UPS for AV Systems
AV system power protection covers two distinct markets with different equipment, environments, and buyer requirements. Select your application below to find the right UPS solution.
UPS and power distribution for commercial AV integrators deploying in conference rooms, boardrooms, auditoriums, control rooms, broadcast studios, stadiums, and digital signage networks. Covers the full range from compact AV racks to stadium-scale three-phase systems.
- Conference rooms and boardrooms
- Control rooms and command centers
- Broadcast studios and media production
- Stadiums, arenas, and event venues
- Education, government, and healthcare AV
- Digital signage and video walls
UPS and power protection for CEDIA integrators deploying in smart homes, home theaters, and residential AV installations. Covers structured wiring enclosures, home automation processors, whole-home network infrastructure, and estate-scale systems.
- Home theaters and media rooms
- Structured wiring enclosures
- Automation processors — Control4, Crestron, Savant, Lutron
- Residential networking and Wi-Fi
- Whole-home and estate-level backup
- Security and surveillance systems
If the system hums, the problem is usually a ground loop
Backup power and hum are separate problems, and a UPS on its own does not fix the second one. Audible hum in audio and horizontal bars rolling through video almost always trace to a ground loop: two pieces of equipment fed from different circuits sit at slightly different ground potentials, and the difference drives current through the signal cable shields that connect them. That current arrives as noise.
- 60 Hz hum in audioConstant low-frequency hum through speakers that does not change with source or volume position.
- Bars rolling through videoFaint horizontal bands drifting up or down the image, most visible on flat fields.
- Noise that appears on connectionThe system is quiet until a cable is run between two racks, a projector, or a remote zone.
- Worse with more circuitsSymptoms grow as the install spreads across more panels, floors, or outbuildings.
Why a UPS or a conditioner does not solve it
Surge suppressors, filters and double-conversion UPS all work on the waveform. A ground loop is not a waveform problem, it is a connection problem: two grounds joined through your signal cabling. Nothing that cleans the voltage will break that path. This is common mode noise, measured between ground and either neutral or line, and it is the one condition on the list of ten common power problems that online double-conversion alone does not address.
Do not lift the ground pin
A ground-lift adapter will usually silence the hum, and it does it by defeating the safety ground on that piece of equipment. That is a code violation and a shock hazard, and it leaves the underlying condition in place. It is a diagnostic, not a fix. If lifting a ground stops the noise, you have confirmed a ground loop and you now know an isolation transformer will solve it properly.
What actually fixes it
A galvanic isolation transformer. Primary and secondary share no copper, so power crosses as magnetic flux and the load gets its own derived neutral-to-ground reference. There is no longer a potential difference for current to flow through, so the loop is broken at the source rather than at the symptom. It also blocks DC on the incoming supply, which can saturate transformers inside amplifiers and produce mechanical hum from the chassis itself.
Two rules decide whether it works. Put the transformer downstream of the UPS, not upstream. And put it close to the equipment it protects, in the same rack or enclosure, because everything past the transformer secondary is unprotected cable again. Full detail on sizing and wiring is on the UPS with isolation transformer page.
Which isolation product fits
The 1.5 and 2 kW rack models are the most common choice in AV, sized to a single rack of electronics. Below that, the JX-200 handles a control processor or a signage player. Above it, the 6 and 10 kVA models also convert 208 V rack feeds down to 120 V.
| Model | Capacity | Best for | Key features |
|---|---|---|---|
| J60 / J60CView → | 350–600VA | Control processors, routers, WAPs, small enclosures | Ultra-compact · DIN rail · fanless · 15-yr LiFePO₄ |
| J90View → | 1–3kVA | AV racks, PoE switches, conferencing gear | 1U · outlet control · 50°C · LiFePO₄ |
| P91LiView → | 1–3kVA | Boardrooms, production racks, media rooms | 2U rack/tower · extended runtime · LiFePO₄ |
| Li90View → | 10–30kW | Stadiums, arenas, large venue AV | Three-phase · LiFePO₄ · hot-swap · frequency conversion |
| M90SView → | 6–48kVA | Whole-home estate · multi-rack AV systems | Modular · scalable · N+1 redundancy |
| JX-200View → | 200W | Control processors, signage players, single components | Isolation transformer · 1.25″ slim · toroidal · pairs with J60-350 |
| XPD-IT15LV / 20LVView → | 1.5–2kW | AV racks — the most common isolation choice in AV | Isolation PDU · 2U · 120V in/out · (16) outlets · pairs with P91 |
| XPD-IT60AView → | 6kVA | Large racks needing 208V to 120V conversion plus isolation | Isolation PDU · 2U · L6-30P cord · (12) 5-15/20R |
| SPDU Smart PDUView → | — | Remote reboot of AV and network devices | Outlet-level switching · metering · managed service support |
AV systems UPS — frequently asked questions
Why does my AV system hum, and will a UPS fix it?
Can I just use a ground-lift adapter?
What size isolation transformer does an AV rack need?
What is the difference between Pro AV and home automation UPS solutions?
Which UPS do I need for an AV system?
Do you support both commercial AV integrators and residential CEDIA installers?
Not sure which solution fits your project?
Load calculations, runtime planning, and product selection for Pro AV and residential deployments.