I got myself a DC ups for network gear - it works well but getting them was quite a headache and I am wondering why isn’t this kind of gear more popular.
Locally I could only find retail solution for either 12 or 24v. Powerwalker makes some for example.
(But I needed a solution for 5, 12 and 19V at once)
Details:
The units I got - SVC ECO PLUS 8100 seems basically like an oversized power-bank with multiple DC jacks running at different voltages. (5v, 9v, 12v, 19v dc jacks + 5v USB)
Producer website:
http://www.svcpower.com/product/svc-100w-12000-mah-mini-dc-ups
(They seem to also have a PoE version)
Datasheet:
ECO Plus.pdf.zip (621.2 KB)
Available on alibaba:
https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Uninterruptible-Power-Supply-Mini-DC-UPS_62459362043.html
Or it seems to be popular in South Africa as a rebranded “Ratel 8100”
Back:
Front:
inside:
Closeups:
Battery pack is 8x18650. Specifically those GZNF18650 cells:
https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/GZNF18650HP-1800mAh-battery-cell-3-2v_1600168555328.html
Impressions
On the surface this seemed like a good solution to me, I t is much smaller and lighter than traditional Lead-acid AC UPS but still manages to sustain a router (19V) + switch(5V) + ONT(12V) for a few hours.
The annoying part are the DC jacks - all are standard 5.5/2.5 DC and the package had 1 Y cable with 3 such jacks but annoyingly all the gear had different jacks which meant buying various connectors and making custom cables.
Those turned out very nice but _ my _ god _ was it a hassle
Another thing is the price:
I got 4 from Alibaba for ~32 USD each + a whopping 250 USD for shipping so around 95USD each.
This seems like a lot for what it is.
Still cheaper than the Ratel re-brands from South Africa.
But more expensive than some available at 65 EUR from a local source (SVC ECO PLUS 8100 - Powerbank / USV, 14400mAh) But those had PoE instead of 19V output.
So here’s a few questions to you:
- Why aren’t small DC UPS units more popular? Is it too narrow of a market?
- How do people normally do network gear power backups? (assuming of course the main machine backed by larger UPS is in another room)
- Or maybe it’s pointless most of the time? I am not sure if it’s normal for the ISP gear to work during an outage. ( my fiber line works even when a whole building is out of power)
- I see there is space for a second battery pack - How safe would buying/making 2 new similar packs and putting them in parallel be? (of course both being brand new with the same cells charged to the same voltage)