[NANOG] Re: Small Capacity UPS

[Brandon Svec via NANOG <nanog () lists nanog org>]

Based on that customer description what is wrong with a small and inexpensive UPS besides the efficiency? I would (and 
do) offer customers like this the option for one. And if possible, sell or build into the price yearly PM visits and a 
three year replacement schedule. 

I don’t think anyone mentioned a generator yet. If the pizza/car wash/car lot would lose significant money in an outage 
it should be simple to explain why you suggest they spend $X on a generator and/or a UPS. Cheap insurance, basically.  
I doubt all their gear can be powered with DC so those options are gone. If they decline, then fine. You explained and 
offered a solution. 

Some of those businesses may actually function perfectly fine with cell service in an outage and not need anything 
else. This was something that happened with PBX customers when smartphones became ubiquitous. Business can continue as 
usual (or with small, acceptable deficits) in many cases with just a cell phone. 

> On Apr 6, 2025, at 12:29 PM, Mike Hammett <nanog () ics-il net> wrote:
>
> Sure, but I can't just drop that into a car wash, a pizza joint, a used car lot, etc. These aren't places that have 
> battery rooms or even equipment racks.
>
> We may look at it and think it's cool and geek out on how the different (still COTS) components were assembled, 
> wired, etc. A layperson will just call that a mess and question if I know what I'm doing.
>
>
>
> -----
> Mike Hammett
> Intelligent Computing Solutions
> http://www.ics-il.com
>
> Midwest-IX
> http://www.midwest-ix.com
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Brandon Svec via NANOG" <nanog () lists nanog org>
> To: "North American Network Operators Group" <nanog () lists nanog org>
> Cc: "Brandon Svec" <bsvec () teamonesolutions com>
> Sent: Sunday, April 6, 2025 2:18:54 PM
> Subject: [NANOG] Re: Small Capacity UPS
>
> You can buy a rectifier and batteries so it doesn't have to be a science
> project.  Back in the day, all our large PBX installations had batteries
> and a rectifier.  Sometimes isolated battery rooms adjacent to the switch
> room.  There must be smaller, less expensive rectifiers. The catch is all
> the gear needs to support the DC power source.  LaMarche has been around
> and was a common brand.  I guess those portable, solar power banks are
> basically rectifiers too as long as they have some DC outputs to use.
> *Brandon Svec*
>
>
>
> > On Sun, Apr 6, 2025 at 11:55 AM Mike Hammett via NANOG <
> > nanog () lists nanog org> wrote:
> >
> > I'm trying to find something that keeps my customer's network gear online
> > for a meaningful amount of time. The challenge is that an ONT, firewall,
> > switch, AP, and some IP phones doesn't add up to be very much load. Most
> > normal UPSes get terribly inefficient at lower load ratings. Add up all of
> > the network devices a customer may have and we rarely break 50 watts of
> > load. Normal, small UPSes are lucky to break 50% efficiency at those loads
> > whereas they may be 95% efficient at say 100 or 200 watts. Get a bigger
> > unit with a bigger battery and now you're even less efficient. Get a big
> > enough unit to have extendable batteries and now you're spending thousands
> > of dollars for such a small request.
> >
> > I've gone asking, but haven't really gotten anywhere. The best technical
> > solution was from some electronics parts nerds that was basically to build
> > my own small rectifier and battery system. Great. I can achieve high
> > efficiencies with small loads, letting me have say 4 or 8 hours of battery.
> > However, I've got a science project, not something I can deploy at a
> > customer.
> >
> > I'm hoping one of you has the magic bullet in what product a service
> > provider should use in this scenario.
> >
> > Oh, and of course, being able to centrally manage them from my own iron
> > would be great too.  :-)
> >
> >
> >
> > -----
> > Mike Hammett
> > Intelligent Computing Solutions
> > http://www.ics-il.com
> >
> > Midwest-IX
> > http://www.midwest-ix.com
> >
> >
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