APC External Battery Pack, BR24BPG, Supplemental Battery for UPS Model BR1500G (Sold Separately)

I've owned one BR1500G for a few years and just bought a second one for another computer. The first one was bought directly from APC, as an upgrade, were the price included return shipping for disposal of the old unit. There was a significant software problem with that BR1500G. The computer thought the UPS was a battery as in laptop battery and Windows XP tried to manage the unit quite incorrectly. The problem was that the APC-supplied software needed to be installed BEFORE the battery control was connected to the computer via a USB cable. The kicker was that APC directions said to do things in the opposite order. This led to multiple telephone conversations with APC support to first return the computer to standard power management and second to properly install the control software. I want to report that the support was knowledgeable and outstanding.Once the battery was properly hooked up to the computer and the software properly installed I was quite impressed by the total setup. That software (a minor version earlier than their current software) does several good things: 1) periodic self-test of the battery, 2) gives good and coherent options to mange problem power, 3) uses hibernate to shut down the computer in emergencies even on non-laptop machines, and 4) can remove/restore power to equipment when the computer suspends itself/wakes up.I was happy enough with the APC hardware and software to order a second BR1500G when it was time to replace another UPS. The software installation problems have disappeared and bringing up the second system took a total of ten minutes; the battery was shipped here charged.This UPS actually provides five functionally different sets of plugs: 1) the main component, i.e., your computer, is the sole user in the first set - the battery "knows" when it is powered up versus suspended of powered down - and power is supplied with battery backup; 2) there is a second set of components that are supplied with battery backup that are powered up when your computer is powered/woken up and powered down when your computer goes to sleep/is powered down; 3) another set of component are supplied with battery backup power independent of whether your computer is powered or not; 4) this set is powered or not as the computer but only enjoys surge protection, not battery backup; 5) this set is always powered but enjoys only surge protection, not battery backup. There is only one plug for set 1 and one plug for set 2. If you want to put more than one component in set 2 (don't think about more than one in set 1), use a splitter cable. This is a great arrangement to manage power sensibly. My computers go to sleep (S3 suspend) when not used for a while and proper usage of the plug sets can save the price of the BR1500G in about a year! (By my back of the envelope computations.)Here are some examples of components that would properly be plugged in to each plug set: 1) your computer, 2) the monitor on that computer, 3) your network router - the network shouldn't be cutoff just because one computer is off, 4) a printer connected directly to your computer, and 5) a printer on your LAN.The hardware works; the software has some very good control features and some very informative sub-applications. I've now been using at least one BR1500G for several years and am delighted. All in all, I've been using multiple APC products for a decade or more (as well as trying competitors products) and have been very satisfied. A few new capabilities have been added in APC's latest products that are good for me, e.g., the plug sets and better energy/green tracking. Finally, when I had a problem, APC support was there and competent.

I set this up about a month ago, and wanted to have a good period of time to at least try it out before I created the review. Overall, I think this is great - the rumors of all of the fan noise (also commented on by other reviewers) is true, and I will address this in a moment.First off, once you open up the main Amazon packaging and attempt to open up the box that the unit is in I'd highly recommend you being on a carpeted or softer surface - this thing is pretty heavy, and the last thing you want to do is have it fall while sliding out of the box and putting a big divot in a wood floor, etc. In other words, you may need a helper as this is a little heavy.Setup is a snap - there are more than enough ports in the back for what I have it used for (one computer, two monitors, scanner, and external hard drive), and there are easy-to-follow graphical instructions on where to plug what in (it does make a difference). I also hooked up the external battery pack the day after installing the main base unit for longer protection (APC BR24BPG Back-UPS Pro External Battery Pack For 1500VA Back-UPS Pro models), and if your pocketbook can afford this external battery pack I highly recommend it: we've already been hit with two heavy spring storms that blew out the power when I was away from the house, and it took me a little while to get home, and start shutting everything down.After plugging the main unit in, it took approximately 9 hours for the unit to become fully charged. During that entire time, the fan was running - and it is rather noisy. After the unit was fully charged, the fan turned off never to be heard from again unless there was a power outage that drew down the main batteries reserves. Strangely, the fan did not run when the external battery pack was hooked up to the main unit.The unit's display is pretty neat, telling me the level of the battery backup as well as how much power is being drawn. I couldn't tell you what all of the other notifications and gadgets are as I haven't needed them - the display suits my purposes. If you have the power outage alarm on, the beep is VERY loud and will get your attention!Overall, I have been pleased with this unit - it's a little more pricey than your typical home unit but it packs a lot of power and the last thing you want to do is skimp on a battery backup and take the chance of ruing your system or losing your data.