APC Easy UPS Lithium-ion External Battery Pack for 1/2/3kVA SRVL Extended runtime model, 48V 2400Wh, 2U Rackmount

Product Overview

AI-generated summary

For £1,600 ex-VAT, this APC lithium external pack is the kind of “boring, sensible” upgrade that pays off when runtime matters more than you want to think about it. It’s a good fit if you already run an APC Smart-UPS / SRVL-style rack UPS and you’re trying to stretch bridge time into “keep critical gear alive through real outages” territory—think comms, VoIP, core networking, small server racks, and anything where an unexpected brownout turns into ticket-raising. The lithium tech generally means less fiddling than older battery chemistries and better longevity in real deployments, plus the 2U form factor keeps it straightforward in rack planning.

That said, it’s not a great buy if you’re hoping it’s a one-size runtime solution “for any UPS” or if you only need a little extra time. External runtime packs like this can get expensive quickly, and the value depends heavily on your current load and how long you actually need. If your server room is already protected well (generator/advanced power monitoring, sensible UPS sizing) or your outage tolerance is high, you might be better putting the money into right-sizing the UPS or improving coverage rather than buying runtime. Bottom line: buy it when you’ve already made the UPS choice and you’ve proved you need extended runtime; don’t buy it just because lithium “sounds better” without running the numbers.