a configurable APC UPS there.
CyberPower - I had confirmation that the basic 600VA retail model has a "mute" button that silences the alarm... but that the alarm turns back on again after the power is restored. I emailed them as well with the same questions & of course never got a reply: which other forum threads said was typical for them.
The CyberPower web site shows impressive, free UPS configuration software ("PowerPanel") that will even run on the Linux command line if it has a compatible UPS connected serially (I guess through a computer USB port). The CLI explicitly shows 2 different commands to either temporarily or permanently disable the alarm when the mains power goes out.
So I think this need might best be met by the answer to one question: What's the smallest / cheapest CyberPower UPS that supports PowerPanel?
I also checked Zebronics, V-Guard & Microtek but none of them seemed to have any distinctive offerings. A capacity of 600VA would power my basic configuration (imagine medical monitoring equipment in a home care environment: SFF desktop, screen, network hub, and silent under all conditions), but I'd consider a higher capacity if it's the only way to get configurability.
SNMP / enterprise features would be overkill, but an Ethernet port might be nice if it also gets us a web interface to configure the device & read power-out and battery-status logs: rather than a USB hookup through an exotic, expensive serial cable.
I have some more links with details about my findings above, but this is my first posting & don't want it to be flagged... and I have a feeling this question has a generally known answer and so was hoping to hear other people's insights & experience first.
... i.e. a UPS that can be configured not to make that regular beeping sound when the mains power is lost (i.e. when it's delivering battery power) and not start sounding the alarm again after the mains power is restored & then goes out again... i.e. the usual behaviour of a UPS console "mute" button. I got halfway to answering this for 3 of the top vendors:
Artis - actually replied to my customer service email: agent told me they have a 600VA model with an LCD and therefore "you’ll not hear any beep sound". He attached the user manual I requested: which confirms this LCD model beeps every 10 seconds when the power goes out.
I noticed Artis has a "Powersafe PRO" series with "built-in RS-232 and bundled monitoring software" which would in principle allow the power-out alarm to be configured OFF... but their sales pages don't show which of these models have a serial connection. (The agent abandoned our email conversation without answering either question.)
APC - as I recall they offer higher end UPSs that can be configured through a serial port, via management software that seems so versatile it can even configure UPSs from other vendors. I wrote to one of their more popular distributors (eStoreWale) asking which models — APC or other — are configurable, and never got a reply.
A current Amazon India page for the ubiquitous APC model BX600I-IN (slug B0DS2726PW) has in the description "w/o auto shutdown software". Since auto-shutdown would require a serial port or at least Ethernet + SNMP, this term may be a synonym for "configurable"... but unfortunately there aren't enough models on Amazon to find a configurable APC UPS there.
CyberPower - I had confirmation that the basic 600VA retail model has a "mute" button that silences the alarm... but that the alarm turns back on again after the power is restored. I emailed them as well with the same questions & of course never got a reply: which other forum threads said was typical for them.
The CyberPower web site shows impressive, free UPS configuration software ("PowerPanel") that will even run on the Linux command line if it has a compatible UPS connected serially (I guess through a computer USB port). The CLI explicitly shows 2 different commands to either temporarily or permanently disable the alarm when the mains power goes out.
So I think this need might best be met by the answer to one question: What's the smallest / cheapest CyberPower UPS that supports PowerPanel?
I also checked Zebronics, V-Guard & Microtek but none of them seemed to have any distinctive offerings. A capacity of 600VA would power my basic configuration (imagine medical monitoring equipment in a home care environment: SFF desktop, screen, network hub, and silent under all conditions), but I'd consider a higher capacity if it's the only way to get configurability.
SNMP / enterprise features would be overkill, but an Ethernet port might be nice if it also gets us a web interface to configure the device & read power-out and battery-status logs: rather than a USB hookup through an exotic, expensive serial cable.
I have some more links with details about my findings above, but this is my first posting & don't want it to be flagged... and I have a feeling this question has a generally known answer and so was hoping to hear other people's insights & experience first.
