Reviews for APC Smart-UPS 1500VA

Solid UPS, a bit pricey...

Strengths: Large battery, long lifetime, plenty of diagnostic indicators, USB connectivity

Weakness: Extremely heavy, fan can be loud, minimal threshold settings for noisy power environments, pricy.

I have three of these systems connected to linux machines, Macs and one PC. I have only tested the software with the Mac machines, which seems to work adequately. I had difficulty connecting the unit to the PC using the serial port, and have still not successfully done so. I purchased this system in part to replace a 700 which was maxed out with two machines and two flat panels. On the new device it is less than half loaded (as expected). Aside from the weight (which is not really solvable) and the fan noise that comes on when the device is highly loaded or swaps to battery power, I have been happy with these units.

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Great UPS unit

Strengths: Large batteries, long runtime, fan on side vent, USB port, free basic management software

Weakness: APC shipping box is pathetic for this 50lb unit, APC replacement batteries are much more expensive than generic replacements

I purchased the SUA1500 to replace an 8+ year old SUA1000 that served me well. I replaced the batteries 4 times on my prior APC before it died, and have generally had very good experiences with APC, so I chose to purchase APC again.

I found a great deal on Pricegrabber and was able to purchase the 1500 for less than a replacement 1000, so it was a nice upgrade. This unit has a few nice improvements over my older model. The large batteries of the 1500 offer very long runtime under reasonable load. For two workstations and two LCD monitors, and a basic home network, the unit reports an estimated 43 minute runtime.

The front panel is improved, and the cryptic and useless symbols for warnings and errors have been replaced with simple English words. It may be hard to believe, but this is really a nice improvement, since in the past I have literally had to review the manual any time a warning light came on to confirm the problem (such as the faulty overload error on my old unit).

Another very practical addition is a fan on one of the side vents that exhausts warm air. The fan does not always run, so I'm assuming it has a thermostat to run only when the unit gets hot, and has the benefit of keeping the unit silent under normal conditions. My old APC got quite warm and had no fan, which always concerned me a little.

The USB port is a very nice addition--I have had several issues in the past getting the serial cables and communication to work with APC units. The USB communication with PowerChute Business Edition was fast and flawless.

PowerChute does allow you to shut down the machine that is directly connected to the UPS, but I haven't yet found a way to shutdown additional systems that are connected to the UPS. I'm still looking into that though--with 8 outlets, I would think they would allow you to shutdown multiple systems connected to the same ups.

Finally, APC must really be out of touch if they don't realize that their UPS units are being delivered with the boxes totally destroyed. At 58 lbs shipping weight, my unit arrived, but the tape on the bottom of the box was completely broken and the box was half open. It isn't APC's fault that the shippers throw the heavy boxes around, but they should realize that they need to add plastic strapping or reinforced fiber tape to their boxes and make the boxes even thicker to withstand the serious punishment they get during shipping. Fortunately mine arrived without any visible damage to the unit, but I have read many reviews from others where the box arrived completely destroyed, requiring an expensive RMA return shipment and hassle. Just make sure to carefully inspect the box, packing material, and unit while the shipper is present before you sign and accept the package.

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Smart UPS 1500 is a reasonable value

Strengths: Worked right out of the box. Initial setup was easy. Lots of features for advance users.

Weakness: Mac OS X compatibility limited. Latest features lag in all software for Mac OS X. The interface is very slow with security enabled (Unix, Windows, or Mac).

We often work out of town for long periods. We set up the APC 1500 on a small business network so we could count on the main server to be there when we needed it. We remotely access our server applications to conclude business arrangements. Previous units would shut down after extended power outages and never return when power was restored, thus shutting us down from our applications until we got back on site. With the optional network management card installed we receive text message and/or email notification of power outages keeping us aware of problems. The 1500 also gave us several times the backup duration we had with our previous unit. Reasonable value for UPS with this capability. We will get one more in the near future for a second server.

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APC Smart-UPS 1500VA

Strengths: USB and Serial,Reliability, Powershute work great just install and go.

Weakness: The Powerchute software can creat newtwork chatter, these features can be turned off

I also received great help from the sales staff before I purchased. This unit has really help out our server and network equipment. We have plenty of lighting storms during the summer. I feel much better knowing that this unit can handle the brown out and power surges we have had.

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A great UPS if you shop for a good price.

Strengths: Plenty of backup power, annoying "power failed" beeper can be silenced by software. Software control excellent for remote status/management.

Weakness: Big 'n heavy; you need room for it.

Was able to get it for slightly over $300 delivered. Since it weighs about 50 lbs, make sure you calculate total price including shipping when comparing various dealers. Software installation is optional but I recommend it for the many features to set it up just the way you wish.

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APC Smart-UPS 1500VA

Strengths: 8 outlets is great for computer and many hard drives.

Weakness: The unit is heavy due to the large batteries.

I enjoyed my price grabber experience. I was able to find the best price for the unit rather quickly. I did read the reviews of some of the dealers. Definately buyer beware. I did not go with the lowest price due to the negative reviews listed on pricegrabber. I paid slightly more money to insure good service.

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Smart UPS1500

Strengths: Good and durable

We have many of this product in our shop. We are using with all our servers. We have many of this product in our shop. We are using with all our servers.

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I got a fair deal from Vision

Strengths: Has all the configuration I was looking for

Weakness: Delivery though took a week :(

I believe its a the best system I purchase from Vision till date. So I like the way it shows up on the web site. Willbe looking at more options.

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Great UPS

Strengths: Lots of power, long runtime, good remote management and diagnostics possible with free software

Weakness: New they are a bit pricey

Snapped one up for the unbelievable low price of $40 at a local hamfest, thinking it would probably not work and would at the least require a battery replacement. Would you believe it turned out everything works like a champ! I already had a smartUPS model 1000XL which still serves me well. I noticed however that the 1500 is MUCH more quiet from an EMC aspect than the 1000XL is. So I will use the 1500 in the ham shack for my PC, and the 1000XL I move to my home theater system so the system stays powered during AC dropouts (Florida where we live is like a banana republic when it comes to AC power stability!)

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Easy Transaction

Strengths: Good price on a good UPS

Weakness: Box was mangeled, but that's shipping companies fault.

Over all an easy transaction. No problems. We still need to install the UPS, but it appears to be in good shape. Would purchase from again.

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APC Smart-UPS 1500VA

Strengths: Lots of backup power

Weakness: None

Of course I haven't had any power outages since I purchased them but compared to the Smart-UPS 750 which I was maxing out they now have plenty of power to spare.

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APC Smart-UPS SUA1500I 1500VA USB & Serial 230V

Testseek.com has collected 1 expert review for APC Smart-UPS SUA1500I 1500VA USB & Serial 230V and the rating is 84 of 100. Click below and use Testseek.com to find all ratings, product awards and conclusions.

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