Preserve Data & Prevent Loss with UPS

formidable IT closet. If not, let this be a wake up call to the importance of an uninterruptible power supply, known from this point forward as a UPS. Th UPS is like the secret weapon for any IT consultant worth a grain of salt and your IT team (or one man show) should always ensure that one is deployed to protect vital computer equipment, data,  servers and hard drives.

Keep in mind that a UPS is not a backup generator. The UPS provides protection from surges and power interruptions through a battery backup. The supplemental power offered by a UPS is typically a few minutes with the typical maximum backup power reaching the 15 minute mark.  One distinct advantage to having a UPS that is connected to your server or backup hard drives is that it protects from power surges, lightning strikes and other spikes in the electric current. With more and more vital data being stored on external hard drives, NAS storage and backup servers the importance of the UPS cannot be over emphasized.

Implementing an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) to your computer systems will at least be able to keep running for a short period of time when the power goes out or is interrupted. If you are working from or utilizing your server or computer hard drive when the UPS kicks in, you’ll have enough time to save current projects to prevent data loss. The battery backup from the UPS isn’t a complete fail-over (like backup generator power) but it’s an affordable piece of equipment that offers a tremendous return on investment.

For those that desire a more solid plan it is suggested that backup software also be installed on the servers and/or workstations that automatically backs up data when there is a power surge or power loss.

Jason from Texas writes:

I am deployed in the Armed Forces and we utilize several high security paper document shredders in the field and at our FOB’s (forward operating bases). Occasionally we re-use equipment that has not been converted to the proper voltage in Europe. It would be helpful to fellow Armed Forces troops if you could provide a list of Military grade power supplies, converters and inverters. This could also be of great help to other readers of your blog!

BestBatteryTips.com Response:

Jason,

First off, THANK YOU for your service to our country and our national security. We great appreciate the sacrifices that you and your fellow Armed Forces troops make on a daily basis to ensure our freedoms. We’ve never been asked about your specific application for converters and power inverters, but we have conducted our research and compiled the list below to serve as a guide for finding qualified equipment and suppliers. We hope this helps you and our fellow readers.

MIL SPECS related to Power Supply and Power Conversion

There are a wide range of power supplies, inverters and converters used in the field and rugged or hard environments. These products are typically tested to meet MIL-STD-810 and MIL-STD-461 military specification requirements as well as MIL-PRF-27, MIL-TD-510-704, MIL-STD-1399, VDE and TUV.

Examples of suppliers include:

Automated Business Power

http://www.abp.com/

Prime Power

http://www.prime-power.com/military-grade/

Abbott Electronics

http://www.abbottelectronics.com/industry/en/military

PowerStream

http://www.powerstream.com/dc1-extreme.htm

Vanner

http://www.vanner.com/markets/military/

Newark

http://www.newark.com/

What is Mobile Document Shredding?

According to research, there are two definitions of mobile paper shredding. The variants include what we have described above, a portable paper shredder that can be “mobile” and used in the field as well as a mobile shredding truck. Shredding services or mobile document shredding is a service offered by the majority of document destruction companies that can either be payed on a monthly or yearly contract, much like your monthly recycling or trash disposal service. These services differ from the old methods of picking up boxed documents and hauling them to an offsite facility for shredding – the mobile shredding trucks and services shred your document onsite and haul the shredded remains off for recycling.

Product names, logos, brands, and other trademarks featured or referred to within bestbatterytips .com website are the property of their respective trademark holders. This blog has been compiled for research purposes only and does not constitute our endorsement of any brand, product or service. For more information please visit our terms, conditions and legal disclaimer

Brand name manufacturers of digital safes such as SentrySafe®, Cannon®, GunVault®, FireKing® and others offer instructional manuals online or make them available for download as PDF electronic documents.

Below you will find links to the electronic safe instructions for the best brand names of electronic safes.

SentrySafe® Instruction Manuals

GunVault Gun Safe Instruction Manuals

Cannon Safe Instruction Manuals

FireKing Safe and File Cabinet Instruction Manuals

Hamilton Safe Instruction Manuals

Hamilton GSA Containers and Safes

American Security Safe Instruction Manuals

AMSEC Safe Instruction Manuals

Liberty Safe Instruction Manuals

Browning Safe Owners Manuals

For specific questions about battery maintenance or questions regarding the electronic lock on your safe, contact customer support for your brand today.

You can also take a look of some of our MOST READ BLOG POSTS and  learn more about replacing dead batteries in your safe here

Product names, logos, brands, and other trademarks featured or referred to within bestbatterytips .com website are the property of their respective trademark holders.

Rechargeable Batteries

safes and fireproof safes that are outfitted with electronic locks. Whether you have purchased a home safe, gun safe or a commercial grade security container, the batteries in your lock will eventually wind up dead. Below we have put together our TOP 5 Questions & Answers to help you alleviate the headache of not being able to open your safe when the inevitable happens!

TOP 5 QUESTION OUR READERS ASK US

1) What brand or type of battery should I use in my gun safe?
Comparing rechargeable vs. Alkaline

Electronic gun safes vary from the storage of pistols and handguns to rifles and shotguns. Whether your lock uses biometric fingerprint access or is a digital keypad or electronic lock the type of battery you choose should reflect upon the following:

• How often you open and close the gun safe
• Does the safe sit idle for long periods of time with no use

If you access your gun safe on a daily basis you put a different type of ware on your batteries, typcially referred to as “high drainage.”  High drainage means your batteries are low quickly and frequently, if this is the case from repeated opening and closing of your safe you should choose rechargeable batteries. The general rule of thumb is that if you buy batteries more often than once a month you should probably consider rechargeable brands like Duracell or Energizer instead.

2) What are the best batteries for a Sentry Safe?
The manufacturer, SentrySafe recommends the use of Duracell, as do many of the top brand names. These batteries offer great reliability and tremendous value. Fore more information read our previous blog about AA Batteries with your SentrySafe

3) How do I replace my electronic safe batteries?

Every lock is different, just like every safe. To better help you , we’ve written several How-to blog articles for many brands and types of electronic safes HERE

4) My battery is dead in my safe, will it remember the combination?

YES. YES. YES. Both digital and electronic safe locks are designed with internal memory (much like your laptop or notebook computer) to remember the codes and combination.

5) How do I know if my battery is going dead in my safe?

*BEEP*  *BEEP* *BEEP* You can hear it loud and clear, a constant or repeated beeping sound coming from your hidden safe… that means it’s time to change or replace the batteries. Whether your safe uses 9V or AA batteries, safe manufacturers design their safes and electronic locks to beep when the battery needs replaced. A common practice is to replace the batteries every 6 to 12 months regardless if the lock beeps with a low battery warning.

We regularly update our blog with the best tips and tricks for getting the most our of your battery…whether that is Automotive, Cell Phone or laptop batteries, we are your source for Best Battery Tips!

Product names, logos, brands, and other trademarks featured or referred to within bestbatterytips .com website are the property of their respective trademark holders.

Recently we stumbled upon a great video review of the X-09 lock and how to operate it.

More information on GSA Approved Container and Safes can be found at several websites including:

DoD Lock Program

Hamilton

Hi Kip, I was at my local marina here in Florida the other day looking at purchasing a new battery for my boat. I went to the marina because I assumed that is where you buy a boat battery. I wasn’t sure exactly what I needed, but basically needed a battery to just start my boat. I was wondering what is the difference between a marine battery and a automobile battery? The gentleman at the store told me that boats take special batteries, and that you have to buy a marine battery. What are the differences between a marine battery, and automobile battery?

Diehard Marine Starting Battery

Deka Starting/Deep Cycle Battery

BestBatteryTips.com

Brent, thanks for writing in with your question. Surprising enough Brent you are not the first one to ask us this question, however this is our first reply to this question. We would have like to known whether you have any auxiliary items hooked up to your battery on your boat, but will explain both ways.

A boat battery can be bought almost anywhere Brent, so shop around for a decent price. A lot of people don’t understand the difference between a marine starting battery vs a automobile battery. The Difference between the two is simple. A marine starting battery not only has positive and negative post on it, but it also has threaded positive and negative post on it as well. This allows boaters to wire up auxiliary items such as fish finders, and stereos. The Marine starting battery generally comes with wing nuts, or just standard hex nuts to secure wiring onto the threaded post. Don’t get confused and assume that a dual purpose Marine battery is the same as a automobile battery. A dual purpose marine battery is a starting battery and a deep cycle battery, where as a automobile battery is not a deep cycle battery. The only time they are the same battery, but with threaded posts is when its a marine starting battery only. With that said, if you are not running auxiliary items to your battery you can purchase a regular automobile battery with the proper cranking amps that your boat motor requires. A straight marine starting battery is made no different than a automobile battery other than the added threaded posts.

East Penn Manufacturing Company has allowed Carquest to offer their customers a diverse selection of auto batteries ranging from a value grade battery up to an AGM technology battery. Carquest has recently changed their warranties on their battery lines due to the competition. Carquest generally speaking would offer only a 12 month free replacement on most of their battery selections, with the exception of a couple. Carquest now has raised the standard of their battery warranties, and has had much success with the implementation of the new program. We are going to take a look at their Automobile battery line, and compare batteries vs warranties.

First on deck is the Carquest Red 50 Battery. This battery is considered Carquests Value grade battery. The Carquest Red 50 battery comes with a 12 month free replacement warranty. Once the free replacement warranty is up the Carquest Red 50 carries a pro rate warranty up to 50 months. The warranty on this Red 50 is nothing to get excited about, but the price reflects the quality. Another thing worth mentioning is that this battery is a sealed top, and a maintenance free battery which means a lot for a value grade battery.

Next in the Carquest lineup is the Premium Blue 60 battery, and the Premium Blue 70 battery.. The Premium Blue 60 battery is obviously a step up from the Red 50 battery. The Premium Blue 60 battery carries a 2 year free replacement warranty. Once the free replacement period is expired on the Premium Blue 60 the warranty turn to a pro rate for a period of 60 months. Like the Red 50 battery the Premium Blue 60 battery price reflects its quality. Let it be known that this battery also has a sealed top, and is maintenance free. The Premium Blue 70 battery is a slight step up from the Blue 60 battery in more cranking amps and another 10 month extension on the pro rate warranty. Based on the price difference between the two batteries, we would recommend the Premium Blue 70 battery.

Carquest offers European car enthusiasts a battery. This battery is a OEM exact fit for European cars. The battery is noticeably longer than other more standard batteries, as well as special cut outs around the positive and negative posts of the battery. Carquest offers a 2 year free replacement on this Euro battery. Upon expiration of the free replacement warranty the battery has a 70 month pro rate warranty that follows. These types of batteries can be very expensive to purchase, however Carquest has put a reasonable price tag with this jewel. (Note) the picture shows 72 month warranty, but this has been changed to a 70 month warranty.

Carquest offers the Gold Plus 75 Dual terminal battery in its lineup of batteries. This battery offers a 2 year free replacement warranty. Once the free replacement time has expired, the battery relies on its 75 month pro rate warranty. This is a very popular battery for Carquest because of its ability to go into automobiles with side posts or top posts.

Carquest offers its Advanced Generation batteries in the lineup. The battery warranties on the Advanced Generation has changed. The batteries used to carry a 2 year free replacement, and 72 month pro rate. The Advanced Generation battery line now carries a 3 year free replacement warranty, and a 84 month pro rate warranty. This battery line is Carquests premium battery warranty in the lead acid category.

Last but not least is the Carquest NGT Extreme AGM Dual Terminal battery. The AGM technology allows this battery to be spill proof, leak proof, and resistant to vibration. The Carquest NGT Extreme is a absorbed glass mat technology, doing away with the familiar lead acid filled battery as we know. The AGM battery allows for faster charge times, more available power for more applications. Information about the Carquest NGT Extreme warranty was unavailable at the time of this article.

Product names, logos, brands, and other trademarks featured or referred to within BestBatteryTips .com website are the property of their respective trademark holders.

Carquest Logo

Carquest was founded  by three individuals Temple Sloan, Joe Hughes, and Dan Bock. The three gentlemen joined their auto parts stores in 1974 to better compete in the auto parts industry. Carquest took great pride in supplying customers with quality parts. Carquest has over 3400 auto parts stores in North America, and is considered a auto parts retail giant with sells in excess of 1.7 billion today.

Carquest teamed up with East Penn Manufacturing Company to make the Auto parts retail giants batteries. East Penn Manufacturing is based in Lyon Station Pennsylvania, and is one of North Americas largest battery manufacturers. East Penn is well known for their quality built Deka brand battery line. East Penn manufacturing is no stranger to building quality batteries for consumers. They have been building quality batteries sense World War 2. East Penn has allowed Carquest to be able to carry a diverse line of batteries for every application. Carquest is able to carry batteries for the following applications: Auto, ATV, Commercial, Farm, Golf Cart, Industrial, Lawn & Garden, and Marine. As a result Carquest has become a one stop shop for consumers battery needs.

Carquest however was not well known for their battery warranties. Twelve month free replacement seemed to be standard on carquest batteries. Due to the competition offering better free replacement warranties than Carquest, they would have to change their warranties to stay competitive. In April 2009 Carquest rolled out their new warranty plans on their batteries. Caquest now offers 24 month free replacement, and on their advanced generation batteries they offer 36 month free replacement. Carquest batteries pro rate warranties range anywhere from 12 months to 84 months as well.

Product names, logos, brands, and other trademarks featured or referred to within BestBatteryTips .com website are the property of their respective trademark holders.

Interstate Batteries Logo

Interstate Battery Systems of America, Inc. also known as Interstate Batteries. A billion dollar privately-owned company based in Dallas Texas. Interstate Battery is a distributor of its private label batteries that are manufactured by Johnson Controls. Interstate Battery does not Manufacturer batteries, they simply sell a manufacturers battery with their label on it. The companies owner and CEO is Norm Miller. A Christan man, Norm Miller has used these beliefs to build his Billion dollar company. It is said that Norm keeps a Chaplin on campus at the main head quarters in Dallas Texas for his employees. Interstate Batteries corporate mission statement is: “To glorify God as we supply our customers worldwide with top quality, value-priced batteries, related electrical power-source products, and distribution services.” Interstate Battery dates back as far as 1952. Interstate Battery has close to 300 independent distributors. Interstate Battery has more than 200,000 battery dealers spread out over the United States, Canada, and other International places. Interstate Battery seems to focus on auto repair shops, gas stations, and car dealers.

Interstate Batteries

Seems everywhere you go there is a small rack with about 4 to 6 Interstate Batteries sitting on it. Most of these batteries are on consignment with the place they are at. Once the repair shop sells a battery to a customer, Interstate replenishes the battery, and then charges the shop for the battery.

Interstate Battery Systems of America Inc., also owns the franchise “Interstate All Battery Centers”. The second largest small battery retail store chain in North America. Claiming to have over 12,000 batteries, and the motto “Have It, Find It, Build It. Guaranteed!” The Interstate All Battery Centers also makes custom battery packs for their customers as well as rebuild Power Tool batteries.

Interstate Batteries newest venture is called Interstate Powercare. Interstate Powercare offers critical power solutions and Motive power solutions. You can read more here.

Interstate Battery is a sponsor for Joe Gibbs Racing in Nascar with car number 18 driven by Kyle Busch. Interstate Battery has been involved with racing dating as far back as 1983 with Interstate Batteries Great American Race. Sense that time Interstate Battery has become a well known sponsor, and active participant in racing.

Product names, logos, brands, and other trademarks featured or referred to within BestBatteryTips .com website are the property of their respective trademark holders.

Mophie Juice Pack Air

Mophie Juice Pack Air Colors

Ever need to charge your Iphone, but don’t have the ability to plug into a receptacle? A Iphone battery extender is just the gadget for you when you are on the move. A portable battery extender is the cats meow when traveling, and sitting at airports for a large part of the day. Don’t like having to leave your Iphone plugged in while it charges? Mophie has the answer to your problem.

The Mophie Juice Pack Air (Mophie.com) priced in the neighborhood of $79.95, and can be found at most AT&T stores. The Mophie Juice pack is a Iphone case and battery extender all in one. The Mophie Juice Pack is certified by Apple with the “Works with Iphone 3GS product”. Once the Mophie is attached to your Iphone, the Iphone becomes about a inch thick. We were not impressed with the protection that the Mophie case offers once installed. However, some protection is better than no protection at all. Once the Mophie was attached we were unable to find a aftermarket case to add more protection to the Iphone. You can charge your mophie Juice Pack and your Iphone simultaneously. The Mophie Juice Pack has no problem doubling your Iphone battery life. Mophie Juice Pack Air comes with 3 color options Red, Black, Purple, and Silver. We were very impressed with the added benefits that the Mophie offered the Iphone. The product does exactly what Mophie said it could do, and is a quality made product.

Looking into the future Mophie is coming out with a case that will attach to your Iphone that acts as a credit card reader. That’s correct, you will be able to swipe credit cars underneath your Iphone. The card reader will offer encryption for added security as if you were at a retail store. Small business owners or salesmen will be able to get payment on the spot with this technology device. We tip our hats to Mophie for their state of the art technology, which makes them a leader in the aftermarket Iphone accessories.

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