There are a few ways to test your UPS, there are 2 diagnostic tests within the Bulldog software one is a 10 second test and the other is a deep battery test. The 10-second test is to just test to make everything works right and switches over fast enough. The deep battery test is to get deep down into the battery and make sure that it is holding a charge well. I ran both tests and during both the main screen of the software changed the test result was test in progress and the AC source was battery.
The status part of the software also changed, the red LED for the test in progress light up and stayed on until the test was over. This little UPS when it kicks over to battery power has a low humming sound to it which is nice because you can actually hear it doing something.
After testing this out with the diagnostic tools it was time to see what this thing could actually do. I will be using the following test bed to test out the UPS, take in mind my system specs are very high and will draw a lot of power.
- 21″ Nokia 445 Pro monitor
- Logitech Z-560s
- EPoX 8K3A+
- 300w Zalman PSU (review to come)
- GEIL 256MB PC3500 (review to come)
- 3D Power Geforce 3
- Sound Blaster Live! Value 5.1
- 80GB Maxtor ATA133 HDD
- Pioneer 16x slot load DVD
- Plextor 40x12x40 CDRW (review to come)
- Thermalright SLK-800 w/ 80mm fan (review to come)
I turned off the power to the power strip that the UPS was plugged into and instantaneously the UPS kicked on and went away. Right after I did this a woman from my speakers said “Power failed the UPS is operating on battery power.” this message sounded every few minutes, I like that they have included this in the list of features because if your power does go out and you are not in the room where it does fail you will hear this and find out what is going on. The diagram section of the software changed with this test the same as it did with the ones from the software, as you can see the power is now going from the battery through the inverter and into the hardware plugged into the UPS. The status page also changed having only the AC Fail red LED being light.
The UPS is supposed to operate for 45 minutes but when I tested it only lasted for 10 minutes, I know this is much less than what it is supposed to do but I also have a 21″ monitor, speakers, and a fast system attached to this little thing which sucked it dry very quickly.
If you are going to be using this UPS you are probably going to be using it for a server in which case there will probably be little tiny speakers and a monitor, which means the UPS will last much longer. When the power was depleted from the UPS it let me know that it was going to be shutting down, then it saved all of my programs and shut down my computer.
When my computer was off the UPS continued to beep letting me know that it had been shutdown. I ran the test later and if the power is restored to the UPS before it is depleted the woman comes back on the speakers and says “power restored, utility power restored.”
Conclusion
This was my first time ever using or testing a UPS, I know a lot about them but had never used one. I am happy to say that my first experience with one couldn’t have been better. This little UPS has a ton of features and does a great job at what it is supposed to do. A lot of the time software is a big problem with a lot of hardware making the hardware itself not as good as it really could be.
Belkin clearly knows this and made sure that this software worked really well, did a lot, and was easy to use. Installation and use of this UPS is so simple that anyone can do it even with no previous experience or much knowledge in the area. The only negative aspects to this UPS is the fact that is quite heavy and if you are going to be hooking up high end hardware to it like I did it isn’t going to last for 45 minutes.
The price tag on this little unit is just over $100. Overall I am going to give this UPS a 9/10 and award it the OCmodshop seal of approval because it is a great product.
