PowerPlay: New UPS Devices Keep Pace With Changing Needs

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Other UPS developers have also released new products in recent months. In May, French firm MGE UPS Systems, with offices in Costa Mesa, Calif., launched a series of Power over Ethernet (PoE) midspan devices that--when used with an MGE UPS--ensure continuous power to remotely connected IP telephones, wireless LANs, Bluetooth access points, and IP-powered video-surveillance and security systems. PoE is an emerging technology that integrates power and data onto a single CAT 5/5e and 6 cabling infrastructure, thus eliminating the need to install separate electrical wiring and power outlets.

Commonly installed in the wiring closet, MGE's 24-port, 10/100-Mbps midspan unit sits between an Ethernet switch and the connected equipment. It provides up to 15.4 W of 48-volt DC power per port. IP telephones typically consume up to 5 W, and wireless-LAN access points and IP-security cameras consume up to 10 W to 12 W. The unit costs $1,199, or $1,499 for the SNMP version.

MGE also has been shipping its Eclipse-T family of commercial transient-voltage, surge-suppression (TVSS) equipment since the beginning of the year. The series includes six products with single- and three-phase models, offering peak capacities ranging from 100 kA to 500 kA. The products are optimized for automation and control systems; internal protection of commercial facilities that are prone to internal surges and transients caused by heavy inductive load switching; cellular towers or broadcast sites that are subject to lightning strikes; and office equipment that can suffer performance degradation resulting from surge currents and transient voltages generated by nearby equipment. Prices range from $904 to $5,622.

Another recent update to the UPS world comes from Cleveland-based Eaton. The Powerware 3105 and the Powerware 5110 UPSs protect office equipment from common power problems. The Powerware 3105 is designed for SOHO computer and telephone equipment, while the Powerware 5110 provides added protection against typical power problems and for brownout and overvoltage conditions for SMB equipment.

Each device offers short-term mobile power and supports start-on-battery capability, allowing users to unplug the UPS from a utility power, then restart and run it from battery power elsewhere. The devices have eight outlets--four with surge protection and four with surge protection and battery backup--enabling users to plug less critical equipment into surge-protection-only outlets to save battery power.

Both devices have a network transient protector to protect equipment, such as fax machines, modems or electronic telephones, from "back-door" power surges that come from network or phone wiring. The devices also have alarms with remote notification to help users stay informed about power problems and low battery conditions.

The Powerware 3105 supports loads from 350 VA to 700 VA in a form factor that's smaller than a shoebox. The Powerware 5110 is available in several configurations--low-power units (350 VA to 700 VA), and higher-voltage models (1,000 VA to 1,500 VA) that come in a tower design. Prices for the 3105 range from $40 to $97, and from $85 to $288 for the 5110.