I am deciding on whether to buy one, and would like to know the opinions of owners of UPS devices.
If you are satisfied, what are the positive and negative aspects of them?
I am particularly interested to know if the noise they make is annoying or hardly noticeable.

The power supply in my region is quite stable, but there are the inevitable anomalies, therefore I am not sure if it would be a mistake to buy one (noise main factor)

Please any feedback would be great! Thank you

They are completly silent, until the power goes out - then you hear a low hum and a click as it switches over to the battery and the alarm sounds.

Get a line-interactive one with an AVR (automatic voltage regulation) function since the utility power can vary during a brownout, they are the most cost-effective balance between cost and device protection.

That says it all.

I would agree to what has already been stated; I would only add that my particular model produces an annoying, high-pitched humming sound when activated. It's drowned out by the noise of my system fans, though. The noise factor depends entirely on the individual UPS.

aye, I used to have one, and when the power went out it was great, though the battery didn't last very long as it was a used one I got for free from the school, and it was a few years old, but whenever there was a brownout or blackout, it would keep my computer on long enough that I could play for a few more minutes and then shut it down. Nowadays they last quite a bit longer.

get a powercom. good and cheap.

You mean the alarm noise when the power fails? It's extremely annoying!

It's good to have your system attached on a UPS just don't buy the cheapest one.Some models from MGE have fan in them and produce more noise than other UPS.

I don't buy them, I replace the batteries in old (free) ones.

I don't want to rain on anybody's parade here, and I am on the UPS bandwagon (APC or Liebert for me), but be aware that your power bill will go up when you install one. Not really a gotcha but I had a little sticker shock the first time I saw my bill after setting it up.

-The String

haha...I too had the shock of my life after my first electric bill came. What's worse was that I had attached both my "home theater set" as well as my "computer set" to the same UPS! I paid around $120 per month for electricity alone. (BTW I live in an apartment--Bkk, Thailand) Before the UPS installation, it was only $40.

Now that I have disconnected my "Home theater set" from the UPS, I pay around $56 less.

In conclusion, the UPS is a necessity for me. It keeps my computer running during brownouts (which occur very frequently as I stay in an apartment).

The beep? its to let you know its working! If it doesn't beep and all your work disappears................ 8O

Huh? My electricity bill for my entire apt in Canada runs about $45 US/month. How on earth does a UPS that is basically a glorified battery consume that much juice? It should be almost neutral draw wise once it gets charged, no?

I have them on my computer and tv,dvd player,ect.I don`t know about all brands,but I use Tripplite and when the power goes out,I can just push one button to silence them when they go to battery backup.If your power bill went up that much,there is something wrong because as was said,once charged up you shouldn`t notice any real increase.They regulate the voltage as well as offering surge protection.The best ones are Double conversion that always run from the batteries so there is no switching lag involved.The downside is the high cost.The ones I use,I don`t see any flicker so the only way I know is by the alarm,which I can silence.I`m not directing this just at you,just trying to answer everyones questions at once.

I agree with the previous posts and would like to add that you must understand they need maintenance from time to time. You should test it on a regular basis to make sure it functions correctly (Easiest way is to unplug it from the wall while the attached devices are running). If you test regularly you will know when it's new battery time before your machine crashes on you. Also make sure you setup the software to power the machine down before the battery dies completely.

I will never again run my computers without one. I have lost computers to lightning prior to using UPSs. My UPSs do not make any sound, other than a slight hum that I can only hear when I'm on the floor next to it. I live in the lightning capitol of the world (Florida, otherwise known as the dick of the US), so I see them as a necessity. Go ahead and invest in one, they are worth it.

Nice! I too was thinking of buying one, but wasn't sure if there were any major drawbacks, which i guess there are none. Thnx everyone!

Thank you all for the posts. I have decided to buy one. As I have said my only concern was the noise (on normal operation, when in backup mode, noise and the alarm are not that important as it will only be the exception).

(80$ increase in power consumption?!? my calculations make that equivalent to a 1200W device plugged 24/7; there is something very wrong with that)

(And testing it by unplugging the power, I rea