Small Business Battery Backup: Eaton's 3,000VA PW5130

We looked at various mainstream uninterruptible power supply (UPS) devices more than a year ago. While this sounds like a long time, it is important to realize that product cycles are much longer in this market than they are in the component segment. The devices we reviewed then were designed for workstations and entry level servers, so we made the next step and looked at a more flexible device for small and medium businesses: the Powerware PW5130.

To Protect and Supply

It is important to keep in mind that, although UPS units are made to sustain power in the case the main power fails, they typically aren’t designed to bridge a longer power outage. Rather than trying to serve that role, UPS devices have become more efficient and smarter when it comes to handling power emergencies.

They include surge suppressors and filtering functionality for electric power. Depending on how much battery capacity you add, you can indeed last through a certain period of downtime. Or you can implement a smarter system that determines which devices can be shut down after a defined period of time to stretch the battery. Advanced UPS units come with options to manage several sub-systems in your network and shut them down according to a custom strategy in the case of a failure.

Managing the Power Units

The Powerware PW5130 accesses several sub-systems through a master system, which it connects to via USB 2.0, a serial RS232 port, or an optional network connection. Once the management software is installed, you’ll have access to an impressive power supply management solution, which exceeds the feature ranges people typically associate with these devices.