# What is the best UPS system for Roamio PRO?



## Ziggie (Jan 20, 2004)

What would you say is the best UPS system for the Roamio PRO? I looked at weaknees and they recommend this unit: http://www.weaknees.com/protect.php

Is that a good unit? I don't want anything too expensive, but I want to stop TiVo from losing power and having to reboot (down here we lose power very, very often... too much ocean and sunshine I guess  )


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## Zooks527 (Oct 19, 2010)

It's acceptable if you have short power failures. Strikes me as kind of small, though.

I have both of my TiVos connected to one of these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000OTEZ5I/ref=oh_details_o07_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Carries the TiVo for longer (1/2 hour to an hour), and has a button to disable the beeping that these things typically put out during an outage.


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## cherry ghost (Sep 13, 2005)

That or the 550 is fine


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## eboydog (Mar 24, 2006)

The APC ups's are generally good, their SmartUps are even better. Most residential ups's are usually just that, uninterrupted power supplies, the more expensive ones such as the APC SmartUps will condition the AC supply to the attached devices which will promote longer life in those devices. Most important is if the battery pack can be replaced as if you shop around you can find new batteries for them a lot cheaper than buying a new one a few years down the road. 

Having the simplest ups is very desirable regardless, I have never used any Tivo without running them off a ups with the exception of my new Mini which I will when I get a chance. 

Knock on wood, I have yet to have a hard drive or power supply go bad but now that may change since I said such out loud!


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## CrispyCritter (Feb 28, 2001)

I vote for the cyberpower series, as others have said. I've had over a dozen APC UPS's over the years, and gave up on them about 6 years ago - they'd work well for the initial battery period, but would tend to fail after that. The cyberpowers have been both more reliable and have features I want (lcd display on much cheaper models than APC, and the ability to easily turn off the beeping when on battery power).


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## SNJpage1 (May 25, 2006)

Batteries only have a set lifetime and need to be replaced every few years no matter what the brand is. I have had Cyber power brand UPS and it was junk. I now have 3 APS's 550's and every three years I replace the batteries.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

The TiVo only draws like 22 watts so even a 350 will run for a long time if the TiVo is the only thing connected to it.

Also, IIRC, you have some sort of fiber system which has a special box out in the garage or something right? Keep in mind that if power is cut to that you'll likely lose the signal to the TiVo so your recordings will fail. If you want to keep recording through power outages you'll need a UPS for that as well.


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## CrispyCritter (Feb 28, 2001)

SNJpage1 said:


> Batteries only have a set lifetime and need to be replaced every few years no matter what the brand is. I have had Cyber power brand UPS and it was junk. I now have 3 APS's 550's and every three years I replace the batteries.


I accept that the batteries need to be replaced on all UPS's; I don't accept that the UPS itself should be replaced nearly that often. Probably 8 out of 12 of my APC UPS's died within a year of first replacing their batteries, and the others have died since. I tend to get bigger UPS's (650-1350) and I really think they should last longer (low-end UPS's of any manufacturer will tend to not last too long after the first battery.)


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## dahacker (Jan 14, 2004)

Ziggie said:


> What would you say is the best UPS system for the Roamio PRO? I looked at weaknees and they recommend this unit: http://www.weaknees.com/protect.php
> 
> Is that a good unit? I don't want anything too expensive, but I want to stop TiVo from losing power and having to reboot (down here we lose power very, very often... too much ocean and sunshine I guess  )


Exactly what have used over the years.


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## kdmorse (Jan 29, 2001)

I have owned, deployed, and observed many APC UPS's over the years, including dozens of Smart 1400's and 2200's, both floor and rack mount. And I've noticed a unmistakable pattern in the SmartUPS line*.

If you change the battery right away, it'll be happy as a clam. If you leave a low battery in the unit for too long and ignore the beeps, it will eventually burn out one of the charger circuit boards. The longer you leave the dead battery in there, the shorter the eventual lifespan of the unit.

(Does not appear to apply to the Matrix series, we abuse those regularly and they keep on ticking...)

-Ken

* Remember, the plural of anecdote is not data. The plural of anecdote is 'forum post'


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## mickcris (Jan 20, 2014)

I've also never had good luck with APC units. Every one I had seems to have had the battery die before it should have. The Cyberpower units I bought a few years ago have given me no problems.


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## shrike4242 (Dec 1, 2006)

I have each of my Tivo units connected to one of these Cyberpower units:

http://www.amazon.com/CyberPower-CP1350AVRLCD-Intelligent-Series-Mini-Tower/dp/B000OFXKFI

I picked them up en-masse to replace numerous APC SmartUPS units over the years. Costco had them for $89.99 each (up to $94.99 more recently) and they were $50 cheaper than anywhere else that had them between NewEgg and Amazon.

I've had them in-use for 6-8 months and they've worked great. At the price I paid for them at Costco, they're a must-buy, so if you can find them at Costco, pick them up.

I have a number of these units in use at work and have had no failures with any of them that have been in service for almost a year:

http://www.amazon.com/CyberPower-CP750LCD-Intelligent-750VA-Compact/dp/B0083TXNAE/


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

I have mine connected to APC 1500XL units with extended runtime batteries. They will power all my devices, TV, receiver, subwoofer etc for over two hours or if most of the devices are off the TiVo will be powered for 13 to 15 hours during a power outage.

Here is the APC UPS

http://www.amazon.com/APC-BR1500G-B...=UTF8&qid=1392213445&sr=1-1&keywords=apc+1500

Here is the extended runtime battery

http://www.amazon.com/APC-BR24BPG-B...=UTF8&qid=1392213445&sr=1-5&keywords=apc+1500

I use around a dozen of these throughout my condo to power all my electronic devices during an outage so I can use everything normally while the power is out.


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## Ziggie (Jan 20, 2004)

These are all great suggestions.. thanks so much everyone!

A question about the towers though.. can they lay on their sides? The unit we purchase needs to be slid under a cabinet. We don't have room for something that needs to stand upright.


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## keithg1964 (Feb 2, 2006)

Ziggie said:


> These are all great suggestions.. thanks so much everyone!
> 
> A question about the towers though.. can they lay on their sides? The unit we purchase needs to be slid under a cabinet. We don't have room for something that needs to stand upright.


It should not matter. If it was mine, I don't think I would think about it for a second before laying it on the side.

kg


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## NJ Webel (Dec 8, 2004)

I use the Belkin Pure AV battery backup w/ automatic voltage regulation. http://www.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Product_Id=443702

It is rack-mountable, and the batteries are replaceable.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

I have both an APC 1500VA unit and a Belkin 1200VA unit and even after like 8 years the batteries still work. We had a power outage over the summer that lasted like 6 hours and they kept our TiVos going to the whole time. I have a bunch of other dead APC units in the closet, some newer then these, so I'm not sure what keeps these guys going.


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## unitron (Apr 28, 2006)

I'll just say--

Be careful when replacing the battery, especially the bigger heavier ones.

The original might have had a partial shield on one or both terminals that the one you got at Batteries+ or wherever might not have.

I just tried to put a 12Ah in one and even though the DC part should be isolated from the AC part, a momentary brush against the grounded chassis of a part of the + terminal not quite covered by the UPS's connector means that apparently an expensive semiconductor gave up its life to protect a 50 cent fuse, and without a schematic it'll be a while before I track down which one.

And get one that you can turn the beep off on during a power failure.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

No point in having a UPS if the audible tone can't be silenced. On my APC UPSs that is the first thing I turn off in the settings by connecting it to a PC using the Powerchute software


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## lessd (Jan 23, 2005)

shrike4242 said:


> I have each of my Tivo units connected to one of these Cyberpower units:
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/CyberPower-CP1350AVRLCD-Intelligent-Series-Mini-Tower/dp/B000OFXKFI
> 
> ...


I have been using the CyberPower for the last 5 years on my computer, battery is still good but weak, not a problem for me as I have a auto backup home generator, so all the UPS has to last is 16 sec.
I stopped using any UPS on my TiVos as in the a power outage about 4 years ago, the cable went out also I guess, and the TiVo kept running, when the cable came back on the TiVo tuner got screw up and tuned nothing) lost all recordings for that evening), by letting the TiVo re-boot all worked great.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

lessd said:


> I have been using the CyberPower for the last 5 years on my computer, battery is still good but weak, not a problem for me as I have a auto backup home generator, so all the UPS has to last is 16 sec.
> I stopped using any UPS on my TiVos as in the a power outage about 4 years ago, the cable went out also I guess, and the TiVo kept running, when the cable came back on the TiVo tuner got screw up and tuned nothing) lost all recordings for that evening), by letting the TiVo re-boot all worked great.


When I had Comcast the cable never went out when there was a power outage(although my brother's comcast cable does go out everytime there is a power outage.). I'm on FIOS now and that has also never gone out as long as my ONT was still powered by my UPS.


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## shrike4242 (Dec 1, 2006)

lessd said:


> I have been using the CyberPower for the last 5 years on my computer, battery is still good but weak, not a problem for me as I have a auto backup home generator, so all the UPS has to last is 16 sec.
> I stopped using any UPS on my TiVos as in the a power outage about 4 years ago, the cable went out also I guess, and the TiVo kept running, when the cable came back on the TiVo tuner got screw up and tuned nothing) lost all recordings for that evening), by letting the TiVo re-boot all worked great.


That's why the Tivo + tuning adapter is on a UPS at each TV, as well as the 8-way powered amplifier that's in the basement at the building demarc point. The 8-way amplifier is on the same separate UPS as my Arris VOIP modem, with the router + cable modem on its own separate UPS.

From past practice, that's worked for me to cover myself during power hiccups and small outages.


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## SNJpage1 (May 25, 2006)

Aaronwt, if the power went out what powered the Comcast box? With out power to it you are not going to get any cable signal. Now if you are talking about Tivo's with cable cards then I can understand what you are saying. If I remember right Comcast powers it's amps by placing voltage on the cable itself that provides the power. Not sure if it is still done the same way since they have gone fiber.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

SNJpage1 said:


> Aaronwt, if the power went out what powered the Comcast box? With out power to it you are not going to get any cable signal. Now if you are talking about Tivo's with cable cards then I can understand what you are saying. If I remember right Comcast powers it's amps by placing voltage on the cable itself that provides the power. Not sure if it is still done the same way since they have gone fiber.


I used TiVos with Comcast. There was still a signal at the coaxial cable so I just needed to make sure the TiVo was up and running.


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## Darr247 (Mar 21, 2010)

I've had two SmartUPS 750's over the years... when they die, Schneider doesn't seem too interested in fixing them for less than the cost of a new one. :-|

My next one will be a CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD PFC, which outputs a true sine wave when the inverter's running, unlike the small 500 to 600 VA boxes (including the ones made by APC) which output a stepped approximation when running on battery.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

Darr247 said:


> I've had two SmartUPS 750's over the years... when they die, Schneider doesn't seem too interested in fixing them for less than the cost of a new one. :-|
> 
> My next one will be a CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD PFC, which outputs a true sine wave when the inverter's running, unlike the small 500 to 600 VA boxes (including the ones made by APC) which output a stepped approximation when running on battery.


I've been using that type for 18 years. I've only had one device that had a buzzing from a power supply when running on battery. It was an old HP 720P 32" TV. EVery other HDTV, SDTV, monitor, receiver, subwoofer etc, has worked fine on the stepped sine wave UPSs I've used.

My main concern is long runtime. My alarm system and FiOS ONT and Asus router are good for 15 to 18 hours during an outage with the extended runtime batteries. The only bad thing about the APC extended runtime batteries is that they are sealed units and the internal batteries can't be replaced like the two batteries in the main UPS unit.


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## Ziggie (Jan 20, 2004)

These are all great suggestions!

When I started mentioning them to my husband, he said "you probably should've asked for the best UPS under $100". We're not looking to keep the entire home theater system operating for an extended period of time.. maybe just like 5 minutes or so.

The house has some sort of surge protection installed by the electric company but they do recommend a UPS unit for sensitive electronics. 

Having said that, what do you recommend? I love the expensive units, but they're a little bit costly for us right now.


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## A J Ricaud (Jun 25, 2002)

aaronwt said:


> The only bad thing about the APC extended runtime batteries is that they are sealed units and the internal batteries can't be replaced like the two batteries in the main UPS unit.


I'm not sure if it applies to all of the extended runtime battery modules, but I found on a Google search a "how to" for swapping out the internal batteries a while back. I wish I had written the URL down, but you will probably be able to find it. I know I will when mine need replacement.


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## A J Ricaud (Jun 25, 2002)

aaronwt said:


> The only bad thing about the APC extended runtime batteries is that they are sealed units and the internal batteries can't be replaced like the two batteries in the main UPS unit.


I found the instructions for battery replacement for APC BR24BPG extended batteries:
http://www.amazon.com/APC-BR24BPG-Back-UPS-Ex ternal-Battery/product-reviews/B0047E5B90/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?showViewpoints=1

Note: you have to use the whole URL above


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## shrike4242 (Dec 1, 2006)

Ziggie said:


> These are all great suggestions!
> 
> When I started mentioning them to my husband, he said "you probably should've asked for the best UPS under $100". We're not looking to keep the entire home theater system operating for an extended period of time.. maybe just like 5 minutes or so.
> 
> ...


Try one of these, as I use a number of them at work and they've done well in the year or so that they've been in service:

http://www.amazon.com/CyberPower-CP750LCD-Intelligent-750VA-Compact/dp/B0083TXNAE/

If you have a Costco locally and can find one of these for under $100, it's a steal:

http://www.amazon.com/CyberPower-CP1350AVRLCD-Intelligent-Series-Mini-Tower/dp/B000OFXKFI

I have seven of them at home, one on each Tivo and two for router/NAS and VOIP modem.


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## Ziggie (Jan 20, 2004)

shrike4242 said:


> Try one of these, as I use a number of them at work and they've done well in the year or so that they've been in service:
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/CyberPower-CP750LCD-Intelligent-750VA-Compact/dp/B0083TXNAE/
> 
> ...


Thanks so much shrike  I'll definitely look these over :up:


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## chicagobrownblue (May 29, 2008)

Ziggie said:


> Having said that, what do you recommend? I love the expensive units, but they're a little bit costly for us right now.


Get something cheap. Even though I have my electronics plugged into surge suppressors and battery backups, I'm taking the additional step of unplugging everything when the power goes out or there is lightning. My barber suggested this and I did this just a couple of weeks ago.

My Premiere did not survive a power outage even though it was on a surge suppressor. I was quite happy to replace it with a new Roamio which is on a battery backup.


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## Ziggie (Jan 20, 2004)

chicagobrownblue said:


> Get something cheap. Even though I have my electronics plugged into surge suppressors and battery backups, I'm taking the additional step of unplugging everything when the power goes out or there is lightning. My barber suggested this and I did this just a couple of weeks ago.
> 
> My Premiere did not survive a power outage even though it was on a surge suppressor. I was quite happy to replace it with a new Roamio which is on a battery backup.


Thanks CBB. We're looking for something that won't break the bank right now but still do the job. We only need it to safeguard the unit against these minute long weekly black-outs we experience.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

Ziggie said:


> Thanks CBB. We're looking for something that won't break the bank right now but still do the job. We only need it to safeguard the unit against these minute long weekly black-outs we experience.


Any of those lower end ones will work for that. I bought a couple of the small 550VA Cyberpower ones for my GF a few years ago. Thye are used with her S3 boxes and have been working fine over the last few years. Although the only issues with many of the smaller UPSs is that they have no way to disable the alarm.


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## Ziggie (Jan 20, 2004)

aaronwt said:


> Any of those lower end ones will work for that. I bought a couple of the small 550VA Cyberpower ones for my GF a few years ago. Thye are used with her S3 boxes and have been working fine over the last few years. Although the only issues with many of the smaller UPSs is that they have no way to disable the alarm.


Ah, that's good to know Aaron ~ thank you!


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## ncfoster (Jan 22, 2011)

That is definitely the #1 selling point on the better ones for me. There is nothing more annoying than capping off a real power outage with a chorus of beeps throughout the house. We have something like 7 units in the house, and some of the older ones in the basement that we haven't replaced still do the beeping. We've made sure that the ones in the living room and bedroom can be silenced.

There are certainly other advantages to nicer units, such as the number of plugs on battery power, cleaner power output, LCD displays, longer backup times. But, I think the definitive answer to the thread title is that there is no "best" unit, especially on the low end. If all you want to accomplish is make sure that your Tivo maintains power during brief outages, almost any unit will work.


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## miketx (Sep 22, 2005)

I've had good luck with most of the brands....I have 6 or 7 UPS in my house (extensive network, including commercial grade wifi system). I have an old Geek Squad 750 UPS that has run my old series 1, then my Uverse DVR, and now my Fios DVR (which is a really crappy DVR...wow....Verizon is really behind...which is why I'm back on the forum shopping....but I digress  ) 

The batteries crap out in all of them....that's what batteries do. Most of the battery replacements can be had for less than $20 and you are back in business.


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## Ziggie (Jan 20, 2004)

ncfoster said:


> That is definitely the #1 selling point on the better ones for me. There is nothing more annoying than capping off a real power outage with a chorus of beeps throughout the house. We have something like 7 units in the house, and some of the older ones in the basement that we haven't replaced still do the beeping. We've made sure that the ones in the living room and bedroom can be silenced.
> 
> There are certainly other advantages to nicer units, such as the number of plugs on battery power, cleaner power output, LCD displays, longer backup times. But, I think the definitive answer to the thread title is that there is no "best" unit, especially on the low end. If all you want to accomplish is make sure that your Tivo maintains power during brief outages, almost any unit will work.





miketx said:


> I've had good luck with most of the brands....I have 6 or 7 UPS in my house (extensive network, including commercial grade wifi system). I have an old Geek Squad 750 UPS that has run my old series 1, then my Uverse DVR, and now my Fios DVR (which is a really crappy DVR...wow....Verizon is really behind...which is why I'm back on the forum shopping....but I digress  )
> 
> The batteries crap out in all of them....that's what batteries do. Most of the battery replacements can be had for less than $20 and you are back in business.


Thank you both for taking the time to reply :up: I will say that "beeps" drive me over the edge rather quickly, so I will be on the look out for a system that allows you to turn them off. I mean, if I'm here, I know the power has gone out. If I'm not home, what good are the beeps?


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## waynomo (Nov 9, 2002)

Ziggie said:


> I mean, if I'm here, I know the power has gone out. If I'm not home, what good are the beeps?


Stop making so much sense!


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## dlfl (Jul 6, 2006)

Ziggie said:


> Thank you both for taking the time to reply :up: I will say that "beeps" drive me over the edge rather quickly, so I will be on the look out for a system that allows you to turn them off. I mean, if I'm here, I know the power has gone out. If I'm not home, what good are the beeps?


Let's see how resolute you are after you discover how much more the "beepless" models cost! Or is cost no object for you?


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## CrispyCritter (Feb 28, 2001)

dlfl said:


> Let's see how resolute you are after you discover how much more the "beepless" models cost! Or is cost no object for you?


As I said earlier, Cyberpower puts this function on much cheaper/lower power models than APC.
Both APC and Cyberpower allow you to silence the beep through software, but assuming a hardware button setting is needed, I think all the Cyberpower LCD models allow you to silence (eg a 600 VA for MSRP $75) and some of the smaller models (Model EC350G for MSRP $48). You can, of course, get them cheaper than MSRP ($40 at Walmart for the 350).


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## Ziggie (Jan 20, 2004)

CrispyCritter said:


> As I said earlier, Cyberpower puts this function on much cheaper/lower power models than APC.
> Both APC and Cyberpower allow you to silence the beep through software, but assuming a hardware button setting is needed, I think all the Cyberpower LCD models allow you to silence (eg a 600 VA for MSRP $75) and some of the smaller models (Model EC350G for MSRP $48). You can, of course, get them cheaper than MSRP ($40 at Walmart for the 350).


Thanks CC! We're looking for a $100 or less model. These sound great :up:


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## Ziggie (Jan 20, 2004)

waynomo said:


> Stop making so much sense!


LoL!


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## CrispyCritter (Feb 28, 2001)

Ziggie said:


> Thanks CC! We're looking for a $100 or less model. These sound great :up:


If you go to http://cyberpower.advizia.com/CyberPower/?v41=CyberPower_UPS to get their list of models and features, near the bottom is a checkbox for "Alarm can be silenced through the software and on the UPS". So clicking that and the size you want (probably "under 500" and "500-1000", you'll get the models you want.


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## dlfl (Jul 6, 2006)

CrispyCritter said:


> As I said earlier, Cyberpower puts this function on much cheaper/lower power models than APC.
> Both APC and Cyberpower allow you to silence the beep through software, but assuming a hardware button setting is needed, I think all the Cyberpower LCD models allow you to silence (eg a 600 VA for MSRP $75) and some of the smaller models (Model EC350G for MSRP $48). You can, of course, get them cheaper than MSRP ($40 at Walmart for the 350).


Yes, I wasn't familiar with the Cyberpower offerings because I've always used APC. The performance per dollar seems pretty comparable but the LCD display (and hardware beep-kill feature) seem to be significant pluses for Cyberpower.


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## Ziggie (Jan 20, 2004)

CrispyCritter said:


> If you go to http://cyberpower.advizia.com/CyberPower/?v41=CyberPower_UPS to get their list of models and features, near the bottom is a checkbox for "Alarm can be silenced through the software and on the UPS". So clicking that and the size you want (probably "under 500" and "500-1000", you'll get the models you want.


Thank you CC! That's a great page, lots of information! :up:


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