GXT5 1500VA UPS

I have bought multiple of these. Provides true online from battery full time, which also conditions the power to be very clean. Standby UPS is what is normal found retail, but if you run serious servers, you want online UPS. I have one that I added the external (extre) battery cabinets with great success. I also have added the RDU101 card to all for remote configuration and monitoring, including emailed alerts on events.

I’ve used these ups before. They seem to last quite a long time, three years before battery replacement? The unit I got was opened and taped shut again. Called customer service to verify production date. I was concerned that the unit had been sitting in stock for an extended period on time which does affect battery life. They verified the build date as three months prior. So far the unit has operated flawlessly.

We have some spots where the local power is severely out of whack. So the incoming voltage varies considerably, and we have been told that the frequency can too. With one of these in place, it keeps a constant voltage and frequency, so it is well worth the money to keep systems online and running properly.

I've been installing and using Liebert/Vertiv UPStation online double-conversion models at home, work, and customer sites since the UPStation GX (pre-2000). Each generation (GX -> GXT -> GXT2/3/4) has been an improvement over its predecessor - that is, until the GXT5! There are several improvements in the GXT5 (the LCD display, battery charging/maintenance algorithms, and swing-out front panel [in many mounting situations anyway]), but there's a big gotcha: the battery carrier. Prior GX/GXT units had a steel cage that held the batteries securely and supported fairly easy cable routing and battery swaps, with reliable connectors. The GXT5, on the other hand, uses a flimsy see-through plastic carrier (imagine a clamshell grocery store produce container for reference) that deforms and tears at every opportunity when handled. The plastic is so lightweight that it doesn't come close to supporting the weight of the 4 batteries in the GXT5-1500. There's also very little room inside this plastic carrier such that battery cables are subject to wiggling loose, physical damage and even failure due to the tight bend radii and plastic flex. On top of all that, the connection to the UPS is made using a nonstandard connector flimsily mounted to the already flimsy plastic case that - if the planets, stars, and these connectors line up just right - is supposed to engage with a matching terminal behind the batteries. I've tried to replace the batteries in a GXT5-1500 (4x 12v9ah batteries), and after having wasted far too much time, gave up and got rid of it. The entire process was an exercise in frustration. I went back to the GXT4 with it's old-school steel battery cage and reliable plug-style connectors. I'm not sure if this is an attempt to force customers to use only OEM replacement battery modules or cost cutting or what, but hopefully Vertiv will address this with a future revision or on the GXT6.