My CyberPower CL1000EVR Automatic Voltage Regulator (AVR)

A few months back, when I upgraded my CyberPower UT800EG UPS with APC BV1000I-MSX 1kVA/600W Easy UPS for power protection to my desktop PC and network equipment, I've relocated the old CyberPower UT800EG UPS to my living room to provide power protection for my TV, IPTV box and cordless phone.

Later, I decided to retire the old UPS and to protect my TV, IPTV box and cordless phone with a more proper Automatic Voltage Regulator (AVR).

Advantages of replacing the old CyberPower UT800EG UPS with a CyberPower CL1000EVR AVR:

• At the cost of below RM100, the CyberPower CL1000EVR AVR is cheaper than the UPS.
• Generally, AVR has a very long lifespan of easily more than 10 years, while UPS has a much shorter lifespan.
• The battery in the UPS can only last around 2 years. After that, it would need to be replaced for the UPS to continue function as designed. Faulty battery could also be a potential cause of fire hazard.

As printed on its packaging box, this CyberPower CL1000EVR AVR is able to perform:

• Output voltage regulation with surge protection and AVR function (prevent overvoltage as well as undervoltage)
• Overload protection with circuit breaker

It is pretty small in size, about the same as a household UPS. This is how it looks like:

At its back, it has a power switch and 4 universal power outlet sockets.

The seller has attached a flyer of CyberPower range of products in UPS, AVR and surge protector, which I find is pretty useful in providing comparison information among them.

Surge protector power extension could be an even cheaper option, but bear in mind that:

• Surge protector can only protect overvoltage spikes but not undervoltage.
• Surge protector cannot regulate the voltage waves.
• Surge protector normally makes use of varistor to capture the spikes. The varistor itself has a limited lifespan, and it sacrifices itself to capture the spikes. For each spike it captures, its lifespan will reduce tremendously.

If you want to have the maximum power protection for your expensive electrical equipment, you can make use of a combination of surge protector, AVR and UPS by connecting the AVR to surge protector, and connecting UPS to AVR, then connecting your devices to the UPS.