Belkin UPS Bulldog - 3.0.6

Not working on OS X 10.5 - danger

I haven't had all the problems that other reviewers have reported. To install 3.0.6 from 3.0.4 I ran the uninstall script, then the installer. If you don't want notification messages, then turn them off: System menu, Event Actions, uncheck "Enable Notification Messages".

I use Bulldog because I like all the detailed stats. Apple's Energy Saver system panel will do the basics if you need another option (be sure to select "settings for" UPS).

I have used APC brand UPS units for years. They have great software that runs exactly the way it should, popping up only when you have a real power outage situation and then doing its job to shut down your system.

I had to buy the Belkin brand UPS unit because it was the only one with the specific shape that would fit in a given space. What a disappointment! The unit seems well thought out, but the Mac software is just awful. You can't move the software into any folder (like Utilities) or it will stop working. When it installed, it pops up every minute or so with a "UPS disconnect" warning dialog (happens even more often on the iMac Intel DuoCore than on the G5, but happens often on both systems). The menu offers items that don't appear in other, more logical places. The preferences dialog is confusing. And the Mac software appears to be an orphan. I came here hoping for a more recent version, but Belkin seems to have shut down development back in 2005. Shame. Buy an APC brand UPS if you want a great experience. The Belkin software is an exercise in frustration.

BULLDOG DOESN'T LET YOU SLEEP
The software doesn't recognize when the computer goes to sleep. Should a power outage occur while your system is asleep, Bulldog does not wake your computer and handle things as it would during normal mode: quit applications and shut down safely. Instead, you'll continue to run in sleep mode until the battery runs out. Second, under normal working conditions when you manually wake from sleep, Bulldog automatically launches to tell you that it no longer is monitoring your system. It no longer tells you load levels, nor other stats that it does in it's normal mode. Its normal mode only works when your computer is first turned on. Any variation from this, and the software is, by design, largely useless to you. If your computer is asleep when a power outage occurs, the UPS will continue to provide power from it's battery, but the Bulldog software will no longer do what you would and should expect from such a "protective" product (with no less a protective name). Wouldn't your "bulldog" wake you when something goes awry?

I called Belkin and spoke with a "product manager" for Bulldog. He said his team hadn't figured out how to interface with OS X's sleep function, and so he recommended (if I want continued protection from Bulldog) that I never "sleep" my computer, instead opting to either leave it on or shut it down every time I left it alone. Is that a solution?

POOR IMPLEMENTATION OF PREFERENCES
The application doesn't use a typical preference pane, instead it separates four preference windows which you access from menu bar drop downs. This effectively hides this tool's settings all over the place, making it difficult for us to, for example, stop it from prompting us with alerts every minute (as it is set to do in one of these window's settings) when we approach the load level. This is the kind of software that illustrates how important it is to follow Apple's GUI guidelines.

ALERTS COULD BE MORE USEFUL AND LESS AN ANNOYANCE
To alert you that your system is approaching the battery's total load level. a loud sharp tone comes from Belkin's UPS speaker. This will continue to fire off whenever your load level dips below, then dips up again past that load level. How do you turn it's volume down? (I live in a small apartment - I don't need to hear it from the neighbors, or as it was intended, from the other side of the house...) Well, you cant change the loudness. No setting for that. It's also difficult to figure out how to get it to stop firing off (and waking your girlfriend in the next room: "Hey, what's going on in there?"). For those still searching: you have to find the preference that sets the load levels for the alert, and change that up to 150%, then quit.

MULTIPLE LAUNCHES OF THE SAME APPLICATION
Oddly, though, it may have sprung open multiple versions of the same application, one window behind the other, and changing the settings in one while another duplicate application is launched effectively prevents your changes from being completely recognized.

A FAIR WARNING FOR THOSE CONSIDERING A UPS
I bought a 750VA UPS from Belkin. This is not enough if you're a mac pro. I have to keep my 30" monitor's brightness turned down in order not to set off the fire engine tone from the UPS. My system is a G5 Quad (the last of them built, with 2.5GHz per core), with 8 Gigs of RAM. If you're doing video editing, importing CDs into iTunes or using Aperture or Photoshop, then you probably need a much higher VA UPS. If you're doing mostly email, browsing the web, and own a monitor smaller than 30" (or are using a laptop) then the 750VA may be fine for your needs.

I bought the Belkin because it had the Mac software. It was even more expensive. What a sham this software is. Doesn't work. Registers the battery data initially but then has a "disconnect" which pops up EVERY MINUTE in front of whatever you are doing. Avoid this junk like the plague.