How to Choose the Right UPS for Your Business: The Australian Buyer's Guide
A UPS (uninterruptible power supply) does one job: When the power goes out it will keep your equipment running smoothly or shut it down safely. Get the sizing or type wrong and you either waste money on capacity you don't need, or you discover the gap the hard way when a power event corrupts your data or takes out your network.
This guide covers what you need to know to buy the right UPS for your business. Whether you're protecting a single server, a full rack, or an entire server room, the right UPS comes down to three things: how much power your equipment draws, how long you need it to run on battery, and what level of protection your environment needs. Get those three right and the rest follows.
Use our UPS Selector to filter by VA rating, topology, form factor, and connector type.
Start here: how much VA do you actually need?
VA (volt-amperes) is the standard unit for sizing a UPS. It's the apparent power the UPS must be able to supply to all connected equipment. The higher the VA, the more equipment it can support and the longer it can run on battery.
The basic sizing process:
- Add up the wattage of every device the UPS will protect such as servers, switches, firewall, storage, monitors.
- Divide that total by 0.8 (the standard power factor for mixed IT loads). This converts watts to VA.
- Add a 20% buffer on top. This keeps the UPS operating below 80% of its rated capacity, which extends battery life and leaves headroom for load spikes.
- Match the result to the next standard VA size up.
- Example: 500W of equipment ÷ 0.8 = 625VA. Add 20% buffer = 750VA minimum. Choose a 1,000VA unit as the next standard size.
Quick VA reference by environment
| UPS size | Typical load | Devices | Common use case |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 1 kVA | Up to 700W | 1 - 2 workstations | Desktop, home office, small switch |
| 1 - 1.9 kVA | 700W - 1,300W | 1 - 2 rack servers | SMB server room, NVR, VoIP system |
| 2 - 2.9 kVA | 1,300W - 1,900W | 2 - 4 rack servers | Branch office, edge stack |
| 3 - 4.9 kVA | 1,900W - 3,200W | 4 - 6 rack servers | Mid-tier server room |
| 5 - 9.9 kVA | 3,200W - 6,500W | Full rack | Dedicated server rack, data room |
| 10 kVA+ | 6,500W+ | Multi-rack | Data centre, critical infrastructure |
Which type do you need?
Standby, line interactive, or online double conversion.
The topology is the most important choice after VA rating. It determines how the UPS responds to power events and what level of protection your equipment gets.
Standby (offline)
A standby UPS passes mains power through to connected equipment and only switches to battery when it detects a power failure. The switch takes 4 - 8ms, fast enough for most equipment but not for highly sensitive loads. It's the lowest-cost option and works well for non-critical devices where power quality is generally stable.
Best for: workstations, home and small office setups, non-critical networking equipment.
Line interactive
A line interactive UPS adds automatic voltage regulation (AVR), which actively corrects minor voltage sags and surges without switching to battery at all. This is especially important in Australia as brownouts are common in regional areas, and voltage fluctuations during storms can cause unnecessary battery cycling in a standby unit. Battery life is longer because the battery isn't being used for every minor power event.
Best for: Transfer time is 2 - 4ms. This is the right choice for most Australian server rooms, network racks, and branch office environments.
Shop line interactive UPS range
Online double conversion
In an online double conversion UPS, connected equipment always runs from the battery which is continuously charged from mains power. There is zero transfer time because the equipment is never directly connected to the mains. The output is clean, regulated, and completely isolated from whatever is happening on the grid.
Best for: This is the correct choice for data centres, critical infrastructure, medical environments, industrial control systems, and any application where even a 4ms transfer event is unacceptable.
Shop online double conversion UPS range
Not sure which topology to select? Our UPS Selector includes a topology filter. You can choose 'Standby', 'Line interactive', or 'Online (double conversion)' to narrow the range.
Rack mount vs tower: which form factor do you need?
This is usually straightforward.
- Rack mount UPS (1U, 2U, 3U): installs directly into a standard 19-inch server rack. The right choice for server rooms and data centres with existing rack infrastructure. Some models can also stand upright as a tower.
- Tower UPS: stands upright on a shelf or floor. Better for offices, branch locations, and environments without a server rack. Takes up floor or shelf space but doesn't require a rack.
If you're buying for a server rack environment, also check the rack height (1U - 2U for most enterprise models, 3U - 6U+ for higher-capacity units). Use the Rack Height filter in our UPS Selector to narrow by rack space.
How long do you need the UPS to run?
Runtime is how long the UPS can run your equipment on battery after a power failure. For most IT environments, the target is not hours, it's usually enough time to either wait for power to restore or shut down equipment slowly.
A few important points about runtime:
- Runtime is non-linear. A 1,500VA UPS at 50% load (about 450W to 500W of power) might provide 15 - 25 minutes of runtime. The same unit at full load may only provide 6 - 8 minutes. Always size based on your actual load, not the nameplate maximum of your equipment.
- Most servers run at 40 - 60% of their rated draw under typical conditions. If your server's nameplate says 400W but it draws 200W under normal load, use 200W in your calculation.
- Lead-acid VRLA batteries (standard in most UPS units) degrade to around 80% capacity within 3 - 4 years. Build in a buffer if your UPS is more than 2 years old.
- For extended runtime, choose a UPS that supports external battery modules (EBMs). Both Eaton and APC offer EBMs for most of their enterprise models.
UPS brands stocked by IP Trading: what's the difference?
IP Trading stocks UPS systems from multiple manufacturers. Here's an overview of the major brands and who they suit.
Eaton
The Eaton range covers everything from compact 650VA tower units (5E, 5P series) through to high-efficiency 6kVA+ rack systems (9PX, 9SX series). Eaton's 9PX series is available in lithium-ion variants, which offer a longer service life than standard lead-acid batteries and are better suited to environments with frequent partial discharge cycles.
Popular models: 5P (tower, line interactive), 5PX (rack/tower), 9PX Li-Ion (online), 9SX (online tower). Read our Eaton UPS Selector Guide for in-depth comparison between models.
APC by Schneider Electric
APC is one of the most widely deployed UPS brands in Australia. The Back-UPS range covers home and small office use. The Smart-UPS range (SMT, SMX, SRT) is the standard for enterprise server rooms and network environments. APC's SmartConnect technology allows remote monitoring and management via the cloud without a dedicated network management card.
Popular models: Back-UPS BK650EI (650VA tower), Smart-UPS SMT1500IC (1500VA SmartConnect), Smart-UPS SRT3000XLI (3000VA online), Smart-UPS SRT10KXLI (10kVA online).
Reasons Why Every Modern School Needs a UPS.
Ubiquiti
Ubiquiti's UPS range is designed specifically to complement UniFi network deployments. The UniFi UPS units integrate directly with the UniFi controller for monitoring and management. Popular with IT teams running UniFi infrastructure who want a single management pane for both network and power. The USP-RPS (1U rack) and UISP-P-PRO are the most common models in enterprise UniFi setups.
ATEN, Dell, Lenovo, Teltonika
IP Trading also stocks UPS systems from ATEN (focused on KVM and data centre infrastructure), Dell (PowerEdge-paired rack UPS), Lenovo (server room UPS for ThinkSystem environments), and Teltonika (industrial UPS for ruggedised and IoT deployments). Use the Brand filter in our UPS Selector to view the full range for each.
Browse the full UPS range by brand, topology, VA, and form factor.
Do you need a UPS for your network switches and firewall?
Yes and this is where many IT teams underestimate their requirements.
Network switches and firewalls are typically low-wattage devices, but they're often the most critical to protect. If your firewall or core switch loses power before servers can execute a graceful shutdown, you risk data corruption, failed transactions, and extended recovery time. Protecting networking infrastructure on the same UPS as servers, or on a dedicated smaller UPS, is standard practice in any environment with an uptime requirement.
For Ubiquiti UniFi deployments specifically, integrating a Ubiquiti USP UPS means the UniFi controller can monitor power status and trigger automated shutdown sequences directly.
Upgrading? What to do with your old UPS
UPS units contain lead-acid batteries which can't go into general waste. If you're upgrading through IP Trading, our Eaton UPSgrade programme lets you trade in your existing UPS and put the value toward a new Eaton unit.
Find out more about the Eaton UPSgrade trade-in programme.
Ready to find your perfect UPS?
