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After a new round of testing, we''ve made the CyberPower CP1350AVRLCD3 our upgrade pick, and we''ve added several models to the Other good UPS units section. Our other picks remain solid.
But if you want to keep your home Wi-Fi network and some other key electronics up and running in the event of an outage, an uninterruptible power supply, or UPS, is worth the investment.
The CyberPower CP900AVR is the best UPS for people who want to back up a few small electronics—such as a modem, router, PC, external hard drive, or game server—during a blackout lasting up to four hours. It offers many of the same premium features found in pricier models, including battery backup for up to five devices and surge protection on all 10 of its outlets.
We required each model''s battery to keep a 300 W load running for at least five minutes, which gives you time to safely shut down devices.
Each model must have eight or more outlets, including at least four battery-backed outlets and with a combined output of at least 300 W.
You should never plug a UPS into an extension cord, as doing so is a fire risk. We required each model''s cord to be 5 feet or longer.
Likewise, you should never plug a UPS into a surge protector, so each UPS model must have adequate built-in surge protection.
The CyberPower CP900AVR can cover the basics for most people during common, short-term blackouts. In our tests, it provided enough power to keep a household broadband modem and Wi-Fi router running for four hours, which means you can stay online while the power is off and get in touch with emergency services, follow news and weather changes, or just pass the time on your favorite websites.
It requires no setup aside from plugging it in, and it comes with its own software. It has a user-replaceable battery and includes automatic voltage regulation (an important feature that some cheaper models lack), which can prolong the overall lifespan of the battery and help prevent damage to sensitive electronics.
It backs up five of its 10 outlets with a battery, and it has a 6-foot cord. Its compact shape—about the size of a jumbo three-ring binder standing upright—makes it relatively easy to stow under a desk or nightstand.
The CyberPower CP1350AVRLCD3 is the most expensive UPS we recommend, but for good reason. Like our top pick, it has premium features such as automatic voltage regulation, surge protection, and a user-replaceable battery. And if you need to provide power to more (or larger) devices at your computer workstation than our top pick can handle, this UPS can deliver up to 825 W—it''s so effective that we had trouble finding home-office gear powerful enough to overload it in our testing.
Roughly the size and shape of a small PC tower, this UPS has 12 outlets in total, six of which it backs up with the battery. It also adds two USB ports (one USB-A and one USB-C) and a backlit screen, which provides helpful information such as the remaining battery life and the total wattage of the devices plugged into the unit.
Its maximum output is on the lower side—we measured up to 470 W in our testing—but that should be plenty of power for the six battery-backed outlets to support basics such as home Wi-Fi gear.
Unlike our other picks, this less-expensive model uses standby power management instead of automatic voltage regulation. That should be fine in most cases, but it''s harder on the battery, and you shouldn''t use this UPS for sensitive AV gear or medical equipment. Plus, Amazon offers only a one-year warranty, in contrast to the three-year warranties that other brands provide.
I''m a senior staff writer at Wirecutter covering batteries, chargers, and charging technology. I''ve been a science journalist for more than a decade, covering a wide variety of topics from particle physics to satellite remote sensing. Since joining Wirecutter in 2017, I''ve reported on surge protectors, power strips for travel, and more.
An uninterruptible power supply, or UPS, is basically a surge protector, battery, and power inverter—which turns the battery''s stored energy into usable power—wrapped into one unit. The size of the battery determines how long the UPS can provide power, and the inverter determines how much power it can put out at a time, a measurement often listed as volt-amperes (VA) but more easily discussed as watts (W).
A small, inexpensive UPS is great for anyone who wants their home Wi-Fi and internet to stay online during short power outages or brownouts. Unlike landlines, which work without power, digital phone service and Wi-Fi require a broadband modem, which may have only a small battery backup. Adding a UPS can keep you online and connected for an hour or more in case you need to reach emergency services—or if you''re about to finish a critical encounter in Elden Ring.
UPS units with extra power and features can help keep home offices and workstations running during business hours, or at least long enough for you to save your work and safely shut down vulnerable equipment. If you have a lot of important data on a desktop computer, an external hard drive, or network-attached storage, you may need a UPS to prevent your drives from losing data in the event of a sudden power outage. In some cases, a UPS can provide crucial backup power to household medical equipment—such as CPAP machines for sleep apnea—for a limited time.
Powering your home theater for a movie marathon during a storm is more difficult, and costlier, than simply buying a UPS. If you need long-term power, the capacity to keep refrigerators and other appliances plugged in, or a way to light up your whole house in blackout situations, you should consider off-grid options with longer run times, such as a portable power station, a generator, or a professionally installed battery-backup system.
If you need to back up documents, photos, and videos from multiple laptops and phones, we recommend a network-attached storage (NAS) device.
We started by considering more than 100 models from three leading companies: APC, CyberPower, and Tripp Lite by Eaton. We also added a few models from Amazon Basics to our list because it''s a prominent option when you''re shopping online.
We considered the most important traits of a great UPS and developed the following criteria:
We then tested the performance of each model in a few key areas, including the following:
The CyberPower CP900AVR has premium features that you typically find in units costing twice as much. It has 10 surge-protected outlets—five of which are battery-backed—and more than double the output necessary to power a household modem, router, PC, and external hard drive. It can keep a typical household modem and router running for up to four hours. It offers must-have features such as automatic voltage regulation, it''s easy to use, and it fits comfortably under most workstations.
It offers great battery life. The CP900AVR surpasses most models we tested in run time. Judging from our testing, we expect it to keep a modem and router running for up to four hours—or to keep a modem, router, PC, and external hard drive running for about 17 minutes—which gives you ample time to save any work and close any programs you have open.
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