Power > Power Distribution

It says UL® listed, so it must be okay, right? Don’t be fooled. The $5.99 surge suppressor you picked up for your home PC may be nothing more than a multiple outlet extension cord.

UL® listed means that a product has been submitted to Underwriter’s Laboratories® for safety testing in certain categories. The strip protector you just bought is probably listed in the extension cord category. It won’t stop harmful surges from destroying equipment data.

The UL® listing for surge suppressors is UL® 1449. APC® SurgeArrest® products received the best UL® 1449 rating. Some vendors rate surge protection on the basis of joule energy. But let-through should be compared.

Basically, let-through is a measure of how much of a spike or surge each protector will let though to your electronic equipment. The lower the let-through rating, the better the suppression. And the SurgeArrest is guaranteed forever—even if it takes a catastrophic hit. It may be the last surge protector you buy.

Simply put, remote power control is the ability to reset or reboot PC, LAN, telecom, and other computer equipment without being at the equipment’s location.

Who needs remote power control? Any organization with a network that reaches remote sites. This can include branch offices, unmanned information kiosks, remote monitoring stations, alarm and control systems, and even HVAC systems.

When equipment locks up at remote sites, it is usually up to the system manager at headquarters to reset it. Often, there aren’t any technically trained personnel at the remote site who can perform maintenance and resets on equipment. So, in order to save traveling time and minimize downtime, remote power control enables the system manager to take care of things at the office without ever leaving home!

Remote power control can be done with modems or existing or special phone lines. The ideal system uses “out-of-band management,“ an alternate path over an ordinary dialup line that doesn’t interfere with network equipment.

An effective remote power control system incorporates the following:
• An existing phone line, such as a line being used for a fax, modem, or phone.
• Transparent operation. The system shouldn’t interfere with or be affected by normal calls.
• Security features. The system should prevent unauthorized access to network equipment.
• Flexibility. System managers should be able to dial in from anywhere and control mulitple devices with one call.
• Have power control devices that meet UL® and FCC requirements.