Looking for a home UPS that is smart

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Skilled
So far all i've found is Sukam's falcon plus that has bluetooth. Wish it was wifi instead of bluetooth as the range would be much longer. Waiting for the 1600VA to become available before getting it

Its 2018, and there are hardly any home UPS that allow to be monitored by a smartphone. Luminous has one called Regalia that costs upwards of 65k and runs on lithium batteries. Waaay too expensive for what it is
 
Are you thinking of using Alexa or Google Assistant to control it?


Edit: I just had a nice thought. Most APC smart UPS (The SX or SUI series) that cost > 15k have a usb interface to pc. If you have a raspibian, you could attach the usb interface to it and use apcupsd or what its called in linux to control it.

https://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/debian-ubuntu-centos-rhel-install-apcups/

for bluetooth / wifi you could get a usb dongle and use the smart phone with vnc or ssh to connect to the raspbian.

Edit: Raspberry Pi Google AIY Voice Kit

Alexa AI on Raspberry Pi
 
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Are you thinking of using Alexa or Google Assistant to control it?
Not necessary just want to know when the power goes out and how much backup it has left. How to tell when the power goes out or how often and how long for

We are so used to seeing this on phones that there is a similar expectation with lead acid as well. Though i understand it isn't as easy and mostly inaccurate

Edit: I just had a nice thought. Most APC smart UPS (The SX or SUI series) that cost > 15k have a usb interface to pc. If you have a raspibian, you could attach the usb interface to it and use apcupsd or what its called in linux to control it.

https://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/debian-ubuntu-centos-rhel-install-apcups/

for bluetooth / wifi you could get a usb dongle and use the smart phone with vnc or ssh to connect to the raspbian.

Edit: Raspberry Pi Google AIY Voice Kit

Alexa AI on Raspberry Pi
This would be adders solution i guess, he's been on it ten years now :)

The falcon seems right just can't get the 1600VA model right now. The power factor on these sukams is low, think only 60% usable from VA

 
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A circuit connected to mains can tell you about power status, right ? As for power backup available, isn't it related to connected devices ? You have 3 fans running or just 2 LED bulbs. If you mean in full capacity, just need to know how much charge is left in the battery.
 
The problem is when the UPS switches on you have no idea because its seamless. I'm not going to be checking pilot lamps on my switchboard all the time. The UPS is going to be in a staircase room so unless it makes some sort of noise that its on there is no indication.

The only time i may know is i notice the fridge goes off because its on the heating circuit. At which point you wonder when did the power go off and how long your backup will last
 
If you want a UPS that makes noise when the power goes out, then APC does that. My 850VA home ups beeps so loudly that even the building neighbors know when the mains power goes out or comes back. I've even heard small kids mimicking the ups when it beeped when the mains power came back. lol. thankfully no one has complained about that noise till now. no way to shut it off too. there's a button to mute it but it does not work. even the beep durations are different. 4 beeps = power outage, 2 beeps = power came back.
 
Hehe, that is exactly what i want to avoid, a key feature of the APC UPS BR-1000 i bought ten years back was the ability to turn off the alarm.
 
no 1600VA UPS with bluetooth fromSukam is available. Looks like i'm stuck with the 2kVA luminous cruze now

The added capacity is a plus, the lack of smarts is not.

Still trying to figure out what to use to indicate the UPS is on. A zero watt bulb that works off the UPS only when it comes on maybe
 
Something like this is nice

https://www.luminousindia.com/regalia-760-1341.html
This UPS is WiFi enabled and can be connected to a Smart Phone. It's Touch Screen can be used to switch between back-up time, charging time or for configuration


That is a feature i want to see in more UPS, like my printer. No dicking around, plug in ,download, use. If it was smart like my smart switch i would get a notification anytime the UPS came on and went off, there would be a log of this data. I could get this over the internet even.

Problem with regalia is the price, ridiculous. Second. lithium ion isn't the best battery chemistry for a UPS. Nice and compact but that's not necessary for home use as say on the road in a car

Why can't they offer something affordable and more updated on their present line which has to be more than 5 years old already

Was chatting with a gadget reviewer from the Phillipines and he was mst amazed to see these home ups products. They are an Indian thing and are not sold anywhere else. He's never seen them on the market there and mostly all such UPS are square and still more primitive than what we get here. There are however more reliable and better performing

Take sine wave for example, i've yet to find a single review showing what the sine wave looks like under different loads for any product that claims to be sine wave sold in India. Only thing that generates a pure sine wave is a generator. You need rotating tech to get that. Everything else that makes sine waves is down to the quality of the circuit and electronics involved.

People like APC, well Luminous like APC is also managed by Schenider

Sukam is an indian brand that really ought to be more competitive. I guess it is for many. GST is the reason their bluetooth products have been stalled (!)
 
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Are you willing to open up the UPS and add these features on your own.
Since I have been building my house, I have been looking to include so called smart features. In most cases, my research has shown me that I am better off using an arduino or Rpi to achieve what I want. The options to write your own code and hence make the device behave exactly the way you want it to is priceless. I have ordered a few Sonoff Touch switches but that is only because they are so cheap and offer exactly what I need them to. For my other needs I will most definitely prefer using Arduino, when I get the time.
My first project will be a Wi-fi based water level controller as I can't run cables from my tank to the motor which is over 100ft away. Just need to learn how to wire an arduino to a pump/motor starter panel.
 
Are you willing to open up the UPS and add these features on your own.
Since I have been building my house, I have been looking to include so called smart features. In most cases, my research has shown me that I am better off using an arduino or Rpi to achieve what I want. The options to write your own code and hence make the device behave exactly the way you want it to is priceless.
From what i've been told that will only work with an online UPS. It needs an internal interface that can be queried to begin with. I can't see how you would do it with any 'home' UPS even if you wanted to. When i spoke to the seller he mentioned SNMP features. Sending email but that depends on the model. How much info is available is unknown

I have ordered a few Sonoff Touch switches but that is only because they are so cheap and offer exactly what I need them to. For my other needs I will most definitely prefer using Arduino, when I get the time.
My first project will be a Wi-fi based water level controller as I can't run cables from my tank to the motor which is over 100ft away. Just need to learn how to wire an arduino to a pump/motor starter panel.
You are making a wireless switch. I suppose that's the only way to go about it.[DOUBLEPOST=1524947037][/DOUBLEPOST]As far as modding goes i plan to add a meter that will be on permanent display like in this video


Guy who made this video is excellent. Problem is he hasn't made anything in the last two years. It's also interesting to see the UPS they have in the US, its quite minimal, how good the output is depends on the model.
 
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From what i've been told that will only work with an online UPS. It needs an internal interface that can be queried to begin with. I can't see how you would do it with any 'home' UPS even if you wanted to. When i spoke to the seller he mentioned SNMP features. Sending email but that depends on the model. How much info is available is unknown

The Luminous Zelio range is being marketed as Smart. It displays all the information you need on a screen on the UPS. All you would need to do is open up the UPS and query the data from where the screen is doing it and connect it to an arduino or Rpi and write a web/app interface which displays those values or sends you notifications according to your needs.
The only question is that is all this worth the effort and voiding warranty.
 
Was chatting with a gadget reviewer from the Phillipines and he was mst amazed to see these home ups products. They are an Indian thing and are not sold anywhere else. He's never seen them on the market there and mostly all such UPS are square and still more primitive than what we get here. There are however more reliable and better performing

Is he the Gadget addict dude?
 
I think Best Overall: APC Back-UPS Pro 1500VA UPS is the best one. Same UPS I have installed in my house and it's functioning is awesome. It controls all my devices without any interruption.
 
Problem with regalia is the price, ridiculous. Second. lithium ion isn't the best battery chemistry for a UPS. Nice and compact but that's not necessary for home use as say on the road in a car

Why can't they offer something affordable and more updated on their present line which has to be more than 5 years old already

.

People like APC, well Luminous like APC is also managed by Schenider

think i'm going to bite the bullet and go with the regalia 1550. It has a lot going for it and that comes with a premium. Click the graphic to get the catalog

regalia specs_catalog.JPG

The battery warranty is 5 years so expect lifetime to be a little longer if not 7 -10 years

From the little i can glean the batteries are lithium ion phosphate

Is the solar pV of just 800Watts a problem ? some comments suggested it would be better if it was 2Kw but i have no solar cells presently nor do i plan to get any right away. But the solar recharge option exists which is good.[DOUBLEPOST=1541253539][/DOUBLEPOST]Don't find a whole lot about what their app displays. Important bit is it works off wifi instead of bluetooth. The google variant hasn't been updated since Jan of this year which is troubling. The ios variant has more screen shots. I was hoping it would keep a log of when the power went out and how long for. What it will do is send a notification whenever the power goes off which is helpful

regalia app.jpg
[DOUBLEPOST=1541255706][/DOUBLEPOST]Tried looking at what other schneider products offered Lithium ion and found they have a smart UPS. The claim is made that lithium battery life is twice that of VRLA and hence the TCO comes down as the VRLA battery would have to be replaced twice adding more cost compared to the lithum ion.

https://www.apc.com/us/en/campaign/lithium-ion-ups.jsp

Manual says this smart ups also uses Li phosphate batteries or lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC)[DOUBLEPOST=1541263503][/DOUBLEPOST]This is the battery on the 9oo model, its a 48V. It's literaly a computer attached to a battery. Lithium requires battery monitoring systems so any estimates of time left or remaining are going to be a good deal more accurate than on lead acid.

regalia battery.JPG
 
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...The claim is made that lithium battery life is twice that of VRLA and hence the TCO comes down as the VRLA battery would have to be replaced twice adding more cost compared to the lithum ion.

Don't lithium ion batteries cost about 300-400% of an equivalent capacity lead-acid battery? And doesn't that negate the double lifespan?
 
Don't lithium ion batteries cost about 300-400% of an equivalent capacity lead-acid battery? And doesn't that negate the double lifespan?
Depends if you want to deal with lead acid. The cost savings comparison was with VRLA btw not lead acid.

Advantages as far as i see it
- smartphone notifications, that is a major plus. I don't have to guess when the power went out, how long for and how long my backup will last.

- space, very compact, fits on a wall. With lead acid i may have to consider putting the UPS AND batteries outside the house which in my case means they could get stolen. I'm not sure whether its safe to put lead acid batteries in a staircase room. If ever there is hydrogen sulfide then i'm forced to move them out. Who knows when that may happen. This would be 120kg plus of batteries btw.

- recharge time is twice as fast as lead acid

- no need for top ups, no need for venting. No fumes period. What sank VRLA batteries for me was battery longevity, only good for 500-700 cycles. Temperature sensitive too. Lead acid is 1k+, wrks in higher temperatures. If your ambient temperature is over 40 then lead acid is the way to go. Mine is around 30 usually less. These lithiums are good for 1-2k cycles. APC's docs are quoting up to 5000 cycles for lithium phosphate.

- has a 5yr battery warranty which is the best you get with lead acid anyway

- new tech. Check out the present crop of home ups models on the market. They all came out over five years ago. The only 'innovation' is to add bluetooth connectivity to make them 'smart'. Why not wifi, how much more would that increase the cost by. No, they insist on bluetooth and so there are so many complaints in the respective app section about no connectivity.

Other factors, i don't have that many power cuts. I've been meaning to get a UPS for over a year but the max duration of power cuts varies from a few minutes to an hour. When the weather warms up this occurs every day. Months of March to May are the worst but there are sporadic cuts throughout the year. This last year for some reason saw fewer cuts compared to previous years. They were shorter in duration.

Possibly a couple of hours. per day worst case for a few weeks. Didn't happen last year though. If there were regular 2-3 hr cuts every day then lead acid would make more sense.

From my cost calculations, i was going to get 2 x 200AH + a luminous 2kVA cruze, that's around 40k+

The regalia 1550 i want to get is 80k+ that's twice as much. Not 3-4x more. The launch prices were crazy. Prices have come down since. eg. The 1530 can be had for 68k. Prices will likely drop further as production ramps up. I wouldn't be surprised to see them going fora further 10k less a year from now.

For the convenience and advantages i'm considering it pending reviews of which there are exactly zero at this moment.
 
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