I have a recent vintage APC 1500 Smart UPS. I can't figure out how to turn it off from the front panel. I have had three APC Smart UPS's prior to this one and they all had power off buttons on the front panel. This unit has a "UPS on/off key". Pressing the "UPS on/off key" turns the unit on. Pressing the "UPS on/off key" again does not turn it off. I googled the problem and somewhere I read that holding down the switch turned the unit off. Holding down the switch causes it to execute a self test and then turn itself back on. Not what I wanted. And yes, I have read the manual. Several times.
Eventually I was able to turn off the UPS. The first step is to get down on the floor. I am 68 years old and that is not so easy. Next, depress the "UPS on/off key". The default action is not to turn off the UPS. Press the down arrow key to select turn off the UPS. But wait, it's not that simple: in what manner to turn off the UPS then must be selected. Finally, if one is fortunate, the UPS turns off. Then one has to try to stand up. If I wanted a challenging computer game, there are better platforms.
I have a newer one (not APC) that is not easy to turn off either. But for me that is a good thing because my last one I had kicked several times and shut the whole computer down. Now its impossible for me to accidentally kick the power button or the dog bump into it or something.
The older APC Smart UPS I'm using has a small recessed off button. Almost impossible to turn off the unit by mistake, but easy to press the button when necessary, even in the dark. The new one I felt like kicking several times, however I don't think that would have helped to shut it down.
