Earlier this month, I reviewed the impressive Gizzu 296Wh Portable Power Station. The unit is a great option for continued small business work for a couple of hours during loadshedding. However, while the price is reasonable compared to many inverters available on the market, it may still not be an option for many who are on a budget. Thankfully, Gizzu has another solution on offer. The Gizzu 100W Mini DC 46Wh UPS is that solution.
The UPS has been an available product offering for decades. However, many of these have been clunky and pricey while also not being overly flexible in terms of its features and device support. Modern UPS devices have drastically changed in this regard. How well does Gizzu 100W Mini DC 46Wh UPS bridge the gap in offering an alternative during loadshedding, to keep your small business and household online for a few hours?
RELATED: Gizzu 296Wh Portable Power Station Review – A Good Solution
Build and Design
The Gizzu UPS is a very simplistic device in terms of its design. That said, it’s a long way from the first UPS I owned more than 10 years ago. It was a bulky unit, which was both enormous and heavy thanks to its metallic casing. Thankfully, things have changed drastically over this time, the Gizzu 100W Mini DC 46Wh UPS a much smaller unit overall.
As stated, it’s not an overly complicated design. It has a black plastic casing. On the top, a glossy strip runs across it, which features the Gizzu logo. Just in front of this are the LED indicator lights, which display each of the ports currently connected and have power.
The device measures 263x156x40mm. It’s not the smallest around, but given its use cases, it’s more than sufficient. At its most basic, I use the UPS as the central hub for my 5G router. As such, it’s located on the edge of the living room, giving me access to the entire residence. It tucks away neatly into the back of the cabinet as it doesn’t take up too much storage space. It also doesn’t way all that much at 900g. This, too, makes it easy to store on even the thinnest panels.
There are quite a few ports around the unit, both on the front and rear. I’ll list these under the Specifications section, along with each of their power output.
In the contents, you’ll find the Gizzu 100W Mini DC 46Wh UPS, along with several cables. This includes a 1m AC power cable, x2 1m 2.5mm DC power cable, 30cm DC splitter cable, 5.5×2.1mm DC adapter, 4×1.7mm DC adapter and 3.5×1.35mm DC adapter. These are all quite useful, as I’ll discuss in a later section.
Overall, there’s not much in the way of a design ethos to make note of. It’s built for a purpose and gets the job done. It’s small enough to tuck away neatly if need be.
Gizzu 100W Mini DC 46Wh UPS Specifications
With all the ports and adapters available, there are quite a set of specifications on the device in this regard.
Firstly, there’s the battery and its capacity. This is the most important aspect. It has a 46Wh high-capacity lithium-ion battery. There are eight batteries within its build, which translates to roughly 14,400mAh – 1,800mAh each.
It has a 100W power output, which is utilised in various configurations for the different DC ports. All of these are found on the rear. This includes a 3A port, as well as five 12V (5A) ports. The 3A port has a switch where users can toggle between 9V and 12V. Additionally, on the rear, there are two Ethernet ports (0.65A), also with a switch. This time, users can toggle between 24V and 48V. Switching to the front of the unit, there’s a pair of USB ports (2A) and another 5V DC output.
For many non-technical users, these specifications may not mean anything when you want to plug in your router or appliance without too many complications. There are simple rules you can apply when checking the power requirements:
- Voltage: it’s important to match the voltage of the DC output and your device
- A higher voltage will damage your unit, while a lower voltage may cause it not to work
- Amps: It’s better to have higher Amps than lower than the recommendation
- A device will draw less power with lower Amps while will only use its allocated Amps when it is higher than the recommendation.
In short, keep the voltage the exact as the required amount on your device, while the Amps can be equal or higher to operate at optimum levels. The device itself has been tested and passed for compatibility with a wide range of routers to make things easier for users, but as long as you stick to the above-mentioned, you needn’t worry.
Gizzu 100W Mini DC 46Wh UPS Performance
The Gizzu 100W Mini DC 46Wh UPS supports a wide range of devices, not just your router. Almost every type of device with a DC power input can be utilised (within the provided specifications). Further to this, the added USB ports also make charging your smartphone – or other USB-powered units.
When recharging your devices, there are a few averages to work through. The mAh available is an indicator of how many recharges can be done utilising the UPS. With 14,400mAh available, the assumed recharges would be four times for a 3,600mAh device. However, you’ll get about three and a half charges in the real world. This is because some of the potential power is lost during transfer and the heat produced. Still, that’s not bad. However, if you already have a router plugged in, given its power draw, you’re looking at just over two full recharges.
Speaking of which, if you’re going to run a standard 12V router (which I tested on), you can run on the UPS for a solid 14 hours before running out of battery charge. For heavier appliances like your CCTV cameras, you can expect an uptime of around four to five hours.
In addition to plugging in your router and charging your smartphones, the UPS can also run your CCTV cameras and even your VoIP phone. As mentioned previously, it has an Ethernet port as well. While most routers use the DC output, there is also POE. The added Ethernet configuration works well in this regard. If you do have a network via LAN, you can plug this into the Ethernet port and then utilise the POE output to both power your device and have access to the network.
Given the device’s 100W output, it’s important not to exceed this draw when connecting all your devices. There are a few failsafe measures included within the hardware build, but there is the potential to damage the UPS if not considered.
Speaking of the protections built into the unit includes over-charge, over-discharge, and short circuit protection. These protections are common in modern power devices but still shouldn’t be taken for granted.
Is it Worth Buying the Gizzu 100W Mini DC 46Wh UPS?
There are plenty of options available to consumers on the market when it comes to their power requirements. It may not always be necessary to fork out on an inverter and the like when a more conventional UPS will do. The Gizzu 100W Mini DC 46Wh UPS is a great option if you’re looking to stay connected throughout the day without power.
In terms of its cost, it carries a very affordable R1,299 price tag at a few different outlets, including Builders Warehouse. This makes it an ideal unit to keep you online at a very affordable price point. As such, it’s a highly recommended option if you don’t require many other devices plugged in to keep you working for an extended period.
The Review
Gizzu 100W Mini DC 46Wh UPS
If you’re in need to keep only the basics running when loadshedding hits, then you won’t need to invest in an inverter or pricey batteries. Instead, a simple UPS may work best for you. The Gizzu 100W Mini DC 46Wh UPS is an affordable alternative with a number of connectivity options for various devices. Once you get over the learning curve of its power draw, you’ll be able to keep your routers, CCTVs and other small appliances powered for hours at a time.
PROS
- Multiple power outputs, including DC, USB and Ethernet
- Included adapters and cables for several device options
- Long-lasting battery for small appliances
- Compact and lightweight build
CONS
- Not the greatest design to put on display
- May need some knowledge transfer for novice users
Price
Well written review on the Gizzu 100W Mini DC 46Wh UPS. However, my experience with this model has been very disappointing. I connect the unit to ZYXEL-1561 wifi router and fibre box. This coped with 2 1/2 hour outages for a month, then started to switch down within 2 hours. Tried to run just the fibre box alone, which worked well for a while then the Gizzu`s performance deteriorated to a point that the batteries discharge. I would suggest the Gizzu 100W Mini DC 46Wh UPS is great for occasional outages, but not designed to take an Eskom pounding.
I now use an old 650VA /360W UPS that easily handles Stage 6 outages without difficulty.
Very informative review, thanks. One thing I thought I’d mention as it’s not included here, is the battery chemistry as it has Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries which are a major advantage compared to the standard lithium-ion batteries in some of its competitors. They should ensure a much longer lifespan before significantly degrading. To give an example, the (much more expensive) Ecoflow River 2 series which has launched overseas has gone to LiFePO4 batteries and now promises 3000 cycles before dropping to 80% capacity, the original Ecoflow River series still available here only promised 500 cycles to 80% as they have regular lithium-ion. Interestingly Gizzu’s 60w model has a higher capacity than the 100w model at 65Wh but does not have LiFePO4 batteries, but I see they have now launched a new 60w model which does have them and increases the capacity to 69Wh. All in all, I think in a couple of years just about all these products will have made the switch, but worth bearing in mind right now.