APC External Battery for Extended Runtime for Back-UPS Pro Model BR1500G

I don’t know which category this review will be labeled as, but this is a long term review of the “BR1500G + BR24BPG” combo. I just replaced all the original batteries (in both units) after a significant power “event” (lost one phase of my power) revealed a major loss of runtime; they lasted 4 years, 10 months. Before replacement I was able to determine that the original RBC124 in the BR1500G had failed, but that wasn’t revealed until I disconnected the BR24BPG and did a battery test on just the 1500G. I also tested the OG batteries from the 24BPG after they were removed. All tested good (but still glad I replaced them.) Once I replaced the bad RBC124, the UPS said the new one was bad! That status was OLD, for the bad battery just removed. The new battery must test OK to reset the status. It probably won’t test OK immediately. Give it an hour or so to settle in, then it will test OK and clear the bad battery warning. If it keeps testing bad, then worry! I’ve been through this a couple of times now on 2 similar units. The old adage “time heals all wounds” seems to apply in this case! If you decide to replace the batteries in the BR24BPG yourself, they are RBC17’s (12v, 9Ah); there are four of them. Not hard to do, but some experience recommended. There are cheaper “equivalent” replacement options available, but keep in mind that this is a bit of a project. For me, the fewer times I have to go through it the better! Getting into the BR24BPG case is a little tricky. There are videos available, but a couple of additional useful notes will help. Pry the front cover off from the bottom (there’s a square hole), a straight blade screwdriver will work. It will seem like you’re going to break it. That feeling won’t be alleviated until you get it completely off and find that nothing broke! Still, work carefully, using just enough force to get the job done. Next, the trick to “opening” the case (after removing all the screws, and back cover) is to SLIDE the “top” side back from the front, then lift it up and off. The “top” side is the one that’s “up” when you remove the 3 front screws. There will be resistance when trying to slide it, but keep working it until it finally does. Same precautions as before, but no screwdriver required. Overall, this is a great combo. It supplies tons of runtime with a fairly small footprint. My internet gateway and separate Wi-Fi (OG Orbi) run for 5-6 hours on battery. If my computer is on, that drops to about 3 hours. Impressive!

This (along with the external battery) are great for keeping low wattage items running during power outages. They can't handle higher power items like microwaves, refrigerators, hairdryers, heaters, etc. but they are excellent for running several sets of LED string lights, and keeping a laptop and satellite system powered up so you can check weather online, make WiFi calls, recharge phones. etc. If you combine these with some of the solar system generators like ECOFLOW, then you have the ability to both run the higher power items from those "generators" and also to recharge the APC systems indefinitely. Combine all of this with a few LED floor lamps, small vehicle refrigerator, and a portable electric water heating kettle, and you will be well on your way to carrying on unfazed if the power goes out. As for the APC products specifically, they are very low maintenance, and changing the batteries in them is very easy. Additionally, their support team is great. I had a smaller APC get damaged by (I think lightening) and they sent me a new replacement with no hassle at all because it was still under warranty. Finally, one other thing that I like about the APC units is that they are modular...meaning that you don't have to buy a set of these all at once. You can buy the main unit and add the extra external battery later. So, this makes it easier to start with something that works, and add to it later as the budget allows. I literally recommend these to my friends and family.

This battery pack contains four 12v 9ah batteries. The batteries are model CSB HR 1234W F2. This battery pack is not made so that the batteries can be easily replaced by the user like the main UPS unit that it connects too. This is disappointing. They could have designed it so that the batteries slid out for easy replacement like they do on the master UPS unit. But you can still easily replace the batteries with a little work. Although you might break off a small plastic tab or two on the front cover in the process but it won't matter or hurt anything. Presumably your two year warranty has expired before you need to replace the batteries so you will have nothing to lose. 1. Remove the 6 screws on the back of the unit. 2. Pry off the front cover. 3. Lay unit on it's side so that the 3 screws on the front are facing up. 4. Remove the 3 screws on the front of the unit. 5. Slide the cover towards the back of the unit to remove it. 6. Disconnect the leads plugged into the F2 terminals on the batteries. 7. Remove batteries. 8. Insert new batteries and reconnect the leads. When I plugged the unit into my BR1500G UPS it basically tripled my estimated runtime per the PowerChute software. Which is exactly as expected since the BR1500G contains two batteries and the external battery pack contain four additional batteries. My reported runtime is now 96 minutes with 233 watts draw. I found no fan inside this external battery. The BR1500G contained 2 Kung Long WP1236W batteries. 12V 9ah 36W. Made in Vietnam. This external battery pack contained 4 CSB HR 1234W F2 batteries 12V 9ah 34W. Still rating it 5 stars. Although I'm disappointed about difficulty to replace batteries when the time comes. Also, I'm really curious to know if the BR1500G is able to inform the user when the external battery needs replacement or if it just gives a general replace battery message for all batteries. Looking forward to seeing future reviews.

I've used an APC battery back-up for eight years. During some recent power outages, it was necessary to remain operational for a longer time. This battery back was easy to add and has more than tripled available run-time. Check your APC battery back-up to ensure it is capable of this addition.

This is a really nice way to extend the run time of the APC BR1500G BACK-UPS. installing it was as simple as plugging its cable into the main unit. It appears that the 3kVA of battery backup will provide 5-10 hours of run time for the electronics and circulating pump of our propane boiler, which should keep it running through 90% of our power outages and allow us to always get hot showers first thing in the morning. One thing that is very disappointing is that multiple external battery packs can't be daisy chained together to provide longer run time. The only way to get more than 3kVA of battery backup from APC is to jump up to their Smart-UPS line of UPS's which are way more expensive and provide features I just don't need. In this case the UPS is being used on our high efficiency propane boiler to provide the boiler's electronics and circulating pump with backup power in the event of a power outage. There is no need for any of the communication/management capabilities of the Smart-UPS line. Another place I'd like to be able to daisy chain multiple external batteries to the main Back-UPS unit is for our home network gear (cable modem, router, Vonage device, etc.). None of this equipment would benefit from the advanced features of APC's Smart-UPS line but I would like to keep it all up and running during extended power outages. The only way to grow past 3kVa of backup power for this equipment is to go to multiple Back-UPS units, which probably wouldn't be as efficient electrical usage wise as having everything on the same Back-UPS unit.

Works perfectly with my APC Back-UPS Pro 1500. Plenty of power, plug fits perfectly into the UPS socket. On my particular unit (BR1500G) it will run the UPS without an internal battery installed. The fan (in the main unit) only comes on when charging is needed or during a power outage.

I set this up about a month ago in conjunction with setting up the main unit, and wanted to have a good period of time to at least try it out before I created the review. Overall, I think this is great - the rumors of all of the fan noise of the main unit (also commented on by others) is true, but when this backup battery was setup and charging the fan didn't run. Strange. First off, once you open up the main Amazon packaging and attempt to open up the box that the unit is in I'd highly recommend you being on a carpeted or softer surface - this thing is pretty heavy, and the last thing you want to do is have it fall while sliding out of the box and putting a big divot in a wood floor, etc. In other words, you may need a helper as this is a little heavy. Setup is a snap - you essentially set the backup right next to the unit and plug it in. In the month I have had this setup, the power has gone out due to a storm twice - I ran my computer, two monitors, a scanner, and an external drive off of the backup for 2.5 hours before I felt like it was getting a little risky and started shutting things down. I'm not sure how long I really could have gone - no warnings of low power and the indicator on the display still showed a lot of juice, but who wants to take that ind of chance? This overall setup (with the main unit) is fairly pricey for home use, but I'd rather not take a risk with a cheaper product that won't last as long as I have been burned before.

I've been using the APC BX1300G for my home network equipment for nearly a decade, having to replace the battery only one time. However, my runtime was hovering around 120 minutes, and the APC CP12142LI UPS connected to the fiber ONT in my garage was outpacing it. I decided to upgrade to the BR1500G with the BR24BPG External Battery Pack. I have the following devices connected to the battery backup ports: NETGEAR R8500 router, NETGEAR GS305 5-port switch, Raspberry Pi 4, and a Philips Hue bridge, drawing a total of about 30W. With the new UPS upgrade, my runtime is now 500+ minutes- a full 8-hour workday! I also tested without the External Battery Pack, and the runtime was showing around the same as my BX1300G unit (~120 minutes). The External Battery Pack GREATLY extends runtime. I'm glad I picked these up when I did, because APC's website indicates that this model (BR1500G) was discontinued on April 19, 2023 (although spare parts will available until its EOL). The QA tags on the devices I received were dated Nov. 2022, so both had relatively fresh batteries installed. The true test will come when the power goes out...

UPS fonctionnel pour backup alimentation et protection surtension pour systemes informatiques,TV SAT, chaudiere, ....

Ha praticamente triplicato la durata di mantenimento dell'energia in caso di assenza di corrente del mio BR1500GI, quindi è decisamente efficace. Probabilmente verserò lacrime amare il giorno in cui dovrò sostituire 5 batterie anzichè 2 :)

Passt bestens und ist leicht zu installieren

Took a while to get delivered but now installed, we can work for over two hours before the power runs down. We have an additional backup battery pack to give us longer running time and its worth it.

Bought these for work. They seemed to do a good job backing things up.