Its the middle of the day. You are just hitting your stride in work, feeling really productive.
And BOOM! The power goes out.
Your internet is down because your router doesn’t have power. If you are using a desktop it’s probably shutdown too. Even if its only a blip you have to do a full restart and might have lost some work.
Here are the tools you need to not let random power outages ruin your day of productivity.
Uninterruptible Power Supplies
An Uninterruptible Power Supply, or UPS for short, is the backbone of keeping a power outage from ruining your day.
The important part of the name is Uninterruptible. A UPS plugs into the wall and acts like a normal surge protector when everything is going well. But when the power goes out, it immediately kicks in like a battery backup without stopping the flow of electricity to whatever is plugged in.
Now, most UPS’s aren’t designed for extended outages. Their primary purpose is to stop power blips from giving you an unexpected restart and to give you some time to do a clean save and shutdown after the outage has happened. The more devices you have drawing power from the battery the less time you will have. I recommend plugging in your PC and primary monitor, and modem/router into the UPS. Meanwhile, have your other monitor(s) and any lamps, fans, and other periphery devices plugged into a regular surge protector.
Depending on your office setup, your router and / or modem may not be near enough to your PC to use the same UPS. Mine isn’t. If this is the case, a second smaller UPS just for your network equipment is the way to go.
Recommended UPS’s
Since my modem is in a completely separate room from my computer, I have it on its own UPS.
APC UPS 600VA
Having the router modem combo on its own UPS keeps it running longer since it doesn’t have the PC and monitor pulling from the battery. This lets me save my work and possibly switch over to my laptop and keep working for a good while with the Wifi still up.
To support my primary work PC and monitor, I use the 1000VA model of the same brand.
APC UPS 1000VA
Only some of the outlets on these UPS’s are connected to the battery. The rest are surge protector only. Make sure you are plugging the right devices into the right outlets when setting it up.
A Laptop
Once you have your UPS to prevent jolting disruptions, a good work laptop is the next piece of the puzzle. Since the UPS isn’t designed for extended power outages, having a computer that is designed to work for multiple hours on just a battery is a great way to stay productive.
Why not just always work from a laptop? For one, the keyboard and screen being connected does not allow for an ergonomic setup. Either your screen will be too low, or your keyboard will be too high putting you at risk of carpal tunnel. But for travel and short term usage at laptop gets the job done.
You may already be using one as your primary work machine in which case you can skip this section and you probably only need a small UPS for your Wifi.
If you aren’t technologically inclined, their will be a later post on how to choose a decent computer.
A Generator
Depending on your situation and the reliability of your power company, you may consider investing in a generator. Maybe you are a little off the grid or in an area where hurricanes or other natural disasters hit regularly. If so a generator is the way to go.
Obviously this can be a bigger expense, so look at historical data for your area and plan accordingly.
More Power To You
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