The APC BN450M six-outlet battery backup and surge protector is down to $44.88 at Walmart. You can also find this same battery backup on sale for $44.99 at Best Buy. Most other retailers like Office Depot have it for around $60 although you can get it for $55 at B&H. Either way, the deal at Walmart and Best Buy is the lowest price around.
An uninterruptible power supply guarantees protection from power surges or lightning strikes. You never can tell what will cause you to lose power or when it will happen, and if you live in an area where you're more susceptible to that you should definitely be protecting your work and your equipment. APC is so sure it'll keep your equipment safe there's a lifetime equipment protection policy worth up to $75,000 where APC will replace properly connected equipment that is damaged by a power surge.
The UPS also acts as a backup battery in case the power completely goes out. How long the battery lasts depends on how much stuff you've got plugged in, but it is powerful enough that even if your most powerful electronics are plugged in, like a desktop computer, you should get at least enough time to save everything you're working on and shut down safely. If you aren't drawing too much power, the battery could last much longer.
This device has six outlets on surge protection with four connected to the battery backup. The device can determine when power has been cut off and it sounds a very audible alarm to let you know its services have been activated. You can silence the alarm easily, but you'll also want to take action as soon as possible.
You can place the backup out of sight, too, with keyhole sockeets for mounting it behind desks, in basements or garages, and more. It is covered by a three-year warranty.
