APC by Schneider Electric
APC is Schneider Electric's (France) UPS brand: Back-UPS for a single PC, Smart-UPS for racks, Easy UPS for buildings and mid-size server rooms, and Galaxy for data centers. It also makes NetShelter racks and NetBotz sensors that alert you when the room overheats or water leaks.
- Headquarters
- France
- Positioning
- EntryMid-marketEnterprise
- Official website
- www.apc.com
Who it suits
Office racks in the 1-6 kVA range that need a UPS with a network card to shut servers down cleanly in a long outage.
Overview
Who APC is
APC is the UPS and server-room brand of Schneider Electric, the French company that bought APC in 2007. On datasheets and quotes you will see both "APC by Schneider Electric" and the EcoStruxure family name for the software.
The UPS range, small to large
- Back-UPS is for a single PC, a router or a CCTV recorder. Standby or line-interactive, low cost, internal battery.
- Smart-UPS is for racks and servers: line-interactive models (such as SMT and SMC) and on-line double-conversion models (SRT) for places with unstable power. Smart-UPS Ultra is the lithium-ion line, thin and light, with a battery design life of 8 to 10 years.
- Easy UPS is the value line: Easy UPS On-Line (SRV) single-phase and Easy UPS 3S/3M three-phase for buildings and mid-size server rooms.
- Galaxy (VS, VL, VX) covers three-phase data center UPS. The older Symmetra range is being retired: single-phase Symmetra has ended and many Symmetra PX frames were discontinued in 2025, with Galaxy VS or VX as the replacements.
Beyond the UPS
The Network Management Card 3 (NMC3) puts a UPS on the network and works with PowerChute Network Shutdown to shut servers and VMs down in order. The older NMC2 has been out of sale since 2022. NetShelter racks house servers and network gear, NetBotz sensors watch temperature, humidity, water leaks and doors, and EcoStruxure IT shows the status of everything from the cloud or an on-site server.
Who it suits
APC covers every size: a shop that needs a Back-UPS for its POS, an office rack in the 1 to 6 kVA range, all the way to a data center. Where we think it fits best is Smart-UPS SRT or Smart-UPS Ultra with an NMC3 for an office server rack.
Strengths
- Every size from one brand, from a small Back-UPS to three-phase Galaxy, plus racks, PDUs and sensors visible in one software platform.
- PowerChute Network Shutdown integrates with vCenter, Hyper-V and Nutanix to shut VMs and hosts down in order before the battery runs out.
- Replacement battery cartridges (RBC) and common parts are widely stocked in Thailand, so swapping batteries on popular Smart-UPS models is usually quick.
- Smart-UPS SRT and Ultra are on-line: the output to your servers is regenerated all the time, so sags and flicker never reach the equipment.
Things to know before choosing
- Symmetra and NMC2 are out of sale. If you still run them, check the end-of-service dates and plan replacement, especially for NMC2 cards that no longer get security firmware.
- Back-UPS and line-interactive Smart-UPS are cheaper but switch to battery on every sag. Where sags are frequent, batteries wear out faster than normal.
- Grey-import units may have no valid regional warranty. Check the serial number and warranty terms with the seller before paying.
- Lithium-ion models ship as dangerous goods, so getting them from Thailand to Laos can take more time and paperwork than lead-acid models.
Using it in Laos
Power in Laos, especially outside Vientiane, means sags between 17:00 and 19:00, flicker in the rainy season and lightning coming in on the supply. For server racks we recommend on-line UPS units (Smart-UPS SRT or Ultra) rather than line-interactive, plus surge protection at the main distribution board.
What we commonly see on sites:
- Heat: lead-acid batteries are rated at 25°C. A room where the air-conditioning goes off at night, or has none, can halve battery life. Set up NetBotz or the NMC3 sensor to alert you.
- No network card: many UPS units are installed and never connected to the network, so in a long outage the servers crash and databases get corrupted.
- Sizing: work out real watts and the runtime you need before ordering. Use our UPS runtime calculator and UPS sizing guide.
Popular models are in stock with Thai distributors and reach Vientiane quickly, but Galaxy and three-phase Easy UPS usually have to be ordered, with several weeks of lead time.
Compared with alternatives
Eaton has a comparable model for almost every APC line (5PX against Smart-UPS, 9SX against SRT), and its IPM software integrates well with virtualization. Choose based on which brand your team knows and which distributor has stock and service close to you. Vertiv fits when you need a self-contained cabinet with its own cooling and UPS for a branch with no real server room.
Product lines
- Back-UPS
- Smart-UPS
- Easy UPS
- Galaxy
- NetShelter
- NetBotz
- EcoStruxure IT
Solutions that use this brand
UPS & Power ProtectionUPS, earthing and surge protection for servers, switches and CCTV. Built for outages, evening brownouts and rainy-season…
Server Room Build-outServer rooms built for the Lao climate: racks, N+1 cooling, online UPS, earthing, gas suppression, access control and alerting…
IoT Environmental MonitoringIoT sensors for temperature, humidity, water leaks, power and air quality, alerting instantly by SMS, LINE, Telegram or email.
Structured CablingCat6/Cat6A and fiber, labeled at both ends, every link tested, drawings handed over. Cabling done right once lasts 15+ years.
Network Monitoring (NMS)Every device, link and internet circuit on one screen, with alerts that reach IT before the first user calls.FAQ
How often should UPS batteries be replaced?
Lead-acid batteries in an air-conditioned room usually last 3 to 5 years; in a hot room it can be 2. Lithium-ion models such as Smart-UPS Ultra are designed for 8 to 10 years. Run a runtime test once a year rather than finding out during an outage.
Do we really need the Network Management Card?
If the UPS feeds more than one server or any VMs, yes. A USB cable can only shut down one machine. The NMC3 also sends email or SNMP alerts on power failure or battery wear before it becomes a problem.
We still run a Symmetra. What should we do?
If it still works well there is no need to replace it today, but battery modules and parts will get harder to find and manufacturer service has an end date. Ask the distributor for your model's end-of-service date and put a Galaxy VS or Easy UPS replacement in the budget for the next one to two years.
Is one big UPS for the whole server room better than one per rack?
For one or two racks, a UPS per rack (or two per rack for dual power supplies) is simple and quick to swap. From about four racks up, or when the supply is three-phase, a central UPS such as Easy UPS 3S or Galaxy VS with a maintenance bypass is usually better value and easier to manage.
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