CyberPower CP1500AVRLCD Intelligent LCD UPS Review

Primarily the role of any Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) is to provide instantaneous power in the event of interruption or short-term failure from input source. This is accomplished by supplying energy stored in batteries and though fundamentally the concept hasn't evolved much over the years, some manufactures have been innovated with their product offerings.

The CyberPower CP1500AVRLCD Intelligent LCD UPS battery backup & surge protector is one such product. This mini-tower UPS is ideal for protecting desktop computers, workstations, network devices, home entertainment systems and other electronics.

Features

Highlight summary:

• Capacity: 1500 VA / 900 W
• Topology: Line Interactive
• Waveform: Simulated Sine Wave
• Output: 120 VAC ± 5%
• Plug type & cord: NEMA 5-15P, 6ft. cord
• Communication: USB, Serial
• Data line protection: Telephone, Coaxial, Ethernet
• Overload Protection: Internal circuitry limiting / breaker
• Management software: PowerPanel Personal Edition
• Energy Saving: GreenPower UPS Bypass
• Connected Equipment Guarantee: $500,000
• Warranty: 3 years

Hardware

With an overall weight of 25lbs, the mini-tower UPS is best suited for placement on a stable surface or floor. Constructed from a thick molded plastic the housing appears solid in design.

Internal are two hot-swappable batteries which provide backup power during power outages and for maintainability the battery compartment can easily be accessed. This would be a great time to mention that CyberPower warranty will repair or replace a defective UPS system (including batteries) within three years of the purchase date if an issue were to arise.

Though the CyberPower CP1500AVRLCD Intelligent LCD UPS has twelve electrical outlets, only six feature battery backup. Battery backup power is intended to protect your sensitive electronic equipment and prevent data loss caused by unexpected utility power outages. With a half-load runtime of 12 minutes and a full-load runtime of 3 minutes, this CyberPower UPS keeps equipment powered on during short-term power interruptions and provides time to save your data and gracefully shutdown your computer equipment in the event of an extended period of time.

All electrical outlets are protected against power spikes and AC power surges with a suppression rating of 1500 joules. Data line protection is also present to prevent power surges that travel through telephone, coaxial, and Ethernet lines. Automatic Voltage Regulation (AVR) yields clean, consistent AC power by automatically regulating voltages and essentially extends battery life.

A front-facing LCD panel offers detailed status information on the UPS battery and power conditions, allowing for at-a-glance view of the current load capacity, fault alarms, battery charge percentage and estimated runtime. Screen illumination is bright and can be toggled on or off, along with several other user preferred settings, including audible alarms.

Software

PowerPanel Personal Edition (free download) is Power Management software compatible with the CyberPower CP1500AVRLCD. Available for all Linux distributions in .deb, .rpm and tarball format, this command-line software bridges your system to monitor UPS activity via USB or serial port.

The pwrstatd program will run as a daemon process on start-up and communicates with the UPS to help aid unattended graceful shutdowns or execute a shell script on power related events. Additionally the software is capable of self-testing the UPS, event based logging and sending notifications.