"Pop`" wrote in
:

DanS wrote:
Sharon F wrote in
:


As for not turning off the computer - I still do it. We get
thunderstorms that can knock out expensive electronic equipment in
the blink of an eye and occasionally enough wind to disrupt the
power supply. Also... and this is just personal opinion... I think
it's more "earth-friendly" to not consume power when you don't need
to.

No arguement; unplugging is the only sure protection against some
situations.



Many people don't realize that a quality UPS, not necessarily a huge
one, just not a super-cheapy, have benefits beyond poer backup. They
will protect as a surge protector as well as act as a line
'conditioner'.

A UPS's true use is to protect against power outages or over/under
voltages, and allow the clean shut down of the computer. The surge
protection of a UPS may or may not meet or beat that of the "surge
protector" you allude to. Even just a surge protector capable of some
substantial energy consumption far exceeds your estimates of the cost
of a UPS. A UPS also normally has far more surge protection than what
you refer to.

You know, like the $150 Monster surge
protector/conditioners they try to sell you when you by a flat panel
TV.

Thosre are NOT "monsters": They are minimally designed and very poor
surge protectors in general. Some are good, some aren't. It's the
specs that matter, not the price.

I meant the brand name 'Monster' as in 'Monster Cables', you know, the
company that want to sell you $100 speaker wire for your $100 stereo
receiver. It's all a marketing scam.


For the most part, you're right with the following exceptions/caveats:
1. Line power protections does NOT protect the telephone wires unless
you run them through the device, as they recommend; in general,
damaging surges occur much more frequently on the phone lines than on
the power lines.

Agreed.

2. No "cheap" UPS "conditions" the power lines. All
most do is switch over to battery power if the surges/peaks go beyond
certain limits.

I should have stated that by conditioning, I meant filter of RFI and EMI.


3. Decent UPS's are not available in the $30 range;
the batteries t hemselves cost that much or more.

That is exactly what I stated. I said 'sub-$100 (NOT a $30 one)'.

Most people find the use of a reasonably priced UPS which will give
them
anything greater than 5 minutes of running time and has protection for
the phone wires plus a control connection to the computer, will
suffice. They give the user time to Shut Down without losing any data
before the power is lost.
They gloss over temporary outages of very short duration without even
bothering the user other than he may hear the UPS beep, indicating an
"event" occurred.
For unattended computers, they will automatically Shut Down the
computer if power is lost and the batteries can't keep the computer
running any longer.

And yes, those are also the reasons I stated.

Regards,

DanS