Do i need my router connected to the UPS?

[ddaenen1]

I have recently added an APC smart-UPS to my network setup and was fortunate enough to find a 2nd hand APC network card to go with it. So i connected the mains of my Synology, Readynas, Supermicro server and my Netgear switch to the UPS outlet ports with the aim to be able both NAS'es and the server to gracefully shutdown in case of loss of power in the house for whatever reason. Both the NAS'es support APC UPS over network and on the server, i installed Powerchute shutdown and all seem to be working as planned.

Now here comes my question: should the router also be on the UPS, e.g. will the switch be able to transfer the UPS notification to the NAS'es and server to shutdown if the router went down due to power failure?

 

[thiggins]

A router can definitely benefit from the surge and brownout protection provided by a UPS. It's up to you whether and how to use UPS notification. The notification is based on monitoring the power line, not any specific device connected to the UPS.

 

[ddaenen1]

A router can definitely benefit from the surge and brownout protection provided by a UPS. It's up to you whether and how to use UPS notification. The notification is based on monitoring the power line, not any specific device connected to the UPS.

Yes, but the UPS is hooked up to the LAN via the network card and uses the LAN to notify the devices that power is down and they should gracefully shutdown before the UPS runs out of battery power in the case i am not home to restore power.

 

[degrub]

If the shutdown relies on the network and the packets have to pass through a device that does not have reserve power, then the process will fail.

So yes, i would expect the router and any other lan device handling packets in the path between the UPS detecting power loss and it’s network card location in the network and the devices that you want to shutdown gracefully will need to be on UPS power. That said, you don’t have to have it on the same UPS as the other equipment.

 

[dosborne]

Does a router *NEED* to be connected to a UPS, No.

Can it *BENEFIT* from it, Yes.

FOr 25+ years, in my case, I've always used a(well actually multiple) UPS, particularly on the router. Power can fail here and I can still access all primary systems and the internet for an hour minimum.

 

[degrub]

I have recently added an APC smart-UPS to my network setup and was fortunate enough to find a 2nd hand APC network card to go with it. So i connected the mains of my Synology, Readynas, Supermicro server and my Netgear switch to the UPS outlet ports with the aim to be able both NAS'es and the server to gracefully shutdown in case of loss of power in the house for whatever reason. Both the NAS'es support APC UPS over network and on the server, i installed Powerchute shutdown and all seem to be working as planned.

Now here comes my question: should the router also be on the UPS, e.g. will the switch be able to transfer the UPS notification to the NAS'es and server to shutdown if the router went down due to power failure?

It may depend on the protocol used by powerchute. If it is broadcast to all devices on the network that have a client installed listening for that packet, then maybe not.

Still, as others have said, it is wise to have all of your core networking gear on a ups if possible.

 

[dosborne]

At one point a few years back, I had PowerChute notify my Raspberry Pi which in turn would run scripts to shutdown various systems that could not otherwise be notified and shutdown on their own. Currently, only my NAS units bother to shutdown gracefully under low battery conditions. The remaining devices can (at least so far) handle the power failure (upon full battery drain) and power up on power restoration. I do like getting notification on my phone of power conditions though. Gives me manual control over the situation.

Bottom line, it is never a bad thing to have one or more UPSs in your environment. It is even better when you can connect and shutdown / startup systems based on available power.

A UPS on a NAS is self-explanatory (I would hope). Having your router similarly covered also allows your infrastructure to perform notifications and perhaps allows you to gain remote access and perform actions as well (assuming that the external internet infrastructure is not affected by the outage). Running multiple UPSs also allows you to have different power resources for different devices. Using my example above, the NAS units only need to run about 5 minutes, just long enough to "ignore" a short power interruption and long enough to enact the shutdown. I prefer a separate UPS for my routers and switches so they can run much longer (as they have a lower power requirement) and can allow me to do things like browse the internet (from my tablet) for hours without main power.