APC UPS Back-UPS Pro, 1500VA Sinewave UPS Battery Backup & Surge Protector, LCD, AVR, BR1500MS2

Review:I’ve been using the APC 1500 MS2 UPS for around a few months now, and overall, it has exceeded my expectations. Here are some key points:Pros:• Reliable Power Backup: Provides consistent power backup during outages, allowing me to safely save my work and shut down equipment properly.• Sufficient Battery Runtime: The battery lasts long enough for short interruptions and even extended outages with moderate load.• Multiple Outlets: Offers ample outlets for my computer, monitor, and peripherals.• User-friendly Display: The LCD provides clear info on load, battery status, and input/output voltage.• Build Quality: Solid, compact design that fits nicely on my desk.Cons:• The UPS is a bit bulky, which might be an issue for tight spaces.• The fan can be noticeable under heavy load, but it’s not disruptive.Overall:The APC 1500 MS2 is a great choice for anyone looking to protect their electronics from power fluctuations and outages. It’s particularly good for home offices and small business setups. I highly recommend it!

Update: 08/24/2025One year in, and things are still fantastic. The UPS went through a couple of real power flickers, some power fluctuations usually undetectable before storms arrived, and a real power outage that lasted me about five and a half hours recently. Unfortunately, I was not home to switch the UPS to an alternate power source, but was able to begin charging it once I did arrive home during the power outage. No battery replacement alerts have sounded yet, and the UPS has been testing its own battery, something I was awake for one morning to hear relays clicking.Everything is still working exactly as intended, and the UPS has been successfully providing uninterrupted power to all of my devices.Original: 08/07/2024This UPS works very well for my use, powering all the equipment I use on a daily basis. In fact, the power from the UPS seems cleaner than what I get from the grid, even though it's not really conditioning the power, that I'm aware of. I'm merely going off the fact that my analogue receiver's transformer humm is a little quieter and sounds ever so slightly smoother than it usually does, something most people likely wouldn't notice. I've also had no ground loop humming while connecting or disconnecting devices to my mixer, or while using the inverter in the UPS itself.After receiving the UPS, I was able to figure out where the battery door is and open it to connect the battery, then I connected it to power for a couple hours with no load on it, allowing the battery to fully charge as indicated by the UPS, though it likely still had several hours to go until a complete charge was achieved. I then disconnected the UPS from power, receiving the pleasant sound of four beeps every thirty seconds that will probably wake me up at night, a good thing, since I'll transfer the UPS from its battery to another external power source if the power is out longer than a few minutes.After verifying that this worked correctly, I connected my serge protector to the UPS after connecting it to power, which has my equipment connected. One Asus laptop, an audio mixer, wireless headphones, two USB hubs, one of which isn't being used, an old analogue receiver and equalizer for my sound system, a TV which is usually off, an Apple TV, a modem for internet, a computer for my router, a router for a Wi-fi hot spot, and a USB-C charger for my MacBook Pro.Under normal circumstances if I'm not using the receiver, though it's usually on and waiting to be used, I'm probably pulling about 150 watts from the UPS. According to APC's information and calculator, this will probably provide around 45 minutes of run time, so this should give me plenty of time to wait and see if the power is going to stay off, and if so, switch to a larger battery to power the UPS itself. I did test this, and it does work, at least, with a pure signwave inverter. If I need more runtime, I can extend it by powering off everything I'm not using. My receiver and equalizer, for instance.So far, everything is very stable, I've had no difficulties, and I'm anticipating a battery replacement in about three to five years, typical with an SLA battery, as long as you're not deep cycling it and keeping it on a well maintained floating charge most of the time.

I have used APC UPS of various models for many, many years. They have always performed as expected. I currently have the Back-UPS Pro BR1500MS2 and it works perfectly. I'm writing this review not so much so about the UPS, but more for information on what to expect if using this UPS with a portable generator. I am an IT Senior Systems Engineer working from home for the last year or so due to Covid. I have a very highend computer system thus the reason I am using the BR1500MS2. My system draws around 450-500 watts constantly and this UPS supports it just fine. Ok, now on to my point. I live in Colorado and if you remember we recently had a very bad wind storm which knocked out power to most of us in central Colorado for several days. After the second day of no power and no heat (house was 39 degrees). I was pretty much forced to obtain a portal generator. This generator was a highend 8650 Watts from a reputable company. Generator performed as expected - Frig is working, got coffee, have some heat - all good. BTW we were without utility power for 8 days. Wife is happy again, so now it is time to get the computer system and network back on up and running. Here is where you need to be AWARE of using a UPS with Generator Power. I plugged the UPS in to the generator power. Turned on the UPS and after a few seconds, the UPS started to cycle from Gen Power to Battery Power back and forth. That's strange, what could be wrong. Well, it wasn't the input voltage from the Generator - Checked it to be 115v continuous, but UPS still cycling. AH HA, it was the input frequency. The UPS is rated as input frequency to be 60 +/- 3hz. The display on the UPS indicated it was receiving 63hz. So apparently, the Generator was outputting just a hair outside the 60 +/- 3hz range of the UPS specs and causing the UPS to cycle into and out of battery mode. Obviously, it was designed to do this. Ok, unplug all of the stuff from the UPS and plug into generator power and all is good. I need to talk with the generator manufacture on getting the output frequency adjusted no doubt. Sorry for all of the blah, blah, but I wanted to set the expectations if you have an operating environment where you must use a UPS with generator power, you may find yourself in a situation where things may not work as expected due to input/output thresholds of your equipment. Oh, and by the way, the generator manufacture said the Gen was operating within their specs 60hz +/- 3hz. Apparently, the UPS or GEN is not exactly within specs.UPDATE for BR1500MS2:I recently had the need again to use the UPS with my generator. Utility folks replacing power pole, so I powered up the generator to keep a few things running. As I had mentioned previously, I was having an issue with the UPS staying online using the generator voltage. After reading some additional detail about the UPS Sensitivity settings, I adjust the setting from the default of Medium to LOW. The definition of LOW is "Use this setting if your battery backup continues to transfer to battery operation frequently on the medium setting. Typically, this occurs when the AC utility source is a generator. Caution, this will allow greater voltage distortions to reach your computer." Ok, so why couldn't the support folks at APC advise me of this. Maybe because of the caution notice - who knows. Anyway, I set the sensitivity to Low, connected the input of the UPS to the generator output voltage. Ah HA, this time the UPS stayed online and stopped the frequent switching on and off line as before. I monitored the UPS output to my computer and only noticed a small variation in voltage and HZ. Not enough to cause any harm to my system. After utility power was restored, generator off, I put the sensitivity setting back to the default Medium. So I just wanted to update my previous entry about using this UPS with home generators. It does work afterall, just change the UPS sensitivity setting.

Great unit, I keep my NAS, router & cable modem on it. Does the job and keep up my units during brownouts.Would highly recomment.