Do you need a UPS? How much will a battery backup protect your computer?

A battery backup, or uninterruptible power supply (UPS), is primarily used to provide a backup power source to important desktop computer hardware components.

In most cases, those pieces of hardware include the main computer housing and the monitor, but other devices can be plugged into a UPS for backup power as well, depending on the size of the UPS.

In addition to acting as a backup when the power goes out, most battery backup devices also act as power “conditioners” by ensuring that the electricity flowing to your computer and accessories is free from drops or surges.

If a computer is not receiving a consistent flow of electricity, damage can and often does occur.

While a UPS system is not a required piece of a complete computer system, including one as part of yours is always recommended. The need for a reliable supply of electricity is often overlooked.

Uninterruptible power supply, uninterruptible power source, on-line UPS, standby UPS, and UPS are the different names for a battery backup.

Popular UPS manufacturers include APC, Belkin, CyberPower, Tripp Lite, and Ultra, among many others.

Battery Backups: What They Look Like & Where They Go

The battery backup sits between the utility power (power from the wall outlet) and the parts of the computer. In other words, the computer and accessories plug into the battery backup and the battery backup plugs into the wall.

UPS devices come in many shapes and sizes but are most commonly rectangular and freestanding, intended to sit on the floor near the computer.

All battery backups are very heavy due to the batteries located inside.

One or more batteries inside the UPS provide power to the devices plugged into it when power from the wall outlet is no longer available. The batteries are rechargeable and often replaceable, providing a long-term solution to keeping your computer system running.

The front of the battery backup will usually have a power switch to turn the device on and off and will also sometimes have one or more additional buttons that perform various functions. Higher-end battery backup units will also often feature LCD screens that show information about how charged the batteries are, how much power is being used, etc.

The rear of the UPS will feature one or more outlets that provide battery backup. In addition, many battery backup devices will also feature surge protection on additional outlets and sometimes even protection for network connections, as well as phone and cable lines.

Battery backup devices are manufactured with varying degrees of backup ability. To determine how powerful of a UPS you need, first, use the eXtreme Power Supply Calculator to calculate your computer’s wattage requirements. Take this number and add it to the wattage requirements for other devices you would plug into the battery backup. Take this totaled number and check with the UPS manufacturer to find your estimated battery runtime when you lose power from the wall.

On-Line UPS vs Standby UPS

There are two different types of UPSs: A standby UPS is a type of battery backup that’s similar to an on-line uninterrupted power supply but doesn’t go into action as quickly.

The way a standby UPS works is by monitoring the power that’s coming into the battery backup supply and not switching over to the battery until it detects a problem (which can take up to 10-12 milliseconds). An on-line UPS, on the other hand, is always providing power to the computer, which means whether a problem is detected or not, the battery is always the computer’s source of power.

You can think of an on-line UPS as if it were a battery in a laptop. While a laptop is plugged into a wall outlet, it’s getting constant power through the battery which is getting a constant supply of power through the wall.

If the wall power is removed (like during a power outage), the laptop is able to remain powered on because of the built-in battery.

The most obvious real-world difference between the two types of battery backup systems is that, given the battery has enough power, a computer won’t shutdown from a power outage if it’s plugged into an on-line UPS, but it might lose power (even if just for a few seconds) if it’s attached to a standby UPS that didn’t respond to the outage quick enough… although newer systems can detect a power issue as soon as 2 ms.

Given the benefit just described, an on-line UPS is normally more expensive than a line-interactive UPS.

More Information on Battery Backups

Some battery backup systems you find may seem pointless because they only supply a few minutes of power. But something to consider is that with even 5 minutes of extra power, you can safely save any open files and shut off the computer to prevent hardware or software damage.

Something else to remember is how frustrating it is for your computer to immediately shut off when the power turns off for even a few seconds. With the computer attached to an on-line UPS, such an event may even go unnoticed because the battery will have been providing the power before, during, and after the power break.

If your laptop has ever gone to sleep or shut down on you after you’ve stopped using it for awhile, but only when it’s not plugged in, you’re familiar with the fact that battery-powered devices can behave differently than desktops.

This is due to built-in power options in the operating system.

You can set up something similar on a desktop computer that uses a UPS (if the UPS is able to connect via USB) so that the computer will go into hibernation mode or safely shut off if it switches over to battery power during an outage.

Your cable sucks

The first offender in any case of slow-charging should always be your USB cable. Just take a look at it: guilty as hell. Considering the awful treatment my USB cables undergo, it’s no wonder that it is usually why my phone won’t charge faster.

USB cables get bent, twisted, coiled, run over with chair wheels and generally abused: all of these are not very good for maintaining a solid connection and flow-through of power. Be sure to check the ends too: they can very easily get full of fluff.

Your power source sucks

The next obvious question is where are you getting your power from? If you have a USB cable plugged into your laptop then your phone is going to charge insanely slowly and you’ll deserve it. Likewise Qi wireless charging. While Qi is brilliant technology, that brilliance comes at the cost of speed.

Your best bet is to have your phone plugged direct into mains power at the wall socket. But even this can be problematic, especially if you’re in an old building where the wiring might be a little sketchy. If you think this could be the problem, move to another outlet (and then call an electrician).

Your charger sucks

To complete the trifecta, if it’s not your power source or your cable, chances are that it’s the actual adaptor you’re using that is causing your battery to charge slowly. There’s a reason every manufacturer provides a specific USB adaptor for each phone they ship.

Switching adaptors between phones can mix-match voltage, wattage, ampage and general powerage. So stick with the adaptor that came with your phone or at the very least take a look at the fine print on it and replace it with another adaptor of the same type.

Your phone sucks

Sorry, but it’s true. If you’re sitting there wondering why your Galaxy S2 takes so long to charge it’s because your phone sucks. Newer processors not only support fast charging, but newer phones even come with turbo charging chargers. The Galaxy S6, for example, can get your four hours’ worth of usage after just ten minutes plugged in.

Other phones that support fast charging will have a lightning bolt icon on the charger itself), possibly along with turbo charging output figures. Your phone can also become a pocket lint cave too, so check your microUSB port and make sure the little flap in the port isn’t bent while you’re looking in there. Your battery might just be kaput too, so ask yourself how old it is.

You suck

It’s true – you’re the worst thing preventing your phone charging quickly when you can’t keep your hands off it. Seriously, if time is of the essence, your best bet is to leave it alone. Mindlessly scrolling through your Insta feed while watching your battery percentage go nowhere is no one’s fault but your own.

So leave your phone alone when you charge it, or better yet, turn it off entirely. That’s actually the absolute best way to charge a phone quickly: turn it off, plug it into a wall with the original charger and have your socks off when you come back to it. Even after as little as 15 minutes. Now put a nice outfit on – your hot date awaits.

Sony has had a whirlwind few months due mainly to the launch of several new phones, but it looks like it’s not slowing down anytime soon. According to recent rumors, the company is readying a new flagship to serve as a follow-up to the Sony Xperia XZ Premium, and it’s called the Sony Xperia XZ Pro. The phone is rumored to debut at Mobile World Congress 2018., which kicks off February 26.

We don’t know all that much about the new phones just yet, but there are a few rumors that give us hints at what the new phone may look like. Here’s everything we know about the Sony Xperia XZ Pro so far.

Specs

Perhaps the most notable thing about this device is what’s under the hood. According to a leak from MyDrivers, the phone will be among the first to feature the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, which is Qualcomm‘s most powerful mobile chip yet. It will also boast 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage — though there could be options for how much RAM or storage are available on the phone.

MyDrivers notes that the phone may feature a 5.7-inch OLED display with a 4K resolution, which would be one of the highest-quality displays so far. Sure, it’s not the first phone to feature a 4K display, but hopefully this device will be among a new generation of devices with ultra-high-resolution displays, which should make for far better mobile virtual reality experiences.

Sony has traditionally placed an emphasis on cameras, and it’s likely the Xperia XZ Pro will be no different. The phone will apparently feature a dual rear-facing camera with one 18-megapixel sensor and one 12-megapixel sensor.

To power all of this, the phone is rumored to feature a 3,420mAh battery. It will boast an IP68 water-resistance rating.

Design

Sony hasn’t exactly had a great track record with design, but all signs point to the company attempting to turn that around in 2018. Rumors indicate Sony will embrace bezel-less designs this year. We’ll update this article if we hear any more about the phone’s design or if any leaked images pop up.

Price and availability

According to MyDrivers, the phone will come with a price tag of 6,000 Chinese yuan, which equates to $930. That’s no small price for a phone — even if it’s a premium one. While it will reportedly be announced at Mobile World Congress at the end of February, that doesn’t mean it’ll be available then. Sony could wait a few months to launch the phone, depending on factors like availability of the Snapdragon 845. Last year, because Samsung manufactured the Snapdragon 835, it got first dibs. That may also be the case this time around.