Battery back up for router.

JohnSwift10

A backup power supply for my router would be of no use in the event of a power cut as when there is a power cut my Virgin phone and internet also get cut off.

onomatopoeia99

JohnSwift10 said:

A backup power supply for my router would be of no use in the event of a power cut as when there is a power cut my Virgin phone and internet also get cut off.

"BT" lines usually continue to work during power cuts. 

CoastingHatbox

JohnSwift10 said:

A backup power supply for my router would be of no use in the event of a power cut as when there is a power cut my Virgin phone and internet also get cut off.

If your Virgin Media landline is plugged into your Virgin Media hub, then that's no surprise.
Without a UPS on the router/hub, how would you know whether the Internet gets cut off?

CoastingHatbox

matelodave said:

The problem is that unless the router stays up for a second or so after the outage to give time for the backup supply to restore , the router re-boots and all the stuff that's connected to it has to re-aquire the DNS connection so you need a fast transfer to backup or no-break supply

We get quite a few short term power dropouts where we live and the BT router takes a minute or two to reboot which is actually slower than some of the stuff that I've got connected so they cant find their IP address and start sulking.

It's probably not a big problem for telephony although you'd lose the connection and have to redial but other stuff can take 10-15 minutes or more before restoration

10-15 minutes ???

That smells of something broken. Once the router is booted (DHCP running, WiFi network available) it should be less than a literal minute for most devices, unless there's a problem somewhere.

CoastingHatbox

Anyone who is looking for a UPS might want to take a look at UPS Trader: https://secure.ups-trader.co.uk/
I've bought two, a larger one for my server rack and a smaller one for my comms cupboard. Very happy with both purchases.

In the past I've used the CyberPower UPSes and they've been quite good; good value alternative to the APC Smart UPS
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004SO5FWM

If using a UPS for computer equipment, you need to check it outputs something approximating something a pure sine wave as opposed to a simulated "square" sine wave. The latter can damage switching power supplies, especially with 230V RMS AC input supplies.

Cheap UPS tend to be stand-by UPS. These typically output simulated sine wave instead of true sine wave. They usually suppress surged, but they don't compensate for low voltage situations.

Next up you have the Line-Interactive UPS. These always have the battery connected to the AC power converter so they can compensate for lower voltage situations. They are also faster in terms of transfer time when power files. Usually produce a real sine wave. The CyberPower linked above is a good example of an affordable Line-Interactive UPS.

Finally you have various types of online UPS. These always reduce and increase voltage so the battery is always an active part of the cuircuit. They have there advantages, but they are too expensive and inefficient for a domestic setting.

CoastingHatbox

Norman_Castle said:

The back up would be just for the router. The situation is for a rellative in a village with multiple problems. Currently with talktalk for landline but has to have internet included as well but internet through the phoneline is almost unuseable, because of this she also has gigaclear for internet which is very good, she has thick stone walls making mobile phone signal indoors very poor, sometimes unusable. She also pays an extra £10 to talktalk for any time calls. She wants to keep a land line as there are occasional power cuts and is concerned she may need help during a power cut but cannot contact anyone. She's also considering a wearable call alert. Currently unavoidably paying over £80 per month for all the above. I've suggested wifi calling to help with the mobile but without power that won't work during power cuts. Gigaclear are the only fibre option, they can include a landline through their fibre but this doesn't work without power plus I looked on their website last night and their introductory price, £30 will almost double after 18 months which is next month for my aunt. Satelitte internet is an option which may be taken up if the gigaclear price rise is unavoidable, however the satelitte internet has a signal booster to supply the village which is powered from one of the properties and will not work during a power cut.

Its a difficult situation possibly quite common.  

I had considered a back up for my cctv using emergency lightiing. I've got a few emergency lighting bulkheads containing batteries and charging transformers. These power the light at a lower illumination during power outages. For anyone looking for a diy solution it might be possible to adapt these.

Sounds like the Satellite Internet signal booster needs a UPS ... !

To sum this up, the requirements are:

* Maintain a means of communication that works when the power is out
* Maintain a quality Internet connection to the property
* Reduce cost

I think BT may offer discounted telephone line rental to pensioners. If your relative receives pension credit, there maybe further discount schemes applicable. This maybe an option to reduce costs; a low line rental telephone only service for emergency/occasional use.

Contacting the mobile phone provider and ask them to provide a femtocell for the mobile phone. If your relative is comfortable using a mobile phone, then look for a reasonable tariff that provides plenty of minutes. Obviously that does not help during power cuts, but with a good tariff may be useful in cutting costs.

If the location is truly rural, I think you might be limited to either Gigaclear for Internet that actually works. Traditional Satellite Internet still relies on the telephone line ([av]DSL) for upload, unless there are some special arrangements made for this village. It also suffers some interesting latency characteristics.

In terms of other more conventional services, It depends on distance from exchange and whether, aside from Gigaclear, there are any other providers with fibre in the village. You can find out about nearby Telephone exchanges here: https://availability.samknows.com/broadband/exchange_search

Finally, what is mobile data reception like outside of the house? What speeds are achievable? A workable option might be a 4G or 5G modem inside the house with a high gain antenna situated outside of the house. There are a number of solutions on the market for this type of thing, but you do have to know where to look for them.

Finally, I have and pay for a lifeline alarm for one of my relatives to lives alone. It is a very reassuring thing to have and, in nearly five years they have never increased the price.