Vertiv PSI5-2200RT120LITAAN Lithium-Ion 2U Rack/Tower Line-Interactive UPS
Overview
The Vertiv Liebert PSI5-2200RT120LITAAN is a 1920VA/1920W line-interactive UPS in a 2U rack/tower form factor, purpose-built for edge compute rooms, server closets, and distributed IT infrastructure where lithium-ion chemistry delivers a meaningful TCO advantage over traditional VRLA. At 120V and TAA-compliant out of the box, it fits U.S. federal and government-contractor deployments without additional paperwork. The included RDU120 network management card provides SNMP and web-based remote monitoring from day one — no extra card purchase required.
Key Features
- Lithium-Ion Battery Chemistry: Li-Ion cells last significantly longer than VRLA lead-acid — typical calendar life of 8–10 years versus 3–5 years — which means fewer battery replacement events over the system's life and lower total ownership cost in hard-to-access edge or branch sites. You're not budgeting a mid-life battery swap every 3 years.
- 1920VA / 1920W Capacity (Unity Power Factor): A 1.0 power factor means the watt rating equals the VA rating — no derating math. 1920W covers a loaded 1U or 2U server plus a PoE switch and a managed firewall without straining the output stage. Compare this to VRLA units that often derate to 0.6–0.7 PF.
- 8.6 Minutes at Full Load / 19.0 Minutes at Half Load: These runtimes are verified at-spec numbers. At full 1920W draw you get just over 8 minutes — enough for a controlled shutdown sequence on most hypervisors. Drop to a typical 960W mixed server load and you clear 19 minutes, which comfortably covers the average utility restoration window in most metro grids. Plan your shutdown scripts accordingly.
- Line-Interactive Topology: The automatic voltage regulator (AVR) corrects sags and surges without switching to battery, which extends battery life and reduces unnecessary discharge cycles. For sites on aging utility feeds or shared circuits, line-interactive topology is the practical middle ground between offline (cheap, slower transfer) and double-conversion (cleanest output, higher idle losses).
- 2U Rack/Tower Form Factor: Ships in a 2U rack-mount chassis with tower orientation support. The compact footprint matters in half-height IDF closets and edge micro-racks where every rack unit competes. Li-Ion also sheds significant weight versus VRLA equivalents — easier to rack solo without a lift.
- RDU120 Network Management Card Included: SNMP and web-card management ships standard with the PSI5-2200RT120LITAAN — not as a paid upgrade. This means you can integrate UPS status, battery health, and runtime data directly into your NMS (SolarWinds, PRTG, Nagios, etc.) on day one. Remote shutdown scripting via NMC is supported without additional licensing.
- TAA Compliance: Trade Agreements Act compliance is built in, making this unit eligible for GSA Schedule purchases and federal agency deployments without a compliance waiver. Relevant for government integrators, defense contractors, and state/local agencies with procurement mandates.
- 5-Year Advanced Replacement Warranty: Vertiv ships a replacement unit before you return the defective one — critical for sites where downtime tolerance is near zero. A 5-year term on a Li-Ion UPS aligns warranty coverage to a meaningful portion of the expected battery life, unlike 1–2 year VRLA warranties that expire well before the first battery replacement.
Integration and Compatibility
The RDU120 card supports SNMP v1/v2c/v3 and HTTP/HTTPS web management, compatible with standard NMS platforms that support UPS MIBs. The PSI5-2200RT120LITAAN operates on 120V input, suitable for standard NEMA 5-15 and 5-20 circuits common in North American rack environments. Line-interactive topology produces a simulated sine wave on battery — verify inverter-output compatibility with any power-sensitive load (servo drives, some medical equipment) before deployment. For pure sine wave requirements in the same form factor, evaluate Vertiv's double-conversion line instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is the PSI5-2200RT120LITAAN TAA compliant for federal procurement?
A: Yes. The PSI5-2200RT120LITAAN carries TAA compliance, making it eligible for GSA Schedule purchases and deployments under federal acquisition regulations without a waiver.
Q: What is the actual watt output of the PSI5-2200RT120LITAAN — is there a power factor derating?
A: The unit is rated at 1920VA and 1920W, reflecting a unity (1.0) power factor. There is no derating — the full 1920W is available to connected loads.
Q: How long will the PSI5-2200RT120LITAAN run at full and half load?
A: At full 1920W load, runtime is 8.6 minutes. At half load (approximately 960W), runtime extends to 19.0 minutes. Actual runtime will vary based on battery age, temperature, and load profile.
Q: Does the PSI5-2200RT120LITAAN include a network management card?
A: Yes. The RDU120 network management card is included in the box, providing SNMP and web-based remote monitoring and control without an additional purchase.
Q: What is the warranty on the PSI5-2200RT120LITAAN?
A: Vertiv provides a 5-year advanced replacement warranty. Vertiv ships a replacement unit before you return the defective one, minimizing downtime.
Q: Does the PSI5-2200RT120LITAAN use lithium-ion or lead-acid batteries?
A: Lithium-ion. This extends expected battery life to roughly 8–10 years compared to 3–5 years for traditional VRLA lead-acid batteries, reducing replacement costs over the unit's lifecycle.
The PSI5-2200RT120LITAAN is the unit I recommend when a customer needs TAA-compliant, rack-mount UPS protection and wants to stop budgeting mid-life VRLA replacements. The 1920W unity power factor is the first thing to understand — you're getting every watt on the nameplate without derating, which matters when you're sizing for a dense 1U server plus switching gear in a 2U footprint.
Technical Highlights:
- Li-Ion Battery Life: Expect 8–10 years of calendar life from the lithium-ion cells versus 3–5 years for VRLA — at a distributed edge site with 20+ units, that's the difference between a battery replacement program and not having one.
- Runtime at Load: 8.6 minutes at full 1920W and 19.0 minutes at half load — the half-load number is the one to design around. Most production workloads run 40–60% utilization, which puts you comfortably above the 10-minute threshold most shutdown scripts require.
- RDU120 Included: SNMP/web management ships standard. That's not trivial — competitors in this class often charge $150–$250 for a comparable NMC. You can pull UPS telemetry into PRTG or SolarWinds the same day you rack it.
Deployment Considerations:
- Line-interactive topology outputs a simulated (stepped approximation) sine wave on battery, not a pure sine wave. Verify your connected load tolerates this — most servers with modern PSUs handle it fine, but some servo controllers and medical-grade equipment require pure sine. If that's your situation, step up to Vertiv's double-conversion line.
- The 5-year advanced replacement warranty is the safety net here, but confirm your site can accept a next-business-day shipment — remote or restricted-access installations may need a spare unit on-hand regardless.
This unit is the right pick for federal and government-contractor IT closets running 120V rack gear where TAA compliance is a hard requirement and the runtime window of 8–19 minutes covers your automated shutdown sequence. Size one PSI5-2200RT120LITAAN per rack segment rather than a single large UPS — you get fault isolation and a simpler battery lifecycle to manage.
