How Good is UPS at Surge Protection?
I. Principles and Technologies of UPS Surge Protection
Power surges (voltage spikes) are common power grid issues that can be caused by lightning, equipment startup/shutdown, grid failures, and other factors. Surges may lead to equipment damage, data loss, or performance degradation.
Online UPS: Converts AC power to DC via a rectifier and then back to clean AC through an inverter. This not only isolates surges, spikes, and other disturbances from the grid but also provides clean, stable power to connected devices.
Standby UPS: Directly supplies power when the grid is normal but includes built-in filtering circuits to absorb some surges. When grid power fails, the UPS quickly switches to battery mode.
II. Comparison of Surge Protection Performance Among Different UPS Types
Different types of UPS vary in their surge protection capabilities.
Online UPS: Continuously isolates surges with zero transfer time, making it ideal for highly sensitive equipment (e.g., servers, medical devices) that demand superior power quality.
Standby UPS: Provides basic surge protection with a longer transfer time (around 8ms), making it suitable for general-purpose devices. It is commonly used for home computers, routers, and non-critical equipment.