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Share Power between UPS and Surge Suppressor


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I don’t think this is at all possible to do, but curious if anyone else would have some insight on this. Is there some sort of device that can connect wall or a surge suppressor power with that of a Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS) and then you can plug your cable modem and router into that device?

OK, I know this sounds dumb, so let me explain why I want to do this. I was working at home over the Internet when the power flickered, enough for me to lose my Internet connection since both my router and modem were plugged into a surge suppressor. The power did this a couple of times that day. Eventually I plugged the router and modem into the UPS to prevent my Internet from dropping.

The problem now is that I always turn off my UPS when I’m not using my computer, which of course disconnects the Internet since it is plugged into the UPS that I shut down. This prevents me from using my other devices that need the Internet as well. I don’t like leaving the UPS on constantly, because I might not use the computer for several days.

So if there is some device that would plug into the surge suppressor and plug into the UPS, then if I could plug both my router and modem into this device, it would prevent me from losing Internet connection. If I am on my computer and the power cuts out, the power will automatically pull from the UPS. If I shut the UPS off the device would automatically pull its power from the surge suppressor.

I don’t think there is anything out there like this, but if there is I was curious if someone could point me to the right direction. Thanks for any suggestions.

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I don’t think this is at all possible to do, but curious if anyone else would have some insight on this. Is there some sort of device that can connect wall or a surge suppressor power with that of a Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS) and then you can plug your cable modem and router into that device?

OK, I know this sounds dumb, so let me explain why I want to do this. I was working at home over the Internet when the power flickered, enough for me to lose my Internet connection since both my router and modem were plugged into a surge suppressor. The power did this a couple of times that day. Eventually I plugged the router and modem into the UPS to prevent my Internet from dropping.

The problem now is that I always turn off my UPS when I’m not using my computer, which of course disconnects the Internet since it is plugged into the UPS that I shut down. This prevents me from using my other devices that need the Internet as well. I don’t like leaving the UPS on constantly, because I might not use the computer for several days.

So if there is some device that would plug into the surge suppressor and plug into the UPS, then if I could plug both my router and modem into this device, it would prevent me from losing Internet connection. If I am on my computer and the power cuts out, the power will automatically pull from the UPS. If I shut the UPS off the device would automatically pull its power from the surge suppressor.

I don’t think there is anything out there like this, but if there is I was curious if someone could point me to the right direction. Thanks for any suggestions.

 

Just so I don't get suggestions on some other battery device, here is actually what APC suggested: http://www.apc.com/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=BGE70&ISOCountryCode=us&tab=features I just figured if the power was out and I didn't have my computer on, the Internet wouldn't do my any good anyway, so there would be no need for a battery, and no need for the extra expense in replacing the battery. So I would prefer not to get another device that has a battery that needs to be replaced at some point.

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Steve Krause
This post was recognized by Steve Krause!

Simon H was awarded the badge 'Superstar' and 50 points.

We have automatic transfer switches. They switch power to a secondary ups if the primary ups fails and back again when primary ups is restored.

You could have your surge protector as the primary power source and the ups as the secondary. That way when the ups is turned on and the surge protector power fails it will switch to the ups. Then back to the surge protector when you turn off the ups.

They are expensive though around £400, so more expensive than changing ups batteries. Also using one to switch between your surge protector and a ups that is turned off most of the time defeats the purpose.

It would be cheaper to just get another ups and use it solely for the router and modem. It then protects the router from outages all the time not just when you have your computer on every few days.

If you go with the automated switch here's a link to one that we use so you can see what they are.

http://www.dcdi.co.uk/product/331/pdu/140/auto-changeover-switch/622/automatic-changeover-transfer-switch/E004021?gclid=CMD-prfY574CFYsfwwodkL0Awg

There would also be an additional cost if you don't already have the correct cables / adapters to connect the unit up to your equipment.

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We have automatic transfer switches. They switch power to a secondary ups if the primary ups fails and back again when primary ups is restored.

You could have your surge protector as the primary power source and the ups as the secondary. That way when the ups is turned on and the surge protector power fails it will switch to the ups. Then back to the surge protector when you turn off the ups.

They are expensive though around £400, so more expensive than changing ups batteries. Also using one to switch between your surge protector and a ups that is turned off most of the time defeats the purpose.

It would be cheaper to just get another ups and use it solely for the router and modem. It then protects the router from outages all the time not just when you have your computer on every few days.

If you go with the automated switch here's a link to one that we use so you can see what they are.

http://www.dcdi.co.uk/product/331/pdu/140/auto-changeover-switch/622/automatic-changeover-transfer-switch/E004021?gclid=CMD-prfY574CFYsfwwodkL0Awg

There would also be an additional cost if you don't already have the correct cables / adapters to connect the unit up to your equipment.

 

Hi Simon, interesting. I didn't know they made them this small. At work we have large ones, like the size of a walk in closet. I can't imagine what those cost. But yeah, like you said, it wouldn't be very cost effective if I got this. Although something like this is what I was looking for, I just didn't think it would be this expensive. I guess the best bet would be to get something like what APC suggested. I was hoping to get away from another battery operated device, where I had to replace another battery, but replacing the battery many times wouldn't come to the price of this item. The battery should last three years as well before needing to be replaced. Thanks for the post.

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