Suitable UPS for ASUS RT-AC88U

[plato2322]

Does anyone use or know which UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) may be suitable for keeping an RT-AC88U going for 3-4 hours after a blackout? It's 19v and about 3.5a I think.

 

[Jeffrey Young]

3.5 amps is what the supply is capable of at 19 volts DC. You need to look at what the input draw is at 110 volts AC or 240Vac if you're in Europe.

Either way, you may find it hard to find a cheap commercial grade UPS that will last 3 to 4 hours. What I did with mine, is removed the small battery and ran external leads to a much larger battery (20Ah).

 

[plato2322]

Thanks, I'm in Australia so 240v AC. I know Telstra have a Smart 3Gen modem and sell a ups for $120 which they maintain will keep the modem/router going for 3-4 hrs so thought there may be a similar unit that would do my router.. I'm not overly technical so looking for a plug and play rather than get the soldering iron out.

 

[degrub]

Get a UPS with the biggest battery you want to pay for. Make sure it is user replaceable.

@jzchen documented some issues with UPS interference with the radios, if i remember correctly.

 

[ColinTaylor]

The power consumption at the mains plug is going to be less than 10W. I don't know what's available in Australia but I'd imagine that any mains UPS would easily be able to supply that amount of power for four hours. My question would be, without internet or power to other devices what use is the router?

 

[plato2322]

If there is a local power blackout it doesn't mean the internet is down so using a laptop and a router with a ups attached a power outage won't stop operations. Ideally what I'd like would be a Gen3 Smart Modem with ups and 4G backup but a bit too expensive as ongoing cost.

 

[Tech9]

What I did with mine, is removed the small battery and ran external leads to a much larger battery (20Ah)

This may damage the UPS and/or the battery. The charge and trickle charge currents are different for larger capacity batteries. The UPS charging circuits are usually protected and with max charging current value so more likely the battery will have shorter life.

 

[Tech9]

Does anyone use or know which UPS

Check the specs for which model can hold ~10W for the needed backup time, but preferably choose at least stepped sine wave model. Common switching power supplies used for household electronics heat up more with square wave and may generate more RF noise.

 

[plato2322]

Can someone just tell me what to buy and what will work for what I need it to do please. Some suggestions if you have any idea? thanks

 

[ColinTaylor]

Maybe either of these:

BVS500I-AZ - UPS, Easy UPS, BVS 500VA, AVR, 230V, Australia | Schneider Electric Australia

Schneider Electric Australia. BVS500I-AZ - UPS, Easy UPS, BVS 500VA, AVR, 230V, Australia.

www.se.com

BE550G-AZ - APC Power-Saving Back-UPS, Back-UPS, ES 550VA, 230V, 8 Australian (AS 3112) outlets (4 surge) | Schneider Electric Australia

Schneider Electric Australia. BE550G-AZ - APC Power-Saving Back-UPS, Back-UPS, ES 550VA, 230V, 8 Australian (AS 3112) outlets (4 surge).

www.se.com

 

[plato2322]

Thanks Colin,
This seems to be what is available in Australia.

BE550G-AZ - APC Power-Saving Back-UPS, Back-UPS, ES 550VA, 230V, 8 Australian (AS 3112) outlets (4 surge) | Schneider Electric Australia

Schneider Electric Australia. BE550G-AZ - APC Power-Saving Back-UPS, Back-UPS, ES 550VA, 230V, 8 Australian (AS 3112) outlets (4 surge).

www.se.com

This is available at $190AU (affordable) so if I plugged my ASUS Router RT-AC 88U into one of the backup outlets would this accomplish continuity in the event of a blackout.
My limited knowledge would say No it won't... the router needs to be plugged into a backup system directly as it only requires 19V DC or less to operate, so I'm unsure if these would assist. Thoughts?

 

[ColinTaylor]

Thanks Colin,
This seems to be what is available in Australia.

BE550G-AZ - APC Power-Saving Back-UPS, Back-UPS, ES 550VA, 230V, 8 Australian (AS 3112) outlets (4 surge) | Schneider Electric Australia

Schneider Electric Australia. BE550G-AZ - APC Power-Saving Back-UPS, Back-UPS, ES 550VA, 230V, 8 Australian (AS 3112) outlets (4 surge).

www.se.com

This is available at $190AU (affordable) so if I plugged my ASUS Router RT-AC 88U into one of the backup outlets would this accomplish continuity in the event of a blackout.
My limited knowledge would say No it won't... the router needs to be plugged into a backup system directly as it only requires 19V DC or less to operate, so I'm unsure if these would assist. Thoughts?

This is a general purpose type of UPS that maintains mains (240v AC) power in a blackout. So you would have your router's AC power adapter plugged into the UPS (and obviously the UPS is plugged into your mains supply). It should have sufficient spare capacity for phone and laptop chargers.

* See the manual for this specific device. Note that only 4 of the 8 power sockets provide power during an outage. I suggest you contact customer services before purchasing anything just to confirm it meets your needs.

This is not the same as a device that supplies low voltage (e.g. 12v) DC power to a single device. I haven't looked into those much as they don't normally have a very long run time, and finding one with a barrel jack plug compatible with Asus routers can be difficult.

 

[degrub]

Be sure and proof test the system after you get the UPS batter fully charged with the Asus power adapter plugged into a battery backup socket and the UPS plugged into the mains. Test by pulling the UPS mains plug from the wall socket. The router should not reboot. This UPS is designed to switch to battery supply within 1/2 sine wave cycle ( 10 ms for 50Hz mains) which is usually good enough. If the router reboots either the UPS switching circuit is not fast enough or defective or the router power adapter is particularly sensitive. i would assume a defective relay in the UPS and have the unit replaced. A faster switching UPS will be a little more expensive if required.

Also, when the battery run down time reaches 50% of nominal, it is time to get another battery and have it on hand to replace. Should be at least 3 years .