Electronic devices like computers, monitors, routers, and modems need a supply of electrons (aka “electricity”) to operate. Power outages, brown-outs, spikes, surges, and the like can take place anytime but are most likely during a disaster. So having a battery backup like an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) makes a lot of sense.

APC Back UPS Pro 1300

A UPS uses a battery along with other components to provide power to electronic devices when power is lost. They also provide surge protection and power conditioning for the items that are plugged into them. This helps prevent data loss, data corruption, and hardware damage due to power issues. Moreover, using a UPS can give you time to shut-down equipment gracefully during an outage, which can extend their service life.

I recently purchased an APC Back UPS Pro 1300 to protect my home office setup (PC, LCD, modem, router, and USB hub). This particular model is a line-interactive one, meaning it has a transformer built into it which allows it to handle brown-outs and voltage drops better than regular UPSes. For less than $200, I am able to run everything for around 45 minutes during a power outage. If I only need to use my cable modem and router, I can run those for over 150 minutes! Plus, I can plug my speaker and scanner into the surge-only sockets and protect them from being damaged by a power spike. Its relatively inexpensive insurance for both data and hardware.

Now your needs may be different so take a look at this UPS buying guide to help you decide which one is right for you. There are also good articles over at How to Geek and wikiHow which will give you a good overview of what to look for when shopping for one. I strongly encourage every preparedness-minded computer user to get at least one UPS for their critical devices.