UniFi - USP-RPS: Setup and Features

The UniFi SmartPower Redundant Power System (USP-RPS) is a proprietary redundant power system designed to protect up to six UniFi SmartPower supported devices from sudden power supply module failure. The USP-RPS continually monitors all attached devices. In the event of an internal AC/DC power supply failure, failover is automatic so the network continues to operate with no interruption in service. With a 950W (12V 350W, 54V 600W) DC power budget, the USP-RPS can protect a variety of high-power devices, including UniFi PoE switches. Readers will learn how to make the most of the USP-RPS, exploring some of its features and use cases.

The following table lists the supported RPS models and their power budget. 

Model 52V 12V
UDM-Pro 0W 50W
UDM-SE 220W 0W
UXG-Pro 0W 30W
UNVR 0W 130W
UNVR-Pro 0W 200W
USW-Pro-24 0W 30W
USW-Pro-48 0W 50W
USW-Pro-24-PoE 400W 30W 
USW-Pro-48-PoE 600W 50W

USW-Enterprise-24-PoE

400W 100W

USW-Enterprise-48-PoE

720W 150W
USW-EnterpriseXG-24 0W 100W
USW-Pro-Aggregation 0W 100W

Installation

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Follow the USP-RPS's Quick Start Guide (QSG) to connect it to devices.

After RPS auto-senses and allocates power to devices, the RPS's LED will be ON and the port icon turns green on the UniFi Network application. The device's Liquid Crystal Monitor's (LCM's) port property screen will also show a Connected status.

Summary of power utilization will appear under Devices > Select the USP-RPS to open Properties Panel > Details > Power Utilization.

LCM Port Properties

LCM-Connected.png

 

UniFi Network: USP-RPS Properties Panel (Port icons indicate status)

Controller-Connected.png

Failover Mechanism

The USP-RPS automatically triggers a seamless failover in the event of an internal AC/DC power supply failure or AC circuit failure on the connected devices. Keep in mind that the failover mechanism is first come, first served. When detecting the failover, the USP-RPS sends the event that indicates which port is delivering power and shows the status information on the port property panel of the UniFi Network application and LCM.

LCM-Power-Delivering.png

Power Architectures

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Users can select different power architectures to protect the different levels of power failure.

  • Internal power supply failure
  • AC circuit failure
  • Interruption of utility power
Case 1 2 3
Power Architecture Using the same AC circuit with attached devices.   Using different AC circuits from attached devices and connected RPS with the emergency outlet.  Connected RPS with the UPS.
Protected Failure Internal power supply failure. Case 1 + AC circuit failure. Case 1, 2 + interruption of utility power.

The recommended power architectures are the ones mentioned for case 2 and 3.

Case 1: Protected Against Internal Power Supply Failure

diagram360042834933-case1.png

 

Case 2: Case 1 + AC Circuit Failure

diagram360042834933-case2.png

 

Case 3: Case 1 and 2 + Interruption of Utility Power

diagram360042834933-case3.png

RPS States

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The USP-RPS will show these states on the UniFi Network application and the LCM of the device.

RPS State

UniFi Network Port Icon / Event

USP-RPS's

LCM

Description

Disconnected

Controller-Icon-Disconnected.png  LCM-Disconnected.png

The USP cable is not connected or is not fully inserted.

 Connecting Controller-Icon-Disconnected.png LCM-Searching.png

The USP cable is connected, but the USP-RPS has not successfully negotiated with the attached device. The attached device may not boot up or is currently booting.

Connected
(Standby)

Controller-Icon-Connected.png  LCM-Connected.png

The USP-RPS is backing up the connected device. The USP-RPS has negotiated and the allocation of power is done.

Delivering Power

Controller-Icon-Power-Delivering.png

RPS is delivering power on port {port}.

Connected device is experiencing internal power supply failure/loss of AC power.

LCM-Power-Delivering.png 

The connected switch/device is experiencing internal PSU failure or AC power loss, and the RPS is currently delivering power to it. Please check the device the RPS is delivering power to, to determine if there is an issue other than power outage. For example, make sure the AC power cord is plugged in all the way and hasn't loosened.

Out of Power Budget (Insufficient Power)

Controller-Icon-Warning.png

RPS is out of power budget. Available power is less than required power on the port {port}

LCM-Insufficient-Power.png 

The RPS port will only show this state when another port is delivering power to the device with power failure.


The USP-RPS's remaining power is not enough to back up the device on this port. Please recover the power failure of other devices. After fixing the power failure, the device attached to this port will go back to a Connected state automatically. See Out of Power Budget for more.

Port Power Overload

warning.gif

Port {port} is overloading or short circuiting

LCM-Power-Overload.png 

Check the device that is connected to this port. Make necessary fixes, and once you have confirmed there is no short circuit, please click the "reset" icon on the port properties panel of the UniFi Network application. See the Power Overload section below for more.

PSU Power Overload

warning.gif

Port {port} is denied power because of PSU {12V|54V} overloading

LCM-Power-Overload.png
When it's a single port power overload

Check the interruption of utility power on the attached devices. If there is no power outage in the USP-RPS's power source, the USP-RPS will automatically try to recover the attached devices by the priorities and recorded topology. See the Power Overload section for more.

NOTE: If using firmware version prior to v5.8.0+, please click the "Reset" icon to recover the overloaded port on the port's properties panel in the UniFi Network application.

Disabled

Controller-Icon-Disabled.png LCM-Disabled.png

Disabled ports won't provide power to connected device.

Power Overload

Single Port Power Overload

To prevent short circuiting, the USP-RPS monitors power continuously. If the power limit threshold is exceeded, the USP-RPS will cut off power on the port to protect the device and the port's circuit.

PSU Power Overload

The primary purpose of the USP-RPS is to recover the device experiencing the internal power supply failure. For the resilience of power policy, the total backup power can be greater than the PSU capacity of the USP-RPS. In the event of an interruption of power for all devices, the pulse of power could be over the RPS PSU capacity.

If the USP-RPS with proper power architecture keeps RPS power up ( see cases 2 and 3 in the Power Architecture matrix above), the USP-RPS will automatically recover the devices one by one depending on the priorities and recorded topology. For the first priority device, with a critical priority level, the USP-RPS will optimize the power policy and provide best effort to keep the device (e.g. UDM-Pro) with zero downtime.

Priorities

After firmware v5.8.0+, the USP-RPS supports prioritizing the backed up devices. The priority is automatically determined by the model of the device and the port number. The USP-RPS will utilize power to keep the first priority device running. 

Priority Classification

1.  Model Priority

Priority Level Model
1 (Critical) UDM-Pro, Gateway series
2 (High) UNVR
3 (Normal) USW Pro Series  

2. Port Priority

Port priority is used if the connected devices have the same model priority. The USP-RPS will prioritize by port number, with number one (1) being the highest priority and decreasing priority with each consecutive port number. 

USP Plug Recovery Mode

Recovery mode on the UniFi Smart Power Plug (USP-Plug-US) is used to recover application firmware as a last resort.

1. Power off the USP-Plug by unplugging it, then plug it back into the power outlet while keeping the power button pressed down for 10 seconds during boot-up.
2. Once the plug enters recovery mode, the LED pattern will be two short blinks followed by one long blink.
3. With your computer, find the wireless network called "USP1-RECOVERY" and connect to it.
4. Open a browser and navigate to 192.168.4.1 by typing it into the browser bar, accessing the recovery mode user interface.
5. Upload the latest firmware, downloadable from the Downloads page.
6. Wait for the firmware upgrade to finish and plug to go to its default state.

UniFi Smart Power Plug

FAQ

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The USP cable is set up but the RPS stays in a Disconnected state. What can I do?

Verify that the USP cable is fully inserted in the RPS port. See the QSG section: Hardware Installation. While it is still in beta, find the info to access this QSG here.

What versions of device firmware and UniFi Network support RPS?

Device Device Firmware Version UniFi Network Application Version
USP-RPS 4.0.74+ 5.12.11+
UDM-Pro 1.4.0+  NA
UniFi Protect NVR 1.2.1+ NA 

USW Pro Series

4.0.60+ NA 

What should I do if I get USP-RPS alerts and anomalies on UniFi Network?

Please refer to the instruction in the Solution provided by Network application. For more details, please refer to the RPS States table.
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