People Power
janeterjung@gmail.com
during power blackouts and other emergencies
by sharing information and our nerdy personal experiences.
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Click to Enlarge☎️ PHONE BACKUP - FROM YOUR TELCOM
If you're not into DIY, and you're not afraid of letting your TelCom Service Person onto your property even though last time they darkened your door, they left you with no dial tone and no TV service, then you CAN call them and say your cable landline phone needs battery backup.
They will most probably say that they installed backup when you started their service and if the battery they left you is dead now, you need to buy a new one. And it will probably cost $40 for the unit. No idea if or what they might charge for the service call.
This will only back up your landline phone, since Frontier and Spectrum will not help you with a battery for your router. At least I don't think they will. If anyone goes down this path, TRY ASKING. And if you're successful, I'm all ears!
WiFi Calling for iPhones
WiFi Calling for Android phones
For other smartphones just google "Set up wifi calling on ≺your phone≻"
❤️ BUDDY BACKUP
Click to Enlarge
Sometimes folks need more than technology to get through a blackout. Before the emergency hits, reach out to friends and neighbors and make Blackout Buddies. If you need help, contact The Canyon Sages at: https://www.canyonsages.com. Then celebrate by buying a bunch of helpful little gadgets like the ones that we have - shown in the list below.
Click to EnlargeBlackout Batteries - DIY
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☎️ PHONE & INTERNET
Many of us who don't have a copper landline or live near cell service may not know how to keep our phones working in a blackout. Although in the past I have relentlessly campaigned for whole-house solar or a Yeti in every pot (see other info on this page) I have finally moved on to adding a Simpler Approach: smaller (cheaper) batteries. And since your equipment might be spread all over your house, one in-line battery per device is often most practical.
SMALL BATTERY BACKUP FOR 911 ACCESS & INTERNET
To shop for a portable backup battery to plug in as shown in the house diagram, one way is to go to the SCE Marketplace:
https://marketplace.sce.com/portable-power-stations/
At the SCE Marketplace, they have a lot more info than they used to have. And REBATES. That actually work: my friend successfully got one on a Yeti she had bought earlier in the year (she's a receipt saver).
Once you get there, it can be Clear as Mud, unless you're lucky enough to live with Bill who paid attention in school when they explained Watts & Such. So, here's what I came up with to help you find the right battery (or batteries) for your humble home.
The SCE Marketplace has options starting as low as $100 that will keep your cable box and router up. Edit the filter on the page for “BATTERY CAPACITY” to range from 100 to 3000 W/HR. Then order by price, lowest to highest, and find one that fits your budget.
For the equipment you need to back up (cable boxes and routers), $200 will buy you about 10 hours. Do the math: your cable box or router uses about 20 Watts (or 20 Wh) per hour. 1 W/HR (same as Wh) on the site costs approximately $1.
WHAT ABOUT THE PHONE ITSELF?
If your landline phone requires electricity (mobile base unit, or answering machine), your simplest solution is to buy an old-fashioned telephone (approx. $20) and plug that into the phone-jack in the wall for emergencies. Search for: corded phone "no ac power required".
If you want to use a cell-phone, you need to also back up your router and it requires about the same backup as your cable box, so if you can spend more, you buy a second battery (same size) for your router and have internet, texting, and voice on your cell-phone for about 10 hours also.
Last of all, it can help to have a solar-powered cellphone charger for your cell-phone. They are many available on-line for around $30. Here's one example: Solar Power Bank 26800mAh, Hiluckey Solar Charger https://www.amazon.com/Hiluckey-26800mAh-Portable-Waterproof-External/dp/B07ZFJ9HKG
INSTALLING THE BATTERIES
All of this can be set up ahead of time, as shown in the house diagrams, and then you're backed up the moment that there's a power failure. Once the power is restored, these batteries will also recharge and be ready for next time. Just find your cable box and insert the new battery between it and where it plugs into your house electricity. Same for your router. Same for if you have a VoIP gateway.
NEED HELP?
If this is too DIY for your comfort zone, feel free to contact us for help or guidance: janeterjung@gmail.com
VoIP PHONE - OR OTHER SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
If you have any special equipment - like a VoIP gateway - that too would need a battery. Similar to the one's already mentioned. See house diagram below for VoIP scenario.
