Have you ever noticed the lights flicker when you turn on your washing machine?

This is called a 'brownout' and happens when the voltage drops below an acceptable level.

Brownouts can cause untold damage to computer data.

So a power protection device like the Belkin Regulator Pro 325VA power back-up system is just the job to stop power-related data loss.

It is actually a powerful battery fitted with cunning circuitry which, when connected to the mains, can detect a brownout and cover the voltage shortfall to sensitive equipment like computers.

The Belkin unit offers 17 minutes of protection from voltage-related problems including surges, spikes, swell, line noise brownouts and blackouts.

This is more than enough time to shut a system down safely.

I was very impressed with the unit's design and found it very easy to set up.

The USB installation is made easy with a Wizard which sorts out any problems from the start.

The computer and peripheral devices are plugged into the top of the unit.

This is not particularly attractive but as long as it can go under a desk, there is no reason to look at it too often.

The Regulator Pro works very well indeed and easily lives up to the manufacturer's claims.

I was obtaining slightly longer than 21 minutes protection from the unit although this may well drop a little as the batteries get older.

Price: £65
Contact: 01604 678 300
Feelgood factor: 8 out of 10