Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #875 in Home Improvement
• Brand: Xantrex
• Model: 852-0400
• Dimensions: 11.00" h x 4.00" w x 19.00" l, 38.00 pounds

Features

• Provides up to 400 watts of AC power
• Provides up to eight hours of backup power for a combination of devices
• Five AC outlets with surge protection
• Automatic transfer switch means attached devices stay powered automatically during a power outage
• Operates both office devices and home appliances when the power goes out

From the Manufacturer
Power outages are a reality that can threaten your productivity and sense of comfort. The XPower PowerSource 400 is the perfect backup power solution for the small-office and home-office market. During a power outage, it will supply up to eight hours of uninterrupted backup power to devices such as a small TV, a radio, a laptop computer, a desktop and LCD monitor, an inkjet printer, a copier/printer/fax/scanner, an Internet modem, a VoIP phone, a cell phone, or a cordless phone. Until now, backup power products on the market have only been able to provide limited backup power during outages and not extended runtime like the XPower PowerSource 400. With the XPower PowerSource 400, you will be able to keep working and stay productive--and meet those important deadlines. The XPower PowerSource 400 switches to backup power automatically when a power outage occurs. This happens seamlessly so that the electronic devices that are connected to it won’t sense the power outage. They’ll operate off the XPower PowerSource 400’s charged battery for hours. When grid power returns, the XPower PowerSource 400 switches the devices back to utility power, recharges its internal battery, and enters a standby mode until the next outage occurs.

About Inverters
Inverters turn DC power into AC power, the type of current that powers everyday appliances. A common use of an inverter is to connect one into a car's cigarette lighter and then plug small home appliances into the inverter.

Inverters have added features over the years, and today many inverters include emergency radios, lights, or their own internal battery to store power.

When you purchase an inverter, you need one that can handle the wattage of the appliances you intend to connect to it. Some inverters are made specifically to power low-wattage appliances, like portable phones or digital music players. Others can handle heavy-duty power tools.

If you're buying an inverter that's powered by its own battery, you'll have to consider how many hours the inverter can provide power before needing a recharge.

Customer Reviews

Peace of Mind
I have only had this product for a few weeks but I have tested it and was quite happy with the result. The switch over from line power to internal power was seamless. The transition back to line power was the same. I had a Desktop PC, small lamp, cordless phone, router, Vonage modem, stereo and speaker switch for my whole house system operating for just shy of two hours before the fifty percent signal sounded. There was no deterioration of performance quality on my phone,sound system, or PC(Including my Magicjack).
I really like the display of wattage use, although it is not extremely precise. It was good enough for me to tweak my device choices.
I bought this to have a safeguard against my family being left without communication should I not be home to get the generator started in case of an outage. It also provides me a 'no panic' time frame even if I am home, to get the generator going.
I would recommend this product. For the price there is nothing out there to compare. It is a little on the heavy side due to the battery capacity, but I am not planning on moving it so that is not much of a problem. Even though it is heavy it is not bulky and fits under my desk without interferring with my movements.
It does not have any USB capability, but that also is not a deterrent for my uses.
A reviewer mentioned a bothersome beeping. The unit does signal when there is a status change, but it is not constant. it's a feature that is more covenient then bothersome in my opinion. I don't have to concern myself with keeping an eye on it's status. Having the power off is enough to think about. There is also a fan noise when the unit is recharging itself, but again, it wasn't anything that was intrusive, although it was constant for the entire recharge which lasted several hours.
This was a small price too pay for a whole bunch of convenience.
I am thinking about getting the 1800 watt unit so as to extend my time before having to generate power, since a generator seems mighty noisy at night. I would then be able to use this unit to power lights and other covenience devices.

Great for street vendor lighting
When cruise ships arrive to Old San Juan and stay until midnight, you can have 3 to 4 lamps with spiral shaped 13watt bulbs that illuminate like 60 watt bulbs and you have power for 4 nights in a row @ 4 hours per night.
However, to extend the life of it, I recharge it nightly. Works great since june and should last quite some time. Much, much better than the ones with jump start feature.

Works Great
Have run a 31" TV, Dishnetwork reciever, DVD player, portable computer, wireless telephone/answering machine and flourescent lamp for combined totals of 5 watts to 130 watts with no noticeable effects when switching between ac input and operating of internal batteries. Works great.