Three Most Common Types Of UPS Systems

Choosing the right UPS system comes down to knowing what the cost of downtime means to your business and what your application's needs are. There are three main types of uninterruptable power supply systems that are worth knowing to better choose a system that works best for you.

Standby (Basic) UPS

A Standby or Basic UPS system connects the load directly to the utility voltage through a transfer switch during normal operation. It monitors the incoming voltage and switches to battery power when the voltage falls outside a specific range or fails completely. These are often used for operations that are not as critical, such as computers and smaller equipment.

Line-Interactive UPS

A line-interactive UPS provides power conditioning, surge, and outage protection. It monitors incoming voltage and adjusts output using a voltage-regulating transformer. If the input voltage or frequency goes outside set ranges, the UPS switches to battery power. A line-interactive UPS is usually built for smaller loads, but can be used for more critical applications that require higher quality power.

Online Double Conversion UPS

An online double conversion UPS offers the best protection against power disturbances. It continuously converts incoming AC power to DC and then back to AC again, ensuring clean power to the critical load by removing sags, swells, spikes, frequency variations, and line noise. These are the most reliable form of UPS systems and are used for the most critical applications such as data centers.

Alpine Power Systems offers a complete line of UPS Systems from all of the leading manufacturers. With one of the most comprehensive product offerings available on the market today, we are an industry leader and globally recognized provider of technologically advanced power quality solutions for computer rooms, network closets, server rooms, and large data centers.