Socket strip with integrated UPS from 70 euros: APC Easy UPS BV500VA under test The APC Easy USP BV500VA is a UPS socket strip that protects against power failures and voltage fluctuations. TechStage tested them. 4:30 p.m. tech stage
The APC Easy USP BV500VA is a UPS power strip that ensures reliable protection for data such as power failures and voltage fluctuations. She wants to convince with simple operation. It is aimed at private customers and small offices. With this model series, APC wants to make UPS protection “Easy”. Voonze is testing whether it really is that easy.
We give a general insight into the topic of emergency power supply elsewhere . If you are looking for a UPS with a battery for several days, you should take a look at Powestations with UPS like the Ecoflow Delta (test report) .
Basic equipment only
The APC Easy USP BV500VA is poorly equipped. The UPS power strip offers four Schuko plugs – that’s it. The equipment is just sufficient in the test to carry out the basic test scenario with four consumers – an office PC, a monitor, an Internet router and a network storage device (NAS). You should not connect more, according to the instructions in the operating instructions, tools such as extension cables or multiple sockets are not recommended.
There is a switch on each of the narrow sides of the case – one for the on/off switch and one for the reset button. The LED lighting is limited to a ring around the on/off switch. There are no other LEDs or buttons.
Further details prove that this APC model concentrates on the essentials: The power cord is built into the case and is not particularly long at 1.43 meters. In addition, the APC Easy USP BV500VA lacks a flap to access the 12-volt battery, which is also tight with a capacity of 4.5 Ah. The battery built into the housing can therefore only be replaced by trained personnel. If the battery is broken or has lost a lot of capacity, the exchange only works as a service case – that’s not very user-friendly.
Commissioning: handle required
Although the UPS power strip is intended for beginners, the user is required to connect the battery before switching on the UPS. To do this, he must lift the orange jumper on the underside of the housing and insert it into the opening provided. Only then is the battery connected to the electronics inside the UPS. The process itself is easy to accomplish, and it is also adequately described in the enclosed operating instructions. However, it is incomprehensible that this is not happening in German.
In the manual, the manufacturer recommends charging the UPS battery for at least six hours before using it for the first time.
The power cord of the APC Easy USP BV500VA is permanently connected to the UPS housing. That’s why it’s not easy to swap out. In addition, there is an emergency stop with the circuit breaker in the event of problems with the UPS. Image: TechStage.deTest results: support times and under/over voltage
The APC Easy USP BV500VA is a Line Interactive UPS. It not only protects against power failures, but can also compensate for fluctuations in the input voltage so that the connected devices are not burdened.
In the first support test, the UPS power strip must provide power for the four devices mentioned. The mixed load is around 100 watts, a third of the output power of 300 watts specified by the manufacturer. After the mains plug is pulled, the UPS registers the power failure and switches to battery mode. In the test, it achieves a support time of 10:23 minutes. This is a respectable result in view of the not particularly large battery, even if the load is not excessive here.
In the support load test with 200 watts, a 100 watt lamp is added as an ohmic load to the mixed load consumers. Contrary to the manufacturer’s instructions, a multiple plug is required for their connection, since the APC UPS only has four sockets. The battery life drops significantly to 2:47 minutes in this test. Depending on what activities the connected devices are currently carrying out, this period of time is just enough to properly shut down all consumers and first back up data or close programs. The test also shows how quickly the support time decreases with increasing load, so that the result of the 100-watt test cannot be scaled at will.
At least it is positive that the UPS can maintain a constant output voltage of 235 volts during the 200 watt test. The connected devices are always well supplied. Also very advantageous: The battery in the APC Easy USP BV500VA charges very quickly. This means that the UPS is ready for an impending power failure in a short time. In the test, it only needs 1:20 hours for a full charge – an astonishingly low value.
The UPS accompanies the activities during the backup event with acoustic alarms: It signals the beginning of the backup time with four beeps. This four-beep repeats every thirty seconds on battery power. As soon as the power storage runs out, the beeping speeds up with a 0.5-second interval. If the rhythm changes back to the longer intervals, it means that the battery is empty. With the last beep, the UPS power strip turns itself off. During the backup time, the LED on the on/off switch also flashes. However, the optical alarm does not catch the eye that easily, since the LED is attached to the side of the device,
The APC Easy UPS BV500VA can properly compensate for voltage fluctuations in the power grid in the test. It corrects the support voltage from 206 volts and switches to battery operation from 168 volts. The overvoltage correction starts at 251 volts. Battery operation starts at 281 volts if the voltage is too high.
Price
The APC Easy UPS BV500VA is currently available from around 60 euros. You can find more UPS power strips from APC via retailers such as Amazon.
Follow-up costs: Expensive to operate
Since a UPS socket strip must be permanently supplied with energy, it is particularly important to look at its power requirements. Because with high follow-up costs, the purchase of a very cheap UPS does not pay off in the long term. This is exactly the case with the APC Easy USP BV500VA: The device draws around 10.6 watts when idling and requires 12 watts when in operation. The mean value of 11.3 watts calculated from this serves as the basis for calculating the follow-up costs. In continuous operation around the clock, electricity costs a good 44 euros per year, based on a kilowatt price of 45 cents. This means that the follow-up costs of the APC UPS will exceed their current device price within two years – a factor that must be considered before purchasing.
Conclusion
The UPS power strip APC Easy USP BV500VA is kept simple, is limited to four Schuko plugs and does not have any additional functions such as USB ports for charging devices. In this respect, the term “Easy” applies. It is also correct in relation to the core functions of failure protection and voltage equalization: the UPS socket strip performs these tasks reliably as long as the total number of consumers remains low. However, the buffer time shortens rapidly as the vertical load increases. The APC UPS is therefore not ideal for supplying devices that require more power than in the test scenario.
In addition, APC makes it too “easy” in some details with this model: A battery change by the user is not intended, and there is no control software for the PC either. In addition, the maintenance costs are too high due to the high self-consumption of electricity. This can be done better.
We give a general insight into the topic of emergency power supply elsewhere . If you are looking for a UPS with a battery for several days, you should take a look at Powestations with UPS like the Ecoflow Delta (test report) .
