A Line Interactive Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) is a type of UPS system that offers a higher level of power protection than a standby UPS. It’s designed to interact with AC power to smooth out minor power fluctuations without switching to battery power, thus enhancing the overall life span of the batteries. When a power outage or significant voltage fluctuation occurs, it employs an inverter to switch from utility power to battery backup almost instantly. Furthermore, a line interactive UPS includes an Automatic Voltage Regulation (AVR) functionality, which corrects abnormal voltages without resorting to battery power, making it energy efficient.
Line interactive UPS systems are commonly used in small and medium businesses, server rooms, and network closets where the power demand is higher than a typical home office. Line interactive UPSs are probably the most common UPS type found in data centers world wide. They provide reliable power protection for servers, networking equipment, workstations, and telecom systems, among others. They can handle a wider range of voltage fluctuations, which makes them ideal in areas where power conditions are less than optimal. Moreover, their added benefits of energy efficiency and longer battery life make them a suitable choice for businesses looking to balance cost, performance, and power protection. They ensure that your critical business operations continue without interruption, safeguarding you from the risk of data loss and hardware damage due to power issues. Another nice benefit of line interactive is that they’re usually generator compatible as well, something that’s not common on entry level standby UPS models.
Some examples of line interactive UPS systems:
APC Smart-UPS 1500VA LCD 120V SMT1500 – Tower
APC Smart-UPS 2200VA LCD 120V SMT2200 – Tower
APC Smart-UPS 1500VA LCD RM 2U 120V – Rackmount