We compared Schneider Electric-APC Smart-UPS VT and Eaton UPS based on our user's reviews in several parameters.
In summary, Schneider Electric-APC Smart-UPS VT users praise its reliability, power capacity, scalability, user-friendly interface, and cost-effectiveness. However, issues with maintenance, software compatibility, noise levels, user interface, and battery lifespan are noted. Meanwhile, Eaton UPS users value its reliability, power backup efficiency, integration, interface, and durability. Suggestions for improvement include enhancing efficiency, power consumption, user interface, durability, reliability, customer support, and adding advanced features.
Features: In terms of valuable features, the Schneider Electric-APC Smart-UPS VT is praised for its reliability, power capacity, scalability, smooth transition during power outages, intuitive management interface, and valuable support. On the other hand, the Eaton UPS is highly regarded for its reliable performance, efficient power backup, seamless integration, intuitive interface, superior durability, consistent operation, uninterrupted power supply, data protection, convenience in system integration, user-friendly interface, and robust build quality.
Pricing and ROI: The Schneider Electric-APC Smart-UPS VT product has been praised for its fair pricing and reasonable setup cost, as well as a seamless licensing process. On the other hand, users have also expressed satisfaction with the affordability and straightforward setup cost of the Eaton UPS product, along with a hassle-free licensing process., The Schneider Electric-APC Smart-UPS VT offers reliable performance and substantial cost savings, with high efficiency and easy scalability. Users appreciate its uninterrupted power delivery and efficient customer support. On the other hand, the Eaton UPS provides a significant ROI with increased power efficiency and reliable performance. Users find it worth the investment due to its high-quality build, durability, and improved power management capabilities.
Room for Improvement: The Schneider Electric-APC Smart-UPS VT can improve in areas such as maintenance requirements, software compatibility, noise levels, user interface, and battery lifespan. In contrast, users suggest that the Eaton UPS could benefit from improved efficiency, power consumption, user interface, durability, reliability, customer support, and advanced features.
Deployment and customer support: The user feedback for Schneider Electric-APC Smart-UPS VT indicates varying duration for deployment and setup, with one user taking three months for deployment and an additional week for setup. Eaton UPS users also reported similar timeframes, but context suggests deployment and setup periods may overlap., Schneider Electric-APC Smart-UPS VT has reliable customer service, as users have commended the assistance and guidance provided by their representatives. Eaton UPS also offers great support with prompt assistance and expertise in issue resolution. Both companies prioritize customer satisfaction.
The summary above is based on 3 interviews we conducted recently with Schneider Electric-APC Smart-UPS VT and Eaton UPS users. To access the review's full transcripts, download our report.
"The touch-screen functionality is easy to read. There are tabs at the top and there are statuses at the top, graphics that give you a quick glance. We use the touch-screen for metering, to make sure the input and output meters are good. We also check alarm events and system history. Those are the things we usually check the most."
"In our data center, we have redundancy in all of our racks. When UPS feeds one half of the rack, the other feeds the other half of the rack. We have dual power supplies to everything. We have a lot of redundancies because of that. Luckily, with Eaton dual Battery Cabinets, we can maintain the systems at all times (short of a transformer issue), even while we're doing the maintenance on them. Our IT department loves this, because we don't shut them down at all."
"Scalability has been pretty good. We were able to increase the battery. We only installed one battery cabinet, then we added a second one for additional capacity later on. That was a nice feature that others haven't been able to do."
"The visibility the PredictPulse service provides into our UPS equipment through the reporting is very good. It gives us very high visibility. We can go into the card and look at every parameter, all the settings, all the values. There are several tabs we can look at. We get a very good understanding of what the unit is doing, all remotely. It's very good."
"The footprint is standard, the same thing as every other solution that we could have gotten. But the power density in relation to its footprint compares really well. I have an APC that has the same footprint that's 20kW less. The Eatons have the same footprint but more power."
"VMMS is a good feature. There are multiple charging units inside each UPS. For example, on my 9395 I have three to four charging units and the unit will scale down. Let's say I've got a megawatt of power. If I'm only running 200 Kw I can drop the charging units down and rotate through the charging units to reduce energy. They do all that."
"The two things that I like are the ESS, its related components, and the bypass sync, which means if there's a problem with the UPS I can mechanically wrap around it without going to static bypass. Eaton has one of the few units on the market that will do that."
"The most valuable feature is the control... we couldn't live life without [PredictPulse]. It does add a level of comfort knowing that PredictPulse is telling us about potential errors before they happen. My preference is to keep it in ESS mode. It saves me a good amount of money."
"You can scale it by adding batteries."
"We have not had a lot of issues over the many years we have been using the solution."
"Stability is one of the key points. The durability and lifetime of the product are also notable."
"I like it because we don't have any problems."
"One time, a feedback breaker in a system-bypass module, or something like that, was tripped. We brought them in to see what caused it. They figured it out and we haven't had an issue like that again, since."
"I want to monitor remotely and that is a complaint I have... The remote monitoring software they have does not provide the same information that the touch screen provides and neither provide me the same information that the field techs can draw out of the unit when they directly connect to them."
"I do like the ESS mode which I operate with the 9395s. However, I've got an issue with one of my UPS strings here in Denver: That ESS mode is too sensitive to utility noise. So the utility shows no outages but I've got the UPS switching it in and out of ESS mode."
"The battery life of the older batteries is the only thing that has been our issue up to this point. Luckily, the Cellwatch system that is on there identifies it and notifies us ahead of time when we should get them changed pretty quickly. This may be addressed with the lithium-ion batteries, but it is too early in our ownership of a UPS with a lithium-ion battery to know."
"The industry is going to a smaller footprint, but that does come at a cost, specifically for battery reserve time, size and density of the system, and BTU generation. Those three areas contribute to the heat generation factor. I think that they've done a really good job. But, when you look across our infrastructure, it's the UPS system that takes up the most space of any of our products."
"Deployment of the product is typical. It's usually a six-week lead-time, which is typical of most equipment. It's not good, but it's just what is expected in the industry."
"I would like to see there is a little more clarity on what the issue is on the notifications that we receive. This would make it easier for us. What we have to do now is sometimes go to the UPS to figure out exactly what the issue is, because it's not always clear."
"We do not use Eaton's remote monitoring, we use StruxureWare. We do use all of Eaton's web interface cards and their SNMP polling, but it's actually going to a Schneider product. Eaton makes something similar, it just wasn't as intuitive."
"The duration of the batteries could be much better."
"Schneider's vendor, I believe, needs to be more involved with the customer. We have to constantly look for them because they don't come to me. I have to go there, and I don't want to. I don't want to waste time looking for a vendor. We require immediate attention."
"The solution’s pricing could be improved."
"We have been having some issues with the solutions controller and we are having problems finding spare parts."
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Eaton UPS is ranked 2nd in Data Center Power Solutions while Schneider Electric-APC Smart-UPS VT is ranked 1st in Data Center Power Solutions with 5 reviews. Eaton UPS is rated 9.0, while Schneider Electric-APC Smart-UPS VT is rated 8.2. The top reviewer of Eaton UPS writes "Company value is more than the product. It is their people Eaton's great product and people keep bringing me back". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Schneider Electric-APC Smart-UPS VT writes "Easy to manage, reliable, and worth the price". Eaton UPS is most compared with Liebert NX, Gamatronic Mega Power+, Schneider Electric-APC Symmetra PX, PowerPlug and Tripplite SmartPro, whereas Schneider Electric-APC Smart-UPS VT is most compared with Liebert NX, Emerson Network Power Npower, MGE Galaxy, Schneider Electric-APC Symmetra PX and Tripplite SmartPro. See our Eaton UPS vs. Schneider Electric-APC Smart-UPS VT report.
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