Ubiquiti announces Unifi UPS battery backups for servers and networks

Ubiquiti Networks has introduced two new uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) called the Unifi UPS Tower and the Unifi UPS 2U. With these additions, Ubiquiti expands on its existing switch with a built-in battery for critical infrastructure and its well-known power backup system that uses proprietary connectors for the manufacturer's rack-mounted devices.

The Unifi UPS Tower is designed to be put on desktops. In addition to a network port for Unifi integration and surge protection for network connections via GbE, the tower offers a total of ten C13 ports for C14 plugs. All ports are surge-protected, and five of these ports are additionally backed up by the internal battery for a continuous power supply.

Meanwhile, the battery has enough capacity to run at full load of 1,000VA/600W/102Wh for two minutes. At half load, this runtime increases to seven minutes. The battery is hot-swappable. The tower is about 11 inches high, weighs almost 17.6 lbs and is currently available at Ubiquiti’s official store for $159.

The Unifi UPS 2U 19-inch rack unit has significantly more capacity. Instead of 102Wh, the internal battery sports 216Wh. Like the tower, the battery is hot-swappable and can be accessed from the front. The unit can provide 1,500VA or 1,000W for 2.3 minutes, at half load it lasts for 8 minutes. As a rack-mounted device, the unit requires two rack units (2U) of space. With an installation depth of 300 mm, the Ubiquiti UPS is well suited for network cabinets. In terms of connectivity, it only offers a 4+4 C13 configuration. Otherwise, the device offers the same connections as the tower model. The rack unit is also more expensive and carries a price tag of $279.

Both devices also offer a NUT server, which can provide additional information. Therefore, monitoring via Unifi is not always necessary. Lastly, there are differences in terms of availability, as the tower can be ordered now, but the rack unit is expected to become available later this month.