Does anyone know of a UPS that doesn't beep?

February 14, 2007 2:08 PM

Which UPS units to buy? I want one on which the power failure audible warning can be turned off permanently.

I currently have a few Belkin units in my house, and when the power goes off, they beep. This turns out to be really annoying if the power goes off and I'm asleep, for example. The things that I have connected will either shut themselves off (my server) or have a relatively low draw and should last a while (cable modem, router, etc). If I'm awake and the power goes out, it's pretty easy for me to tell, so I don't need them to beep then either.

On the Belkin units, the beeping can be shut off, but only if the power button is held down for less than two seconds. The problem is, is that the beeping resets itself when the power goes back on.

When I was in college, we had some APC units in the computer lab that had dip switches and one of them shut off the audible alert. However, from what I can find in the stores and tell from online sources, I cannot tell if any modern ones have this sort of feature.

Can anyone help?

Thanks.

Todd

posted by reddot to computers & internet (13 comments total)

Have you installed Belkin's management software? I'm almost positive that there's an option to disable the alarm. I have two Belkin UPS units at home, and I don't remember being bothered by the alarms during a power outage.
posted by bhayes82 at 2:22 PM on February 14, 2007

According to the help stuff for the UPS I'm currently using (this one), "The alarm can be disabled when the computer is in standby mode or hibernates. PowerPanel Personal Edition can disable the alarm during the specified period."
I've never actually tested that though. With the current setup I have (where it beeps when the power goes out), it beeps once (maybe twice) when the power comes back on (if I haven't turned the UPS off) and the CPU does a quick whir.
posted by sperose at 2:23 PM on February 14, 2007

I don't know what models of APCs you had in college, but the one I had before the CyberPower UPS I have now was the biggest piece of shit I've ever had the misfortune of using.
posted by sperose at 2:24 PM on February 14, 2007

If all fails, you could just cut or detach one of the wires that go to the part that does the beeping (usually a round plastic box, about 1" in diameter). That will silence it forever, at least until you reconnect the wire.
posted by maremare at 2:31 PM on February 14, 2007

The APS units I use and have configured -- all from the consumer range -- do not have dip switches any more. They do have control software that let you manage parameters like alarms.

I would recommend fiddling with software configuration on the Belkin units before buying a whole new set of UPSes. Even if you can handwave the expense, they're waste disposal nightmares and shouldn't be trashed if they're still usable.
posted by ardgedee at 2:42 PM on February 14, 2007

Do NOT. APS units do NOT allow you to control the alarm through software. At least not on Macs. Dang typo.
posted by ardgedee at 2:45 PM on February 14, 2007

Unfortunately, the Belkin software only allows the same type of control as the momentary pressing of the power button on the front of the unit. I'll try opening the thing up and just snipping a wire or two. If I can do that, I'm happy enough with these units. I'm also aware of the issues surrounding battery disposal / recycling.

Thanks for the tips so far.

Todd
posted by reddot at 2:53 PM on February 14, 2007

I'd second maremare's recommendation to cut the speaker wires. Pick a UPS that has all of the other features you need; don't let this be the deciding factor when it's really easy to fix it yourself.
posted by fvox13 at 3:27 PM on February 14, 2007

Check out the nut suite of tools, especially if your chosen UPS is listed in the compatibility page. nut may well let you shut off the beeps, it did with several of my old APC UPSs.
posted by jet_silver at 4:13 PM on February 14, 2007

Great question....the power went out last night at 1 in the morning here in Cincinnati and didn't come on until about 2 hours ago. Lying awake in bed hearing that awful beeping downstairs was quite annoying.
posted by mmascolino at 6:51 PM on February 14, 2007

Actually yeah, snipping a wire will do the trick. When I lived in Korea in the mid-1990s and we had a series of blackouts, I powered my radio with the UPS, and I stopped the beeping by cutting the wire going to the tiny speaker. Standard electrical work precautions apply, of course.
posted by rolypolyman at 8:44 PM on February 14, 2007

The APC units still have the dip switches, but it's more often found on the SmartUPS series of UPSs.

SmartUPS series = more $$$ but more features. Some of them have ethernet jacks so you can monitor them with SNMP and do other nifty things.

You typically don't see those units at Fry's or Best Buy. You'll just find the consumer grade stuff there.
posted by drstein at 9:48 PM on February 14, 2007

I also got in touch with a few of the more well-known vendors (APC, Belkin, Tripplite), and here are the responses:

- Belkin: The only UPS that we have that carries
that feature is our UPS for home audio. Part number AP30800. There is a
switch on the back of the unit that can be shut off.

- APC: You can disable the battery alarm by using the management software in all APC back-UPS. You have to install the management software and set the disable battery backup alarms at all time. Once you set this setting, you can disconnect the communication cable. The setting will not change until you changed the settings.

- TrippLite: All of our LCD UPS have alarms that can be permanently muted. Please take a look at out Smart1000, 1200 and 1500LCD UPS.

I'll also try CyberPower and a few other manufacturers and post back.

Thanks.

Todd
posted by reddot at 10:23 AM on February 16, 2007