AUGUST 2021 MACWORLD 111mmmh
AmazonBasics
360-watt
Standby UPS
PROS- Enough power to keep
home networking hardware
running during multi-minute
power outages. - Includes management and
monitoring software.
CONS - Amazon provides only a
one-year warranty. - Doesn’t restart after fully
depleting power.
PRICE
$57
COMPANY
Amazon
models. Like the software branded by
CyberPower, the AmazonBasics download
for macOS isn’t released using the
standard, secure method Apple offers to
prevent malware installation, which costs a
developer a mere $99 a year to participate
in. Mac users will find themselves baffled
trying to launch the software, which
requires a special sequence in macOS to
bypass security precautions that prevent
such “unsigned” software from running.
While the AmazonBasics model works
with Windows and macOS power-
management features, an extra feature of
the custom software is that it lets you
directly configure some audio settings for
when the UPS beeps or produces a
continuous sound. The hardware power
button allows access to only a
few of those features. (A more
up-to-date version of the
software [fave.co/3weBCh4]
directly from CyberPower
offers more features and
appears to be fully
compatible.)
Amazon offers a fairly paltry
one-year limited warranty that
includes repair or replacement of
the device for manufacturing
defects, and repair or
replacement of up to $75,000 of
properly connected covered
electronics if damage occurs
while the UPS is appropriately connected to
power. Owners have 30 days from an
incident to file a claim. The warranty details
are not included with the product, but only
available as a download from the Amazon
product page.
At the price for which Amazon offers
the AmazonBasics eight-outlet,
600VA/360W UPS, you should instead
consider a competing product from the
white-label manufacturer that produced
this model for Amazon: CyberPower. The
eight-outlet, CyberPower ST625U
Standby UPS (625VA, 360W, 8 outlets
[fave.co/2UgbchO]) costs almost exactly
the same, has two USB charging ports
you won’t find on the AmazonBasics
model, has more conveniently placed and
oriented outlets, and comes
with a robust three-year
warranty. CyberPower includes
a later version of its UPS
management software, but it
suffers from not being a
properly signed app in its
macOS version as well.BOTTOM LINE
The AmazonBasics 600VA,
360W, 8-outlet Standby UPS
is a solid enough product, but
it has nothing going for it at
this price point compared to
its brand-name peers. ■