Customer Ratings & Reviews

I bought 3 of these because the power will flash for just a moment relatively frequently in my area. It's usually only off for a split second but it's enough to cause my DVR to go through its 10 minute boot up cycle. So I have 1 powering my 55 inch LED and the DVR, 1 powers my cordless phone base (I provide ON Call support and can't have a call cut off suddenly), and 1 powers my cable modem and wifi router. So far the longest the power has gone out since putting these in place is just a few seconds but everything kept right on working as if nothing happened. I was shocked that it was able to handle the large TV so easily, but it was great! What's really nice about the APC back-ups is that you can connect them to a computer via USB, install the software and disable the annoying beeps that by default alert you to a power failure. Since I didn't want to be woken up at night for a power flash, this was essential. And thanks to Best Buy's price matching policy, when it went on sale somewhere else I was still able to buy it at Best Buy.

Best Buy was selling this product for $40 when I purchased it. I am using it to protect a low-wattage HP MediaSmart Server along with a wireless router, cable modem, and 5-port switch. Runtime for the server is not important as my primary goal is to shut the server down cleanly in the event of a power failure. This unit will not provide much runtime even for a device like the HP MSS which draws around 70 watts or less. The networking equipment draws very little power. This UPS does what I need it to do. In terms of disappointments, this UPS requires a very long time to recharge when compared to the BR700G I have protecting another server. The user must also install APC's Powerchute Personal Edition (PPE) software in order to disable the extremely annoying audible alarm on the unit. The user may not want to actually use PPE for power management on their computer. I use Windows built-in power management features, for example. Removing PPE completely requires a bit of knowledge.

I purchased 4 of these on the advice of my IT guy and have put them on all my major electronics. Living in the lightning capital of the world, its a must. Plus it protects against surges and brown outs from FL Progress. It cost me a mother board. Do yourself a favor buy. I have had them for 2 weeks and they have already come into play 4 times. they were on sale and what a great price.

I live in an area of frequent blackouts. I already have a few UPSs in my house. This one is for my computer system (I moved to old UPS to cover the TV, DVD and Wii.) TBH I don't understand why anyone would NOT have a UPS for important electrical equipment. Blackouts and power surges play havoc with systems. What I like about this unit is that there is a BIG yellow sticker across the outlets reminding me to attach the battery before using. Not all units are so pleasantly marked. It is just one extra reminder that makes a person who wants things set up in a hurry (like me) to slow down just a bit and make sure it is set up correctly.

Easy to set up. very heavy to lift and put onto the floor because of the battery inside. I am useing this APC battery back up for my desk top computer I only plugged in my screen and CPU into it I hope it works well for me. I got this the weekend of ThanksGiving and a great sale price.

Purchased 2 of these at the 39.00 sale price and just had to write a review. My last APC (500ES) lasted for about 4 years. I'm guessing these will last about the same. They are great for cleaning up your power if you are having quirky issues with printers or networks. And the software is excellent. Well worth the price!! Buy two! :)

Look, this is a simple UPS. It is more than adequate to run the normal home PC with monitor. It is not intended to run a printer and home PC. And it is only intended to run your system for a few minutes to allow you to shut the system down. It does provide clean consistant power to your devices. I use this model all through my house. One runs my cordless phone and VOIP adapter (will run them for almost 1hr), 1 each for my PCs (3 total with an avg run time of 10 minutes ea.). And finally one runs my cable modem, router/firewall, and my WAP. I don't get concerned if it starts to storm at my house. APC 550VA is the bread and butter UPS. Don't waste your time and money on other brands. The only thing that is better than the APC 550VA is the next model up! LOL Now whether or not you need that capacity is up to you. Oh and the APC 550VA integrates with windows Vista and XP SP3 with no additional software. Just plug the RJ45/USB cable in and you're ready to go! It can't get any more simple.

Have used APC products for years. I am very pleased with quality, price and functionality. I do not hesitate to recommend this well designed product. For best possible pricing check BEST Buy internet pricing and have free shipment to store.

I've only had this unit for about 5 weeks, but I gave it five stars for what it's done for me so far. Easy to install, works without calling attention to itself. Four times since I've installed this back up, it notified me, when I woke my computer up , that their was an incident of electrical noise, and the back up intervened and supplied power for a short duration, about 5 minutes each time. What happened to cause electrical noise I don't know, but what I have noticed is that I have not had a need to reset my modem since I bought this unit. I used to have to do a reset once a week, because web browsing would slow down. It would appear to me, the cleaner signal is not only helping my computer but my modem also. I have dsl, the phone line is not going though the backup, just straight to my computer, the modem is plugged into the back up.

I bought this to replace an 8 year old Back UPS Office that never gave me any problems. This unit has 8 outlets, 4 of which are backed up. My old unit only had 6 and 3. The other advantage of this unit is the foot print is much smaller and better fits under my desk. I would have stayed with my old unit, but the battery replacement cost was more than this new unit. So dollar savings, more outlets and smaller footprint made this purchase a no-brainer. I did contact APC support to let them know I am a little disappointed in the replacement battery cost. If it makes more financial sense to buy new, their replaceable battery capability is not a real benefit over their competition.

I have 3 of these protecting a computer,router,modems,nas network disk & a cable box. I've lost power a few times this summer and they protected everything flawlessly. If you use the software you can set to keep your equipment on as long as it can or shutdown after a certain time. I've been getting 30-40 mins on a full battery charge. as soon as you on battery power it goes down pretty fast,but more than enough time to shutdown safely

i replaced my previous apc ups after it was hit by lightening and got fried. poor little thing saved my gear, though. you can always count on apc to provide a great product for a great price. they do their job without worry so your electronics are always protected.

Every computer,TV, Set top box and DVD is protected in my and family's has an APC UPS and those devices have yet to fail over the many years I have been buying APC. However I had had many different models and over the years I am seeing more and more early failures (in years until this time). I bought two BE550Gs to replace two aging APC units I had. One lasted 3 days and when it failed it created a very bad situation and at this point I am not sure that the Apple iMac that was connected (which happens to be out of warranty) was not damaged. The APC in the battery backup side turned the power on and off every second to the iMac and this likely was going on for hours before we came home to discover it. I had already ditched the box so I could not return it to BB, so a called APC who were great and immediately shipped a replacement which I should have in a few days. The second one I gave to a relative and has not yet been used but my confidence level is low based on all the recent APC failures I experience over the last two years. The bottom line is, yeh APC is the one to get, but don't think it will never fail. Register your warranty too! Honestly, when I buy the next units for my TVs they will be another brand.

I have 4 APC UPS and use them for Computers, TV & VCRs, Lights & Phones. I live in the country and experience frequent outages from momentary to an hour. I can keep in touch with what is happening when I need to most. Be sure to use a reasonable load for best service. This was a replacement for a 6 year old one. Recycle at Best Buy!

Really liked this little monster. I can either run my Mac for about 10-30 minutes using this UPS (enough to save and shutdown safely). Or I can basically light my house for about 110 hours using a 5 watt led table lamp.

I needed some insurance, if you will, for my recording gear in my project studio. The power there is a little suspect and I've had it shut off during a session and lost a lot of work. This is just what I needed. I've had the power go out several times since buying this and it has saved me the headaches of losing data. For under $100 you get some backup power to allow saving and shutting done safely and it comes with several surge protection outlets as well. Good buy.

The APC Backup ES 550 is a perfect selection when you have power interruptions for short periods (waiting time before your backup generator kicks in) that may affect your computer, modem and router. I have ours connected to our desktop computer, monitor, modem, wireless router, backup hard drive and printer. In a power outage our standby generator needs about a minute or so to cut in and there is ample power left on the ES 550 if it took 5 times longer or more. We were concerned about any damage from power spikes and brown outs which the ES 550 also protects against, so all of our concerns were addressed nicely with this compact and "ready to go out of the box" backup power and surge protecting unit. The unit was under $50 making the cost versus benefit of purchasing it a "No Brainer".

Replaced the last one I had after 6 successful years with only 1 battery replacement. These are great because you simply need to replace the battery after about 2-3 years and you're good for another 2-3. Highly recommend this one as it has the shutdown features needed to turn off the computer in the case of an outage and when it's on sale at BestBuy, you're getting an awesome deal!

I purchased this unit to replace another brand that failed after 5 years. I went with APC because it is a better value and a good brand. My old unit did not include the usb cord which allowed me to check the battery status. I had to order/purchase the cable for an additional cost. So far the APC unit is working as intended.

Due to weather I did not take the DOA to BestBuy, but called APC after a few attempts to diagnosis the problem a new one was shipped with return papers. Even with the Christmas rush I received it in record time. The 2nd one plugged in & is working fine. I wanted to protect my computer, monitor, modem, & 2 telephones. I used my old surge protector to get the additional plugs. This is working fine with the low current draw from my equipment.