Power backup for power cuts?

[The Three D Mucketeer]

Anyone got any update on UPS kit for small comms devices for Digital phone on FTTPI ....so for ONT and SMARTHUB

I looked at BT/EEs offering CYBERPOWER , but out of stock and you need two units (one for the ONT and one for the Hub). I have other hubs in my "comms room" which would benefit for UPS/SURGE .... SMARTTHINGS/HIVE/CONNEXION/FIREANGEL/EERO so I'm thinking of somethings with 8 sockets... all only a few amps.

Choice seems to be CYBERPOWER or APC
This looks favourite at the moment

APC by Schneider Electric BACK-UPS ES - BE850G2-UK - Uninterruptible Power Supply 850VA (8 Outlets, Surge Protected, 2 USB Charging Ports), Black, Pack of 1

Edited by The Three D Mucketeer on Monday 8th April 23:22

[Sheepshanks]

The Three D Mucketeer said:

Anyone got any update on UPS kit for small comms devices for Digital phone on FDDI ....so for ONT and SMARTHUB

I looked at BT/EEs offering CYBERPOWER , but out of stock and you need two units (one for the ONT and one for the Hub). I have other hubs in my "comms room" which would benefit for UPS/SURGE .... SMARTTHINGS/HIVE/CONNEXION/FIREANGEL/EERO so I'm thinking of somethings with 8 sockets... all only a few amps.

Choice seems to be CYBERPOWER or APC
This looks favourite at the moment

APC by Schneider Electric BACK-UPS ES - BE850G2-UK - Uninterruptible Power Supply 850VA (8 Outlets, Surge Protected, 2 USB Charging Ports), Black, Pack of 1

I've had an got an older version of that and use it for same as you (had it for years and first got it as lost a NAS when the power got messed up). I changed the battery once, then replaced the unit a couple of yrs ago when it packed up (but I'd had the old one for probably 10yrs).

They do state a minimum output power (the one you're looking at is 40W) but APC say is should work below that and mine seems to -had the power off a few times lately while smart meter installers have been messing around. It may be that they just don't test at lower figures.

[mikef]

The Three D Mucketeer said:

APC by Schneider Electric BACK-UPS ES - BE850G2-UK - Uninterruptible Power Supply 850VA (8 Outlets, Surge Protected, 2 USB Charging Ports), Black, Pack of 1

I have a couple of those in different buildings, they do a good job of keeping the internet on during power cuts

[The Three D Mucketeer]

Sheepshanks said:

I've had an got an older version of that and use it for same as you (had it for years and first got it as lost a NAS when the power got messed up). I changed the battery once, then replaced the unit a couple of yrs ago when it packed up (but I'd had the old one for probably 10yrs).

They do state a minimum output power (the one you're looking at is 40W) but APC say is should work below that and mine seems to -had the power off a few times lately while smart meter installers have been messing around. It may be that they just don't test at lower figures.

Thanks ... What did you replace it with ?
What annoys me is that my devices have plugs with built in transformers , which extend over the opposite plug , so although you've got 8 sockets, you find only 4 will fit .

Edited by The Three D Mucketeer on Monday 8th April 19:11

[Sheepshanks]

The Three D Mucketeer said:

Thanks ... What did you replace it with ?

This: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000GL19BW/ref... - as it looks the same as the first one I had, which was a bit more powerful, but had been discontinued.

So it's basically same as yours but just physically a bit different. The flatter ones were cheaper - I paid around £100 for each of them.

[Condi]

Complete overkill, but if you have solar or are looking at home battery storage systems some of those will kick in in the event of a power failure, automatically disconnect from the grid and allow you to carry on as normal for hours and potentially days if the solar can recharge the battery over the day. Or for a lower price you could get a generator and automatic change over switch, but would need a small UPS for the few seconds it takes the engine to start.

[Timothy Bucktu]

You can get little UPS modules now for a few quid...
Hook it up to a lithium battery and they work GREAT!
I've got one hooked up to my router with a single 2.7Ah Lithium 18650 - it runs the router for nearly an hour. The more cells you add the longer the run time.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/374889982566?mkcid=16&a...

[Lucas Ayde]

You can use a large 'power bank' that has an AC inverter, as a backup to roll out whenever there is a power cut. Means you lose power but can quickly have stuff back working.

Many of them will also operate in UPS-like mode charging their battery up from the mains and discharging into your gear simultaneously. This can wear the battery down though. The smarter ones have proper UPS mode so that they'll pass through mains and then flip to battery power when needed.

With a bit of investment you can have a whole-home battery storage system that can charge from solar and/or cheap energy overnight and then power the house during peak (expensive power) hours. They will essentially give you uninterrupted power.

[ATG]

Lucas Ayde said:

You can use a large 'power bank' that has an AC inverter, as a backup to roll out whenever there is a power cut. Means you lose power but can quickly have stuff back working.

Many of them will also operate in UPS-like mode charging their battery up from the mains and discharging into your gear simultaneously. This can wear the battery down though. The smarter ones have proper UPS mode so that they'll pass through mains and then flip to battery power when needed.

With a bit of investment you can have a whole-home battery storage system that can charge from solar and/or cheap energy overnight and then power the house during peak (expensive power) hours. They will essentially give you uninterrupted power.

The big power bank units are super cool and can give you a significant amount of luggable "off grid" mains power if you want to use power tools at the bottom of the garden or in a campervan or whatever. At the very other end of the spectrum, if you've got a USB power pack that can charge and pass through power at the same time, you can use that as a mini UPS. Whether or not that will lunch the battery comes down to the unit's specific design. I can even do this with my ear bud case which has a totally unnecessarily juicy battery. I used it to keep a raspberry pi thin client going while unplugged from the mains to isolate it from a passing thunderstorm. 99.99% pointless of course, but entertaining for a geek.

[clockworks]

We've had a couple of power cuts since I bought the Jackery powerbank/inverter.
Does a good job of keeping the router and WiFi running, charging stuff up, etc.

I didn't like the idea of leaving a UPS plugged in 24/7. I've seen a few fail over the years - either the alarm going off, or just not kicking in when the power goes.

[Mars]

Condi said:

Complete overkill, but if you have solar or are looking at home battery storage systems some of those will kick in in the event of a power failure, automatically disconnect from the grid and allow you to carry on as normal for hours and potentially days if the solar can recharge the battery over the day. Or for a lower price you could get a generator and automatic change over switch, but would need a small UPS for the few seconds it takes the engine to start.

I wish I'd remembered this when I spec'd my solar array and batteries because mine *doesn't* do this. Such a PITA as I've got nearly 10KWh of batteries too.

[Mont Blanc]

I sometimes get power cuts, and I looked into the whole UPS thing, and in the end the easiest thing to do was to just buy a big USB power bank.

All my work is done on a company laptop which is docked to a charger/USB hub/screens, and therefore fully charged all the time if the power was to go off. I have a work mobile phone, which can be used to tether my laptop as required if my router has no power.

I don't have any local hard drives apart from the one in my laptop. It is all cloud based.

Ended up getting this, as it is 50,000 mAh and 65w fast charging (so it will actually register as a USB C charger with the HP laptop)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/POWERΛDD-PRO-Powerba...

Really happy with it. It means that if the power goes off, I can use my laptop and phones all day, probably for 2 days if needed, and carry on with my work. I won't have my external 240v screens available, but it's a small price to pay during a power cut.

[mikef]

mikef said:

The Three D Mucketeer said:

APC by Schneider Electric BACK-UPS ES - BE850G2-UK - Uninterruptible Power Supply 850VA (8 Outlets, Surge Protected, 2 USB Charging Ports), Black, Pack of 1

I have a couple of those in different buildings, they do a good job of keeping the internet on during power cuts

As it happens we had a planned power cut today for connection of a new substation in our area

One APC 850 stayed up for 2 hours and 46 minutes, powering
- BT DSL modem
- Asus Wifi6 router
- TP-link PoE switch driving PoE security cameras and a Ubiquity PoE external access point
- Synology 2-bay NAS running Surveillance Station
- Wireless phone

The second (older) stayed up for 1 hour and 35 minutes driving
- Ubiquiti Wifi6 access point
- TP-link PoE switch driving PoE security camera
- SensorPush wireless sensor hub

[The Three D Mucketeer]

mikef said:

As it happens we had a planned power cut today for connection of a new substation in our area

One APC 850 stayed up for 2 hours and 46 minutes, powering
- BT DSL modem
- Asus Wifi6 router
- TP-link PoE switch driving PoE security cameras and a Ubiquity PoE external access point
- Synology 2-bay NAS running Surveillance Station
- Wireless phone

The second (older) stayed up for 1 hour and 35 minutes driving
- Ubiquiti Wifi6 access point
- TP-link PoE switch driving PoE security camera
- SensorPush wireless sensor hub

Thanks Mike , that's very encouraging... I'll get one
I assume they're plugged in permantly ? Do they get warm ?
I might have to use an adapter with the stupid BT transformers, one extends beyond the earth pin and would make the opposite socket un-useable without

Edited by The Three D Mucketeer on Tuesday 9th April 17:15

[mikef]

Plugged in permanently and I haven’t noticed them getting warm, no

[donkmeister]

The Three D Mucketeer said:

mikef said:

As it happens we had a planned power cut today for connection of a new substation in our area

One APC 850 stayed up for 2 hours and 46 minutes, powering
- BT DSL modem
- Asus Wifi6 router
- TP-link PoE switch driving PoE security cameras and a Ubiquity PoE external access point
- Synology 2-bay NAS running Surveillance Station
- Wireless phone

The second (older) stayed up for 1 hour and 35 minutes driving
- Ubiquiti Wifi6 access point
- TP-link PoE switch driving PoE security camera
- SensorPush wireless sensor hub

Thanks Mike , that's very encouraging... I'll get one
I assume they're plugged in permantly ? Do they get warm ?
I might have to use an adapter with the stupid BT transformers, one extends beyond the earth pin and would make the opposite socket un-useable without

Edited by The Three D Mucketeer on Tuesday 9th April 17:15

I have APC Back-UPS of various sizes. Something I found that might be useful is that for low draw loads I had to change a setting via holding down hardware buttons. In my case the load was a 24xRJ45 + 4xSFP switch, a Fritzbox, a Hue hub and a POE injector. Before that setting was changed it would shut down after a short period running on battery.

Amusingly, I discovered this after APC support had already done everything they could for advice and trouble shooting, had deemed it broken, and sent me a replacement along with asking me to dispose of the old one. The instructions to do it were in the box of the new one.

[mikef]

Interesting. Do you recall which buttons?

[S6PNJ]

Timothy Bucktu said:

You can get little UPS modules now for a few quid...
Hook it up to a lithium battery and they work GREAT!
I've got one hooked up to my router with a single 2.7Ah Lithium 18650 - it runs the router for nearly an hour. The more cells you add the longer the run time.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/374889982566?mkcid=16&a...

I didn't (previously) know that these existed, so thanks to your post, I did a quick search on Aliexpress and found one with a double battery holder attached. They come in 3 flavours, so I bought 2 x 12v ones. In my haste, I naively assumed these would be great for my VOIP ATA and my DECT base station. It was only after they arrived that I started thinking about how to connect them up, then realised my VOIP ATA is USB powered (so 5V) and it now turns out my DECT base station is 6.5V, so neither can use the 12V supplies I bought! Doh! as Homer Simpson might say! These ones are also only 5V input which is something else to watch out for!

I can get a 5v one for the VOIP ATA, but I can’t seem to find one where I can adjust the voltage to a chosen output, so unless I mess around with additional circuity, it seems I'm destined to continue using a 'conventional' 240V UPS and the power bricks / wall warts that the units are already powered by.

I bought these:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006482540931.h...

Edited by S6PNJ on Monday 15th April 18:50

[donkmeister]

You may find the 6.5V device is tolerant of the 5V or 9V, just it might get a little warmer if run at a higher or lower voltage.

[OldGermanHeaps]

Unprotected bare 18650s on a no name chinese pcb?
How is your fire insurance?