why is my ups going online?

[ghostface]

i just got an APC Back-UPS 500 Office at SAM's club for a $80. been looking for on for a while and it looked like a good deal. installed it and the nice UPS software that monitors the UPS status via the com port. i also have a cable modem so i have zone alarm as my firewall. once i reboot my system, ups.exe, pwrchute.exe, and iconclnt.exe want access to the internet.

my question is why? aren't they just talking via the serial port to the ups? why do they need internet access to monitor my power status? is this APC's way of keeping track of me? is this a secrect gov't conspiracy? (too much deus ex demo!)

serious, i just want to know why my ups needs to go online.

[OuTpaTienT]

It's probably just checking to see if there is any updates for the software.

[rtyp3]

Have you registered? They may be attempting to register you. Maybe not. Just a thought

[ghostface]

hmmm, i can understand checking for updates, but every 2 seconds or so? registration could be but there was no electronic forms to fill out. just installed the software and go. it just kinda weirds me out. unless it's surfing to sysopt and checking out the forums. http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

[BBA]

WEll...it is a smart UPS...

[socalgal]

Hi ghostface

My UPS (MinuteMan) came with software also, but I really don't believe it's needed to provide protection - at least on mine I never installed the software provided and it works fine (and it had a "real" test http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/wink.gif ).

If it still bothers you, why not try uninstalling and running without it? It should still do the job of protecting your system properly. http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

[ghostface]

heh, i know it works cuz i had a "test" too, well i just yanked the plug. the software is only for automatic shut down with isn't really useful but since i paid for it i'd like it to run. plus, since i've been sucked into rc5 i tend to leave my pc on 24/7 and i think i'd rather have my machine shut down and start up by itself in the middle of the night or while i'm away. you know, maximize the block crunchin' time. i was more curious than anything else. i'll probably just set zone alarm to block the signals and see if that changes anything.

[pickel]

I have Blackout Buster and had to download the software for the auto shut off. Sure it's not trying to tell you to update this. You can go into msconfig and stop these programs from running at startup and just access them when you leave your computer unattended, if you want it to shutoff after a prolonged power failure.

[ghostface]

well, i just locked it out with zone alarm. i think it was looking for other ups's on my network to "serve." i locked it out and it still works with my local ups.