UPS or Surge Protection

[ydrol]

Hi,
I have some kit networked up and and ADSL connection. Just thinking about the best Surge Protection or UPS.

I have a ADSL Router acting as a modem only and is plugged into its own socket, and I've just configured my main router (WRT54GS running Tomato) to connect to the modem in Wireless Client Mode. Everything else is connected to the main router.

I then have 'the office' and the 'entertainment' areas. Both in the same large double room and both have networked equipment (PC, Popcorn Hour, Printer etc). The main router is in the entertainment area behind the telly.

So I have 3 sites, the ADSL Modem, the 'office' , and the entertainment, each about 5 meters apart (or 10 meters following the walls).

My PC Also runs VM machines that may have databases running on occasion (for testing , training , not production ), and my mate said one bonus of a UPS is that they also often include surge protection so I can knock that off the overall costs.

Anyway just wondering how other people have approached this. I'm guessing I should get a small UPS for the main PC (probably by APC and must be Linux friendly when communicating status) then a Surge block for the entertainment section, and I can probably leave the ADSL modem as a sacrificial lamb..

[peterb]

UPS.

Others may disagree, but I think the cheap surge protectors are a waste of time. Although some have lights on to say if they are working, there is no gurantee. Surge protectors (or to be accurate, the components within them) have a limited life - they will absorb so much energy and then stop working - you don't know when that will be.

The causes of surges are (usually - not always) induced voltages caused by electrical storms - if you get a direct lightening strike on a phone or power line, nothing you will put in place - UPS or surge protector, will counteract that apart from a big air gap!

I protect all my computers with small UPS's - even the router. (Router replacement - £160 - small UPS about £60 - its a no brainer really) In my case it is as much about unstable power supplies, but surge protection is a consideration.

UPS offers surge protection and brownout protection.