Have you ever experienced the frustration of a power outage or brownout during a critical trading session, leaving you unable to monitor the markets? If so, you know how crucial it is to have a reliable UPS power backup solution in place. In this article, we’ll discuss the best solution for this problem – an Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS). With a UPS, you can safeguard against power surges and outages, ensuring that you never miss a beat in your trading activities. To complete your trading computer setup and protect it we strongly recommend a UPS battery backup for traders.
A battery backup, commonly known as an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS), is a reliable backup power source that kicks in when your regular power supply fails, or the voltage drops to a critically low level. A UPS allows you to perform a controlled shutdown of a computer and other connected devices instead of it all just shutting off in the blink of an eye when your power goes out or has a momentary flicker through the power company. The duration for which a UPS supplies power is determined by its size and design. Let’s get one thing out of the way – a UPS is not intended to allow you to work for any lengthy period of time. It’s meant to power devices anywhere from 5 minutes to 15 minutes. The length of time can vary massively depending on what’s plugged into the battery and how much power it’s using.
One important feature of a UPS is protecting against power surges. A surge protector is designed to remove surges and spikes, while a voltage regulator ensures stable voltage output during brownouts.
There is no right or wrong brand. There are 3 main ones that come to mind CyberPower, APC and Tripp Lite. They all have different units at various wattages.
One important thing to consider is that all the companies have a bunch of models at different price points. For example, CyberPower has a bunch of models with different specs:
Here’s a chart comparing a couple of the CyberPower models to give you an idea of the specs:
| Model: CP1500AVRLCD3 | Model: CP1350AVRLCD3 | |
| Capacity | 1500VA / 900W | 1350VA / 815W |
| Outlets | 12 (6 surge plus 6 surge + battery backup) | 12 (6 surge plus 6 surge + battery backup) |
| Battery Quantity | 2 | 2 |
| Battery Size | 12V / 9Ah | 12V / 9Ah |
| Battery Type | Sealed Lead-Acid | Sealed Lead-Acid |
| Runtime at Full Load | 3 minutes | 4 minutes |
| Runtime at Half Load | 12 minutes | 14 minutes |
| Typical Recharge Time | 8 hours | 8 hours |
| User Replaceable Battery | Yes | Yes |
You might want to consider getting a unit with an LCD panel, it helps to see everything at a glance. On the CyberPower units the color LCD panel provides users with quick and detailed updates on battery and power conditions. The display’s color scheme highlights potential problems before they have a chance to impact critical equipment and lead to costly downtime during your trading day!
Naturally, your trading computer should be the top priority when it comes to plugging items into a UPS battery backup. However, this won’t be of much help if at least one screen isn’t connected, leaving you unable to monitor your activities during a power outage. In order to maximize the UPS’s runtime, it’s advisable to plug in as few devices as possible. For instance, if you have a trading computer with eight monitors, it may be prudent to only connect one screen to ensure that you can operate the system for a longer duration.
Perhaps you should entertain the idea of purchasing an additional backup UPS. While it may seem like overkill, one solution is to connect the desktop computer to a dedicated UPS and then use a separate UPS to power one or more monitors, speakers, and any other necessary peripherals. Maybe it’s a bit excessive to buy two of them but in certain areas of the U.S. issues with the power grid or power companies is much more common.
Also, don’t forget your cable model and router. You’ll want to remain online and connected to the internet, plugging those into the UPS is recommended. But of course, it’s often the case when the power goes out the internet is out as well.
If you’re not ready to put down the cash to buy a nice UPS unit, consider at least going with a basic surge protector power strip. Most of these will include at least 6 power outlets and will give you some peace of mind.
As long as you get a well rated unit from a reputable company, you’ll be fine. At the time this article was written we really like the CyberPower Intelligent LCD UPS Series model # CP1500AVRLCD3. It’s a really nice 1500VA / 900W unit. This model has a Connected Equipment Guarantee and a 3-year warranty. On the back, there are 12 power outlets. All the outlets protect against surges, but 6 of them are linked to the battery to provide power. There are 2 USB ports and also data line protection for ethernet and a coaxial connection.
This CyberPower model is by no means the only good one out there. There are a lot of great companies making high quality UPS battery backups. We encourage you to read online reviews and select the one that’s right for you.
We hope you got a couple of insights into UPS power backups in this article. Although not required, we often encourage traders to purchase one to complement their new trading computer from Blue Aura. If you’re going to drop a large amount of cash on a new computer you really should consider protecting it with, at a bare minimum, a power strip with surge protection. Or even better – spend a little extra and get a good UPS unit. Thanks for reading!