I am about to be switched over to 'fiber' broadband against my will. I don't get a mobile signal at home, so bottom line is, that during a power outage, when my router goes down, I will be without any means of communication in an emergency.

I am after a UPS which will last about 6 hours, simply powering a broadband router/& cordless phone which I believe both together rated at about 15w, so not power hungry.

I have never used/bought one before and am just after some advice on what to get. It must be 'plug&play', just plug the router/phone straight in and looped into the UPS. Have tried a 'google' but am overwhelmed at the choice of equipment you can get.

If you have legitimate concerns over emergency contacting they cannot force you to switch over.

I've read they're being forced to develop a back up system

4 minutes ago, DaveT70 said:

If you have legitimate concerns over emergency contacting they cannot force you to switch over.

I've read they're being forced to develop a back up system

I have already raised concerns, I am registered as a 'vulnerable' customer. Sky state I am not being 'forced' as they will allow me to go to another supplier without any additional termination fees. But if my local copper exchange is closing in September, it's a moot point.

I'm tired discussing this issue with Sky and am resigned the only person that cares about it is me. I'm resigned to making 'emergency' arrangements myself, it's my life at potential risk so that is why I want to buy my own USP. Big companies now only operate for their share holders, not their customers...

The router (my router at least) runs off DC connected to a power pack, could you find the right connector and just leave a power bank constantly on charge in case it goes down?

10 minutes ago, DaveT70 said:

The router (my router at least) runs off DC connected to a power pack, could you find the right connector and just leave a power bank constantly on charge in case it goes down?

You lost me at 'power bank' LOL I'd need to know a specific application to take router & a cordless phone. That's why I was directed to a UPS as some seem to take  simple straightforward 13a plugs...

Something like this, but I just don't know what I'm doing 😂

Ah, I've lost myself because I don't have a phone, I only have a router. A normal USB phone power pack/bank would run that for a couple of hours, I think

That particular USP is rated at 500w, so if I needed to run a small 20w load, am wanting to know if that means it'll last, 500/20 = 25 hours. OR am I totally getting it all wrong which I likely am! I've no idea how to calculate potential duration of the battery pack...

44 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

That particular USP is rated at 500w, so if I needed to run a small 20w load, am wanting to know if that means it'll last, 500/20 = 25 hours. OR am I totally getting it all wrong which I likely am! I've no idea how to calculate potential duration of the battery pack...

6 hrs is going to be really hard to achieve. 1-2 hours is more realistic.

The ratings of most UPS is the peak power they can deliver, not their runtime, although many will have graphs or examples in the spec that gives you an idea of runtime at different loads.

 

1 minute ago, alexp999 said:

6 hrs is going to be really hard to achieve. 1-2 hours is more realistic.

The ratings of most UPS is the peak power they can deliver, not their runtime, although many will have graphs or examples in the spec that gives you an idea of runtime at different loads.

 

You see, that's why I was seeking advice. There must be a way of saying, "I have a 20w load, how big a UPS do I need for a 6 hour run"? To me, 20w is awfully low, it's not like I want to boil a 3Kw kettle LOL

6 hours ago, StephenFord said:

I am about to be switched over to 'fiber' broadband against my will. I don't get a mobile signal at home, so bottom line is, that during a power outage, when my router goes down, I will be without any means of communication in an emergency.

I am after a UPS which will last about 6 hours, simply powering a broadband router/& cordless phone which I believe both together rated at about 15w, so not power hungry.

I have never used/bought one before and am just after some advice on what to get. It must be 'plug&play', just plug the router/phone straight in and looped into the UPS. Have tried a 'google' but am overwhelmed at the choice of equipment you can get.

that is an awesome idea! i would have never thought of this, cheers mate 🙂 

we get a few power cuts here and there and it sometimes last awhile and we cant do anything on pc or mobile till its back on.

 

8 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

You see, that's why I was seeking advice. There must be a way of saying, "I have a 20w load, how big a UPS do I need for a 6 hour run"? To me, 20w is awfully low, it's not like I want to boil a 3Kw kettle LOL

The problem you will have in finding one, is that UPS are not sold based on runtime but on their maximum loads. You would need to go in to the spec of each one to see what the estimated run times are at different loads, or look for the runtime graph.

As an example, you could have two "900W" UPSs, one will last an hour at 20W, the other could last 30 mins. Both are rated to provide up to 900W, but the marketing and labelling doesn't tell you how big the battery is.

There is also the issue that bigger the UPS the more power is lost to itself, before it even starts powering your device. A UPS is normally just 12V lead acid batteries and the "bigger" it is the more batteries are inside. So you also can't extrapolate directly, if it shows a run time for 50W, you can't think, oh I'll just double the run time, because the UPS own drain on the battery is the same, so it's not linear.

I'll see what info I can find. Some of the UPS manufacturer's websites have runtime comparisons for their models at your given load.

Have you thought of using an inverter which you connect to one or two car batteries. I'm afraid I can't give you the exact numbers that you are after, but it mght be a simpler and possibly cheaper solution.

Just now, Janner7859 said:

Have you thought of using an inverter which you connect to one or two car batteries.

I don't think her indoors would agree to 2 car batteries sitting in the hall 🤣

Not sure this is really the price range (or size) you were thinking of:

3 minutes ago, alexp999 said:

Not sure this is really the price range (or size) you were thinking of:

Oh dear, I fear I have wasted your time! My budget is around £100, and something that would fit neatly underneath a hall table 😀

9 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

Oh dear, I fear I have wasted your time! My budget is around £100, and something that would fit neatly underneath a hall table 😀

You can certainly go with one around that price and size, just don't expect more than an hour or two from it.

more tech to get your head into maybe a solar charging station ????????

I think you could hire a messenger person over several power cuts for less than that...

You could also think about a powerbank instead.  It would need to be physically plugged in when the power went out, but they do hold charge over long periods of time.  That's what I've used to power the Maypole away from any mains sockets.

from what i have read, APC is the brand you want for a ups.

also anything in the "1500" model of APC or higher will be more than adequate for your needs as that will give you approximaltely 9 hours.

unfortunately it will be more than 100 pound though.

5 minutes ago, froggy8 said:

from what i have read, APC is the brand you want for a ups.

also anything in the "1500" model of APC or higher will be more than adequate for your needs as that will give you approximaltely 9 hours.

unfortunately it will be more than 100 pound though.

APC is a good brand, I've got an APC UPS. But as explained above, 1500 on its own, or just 1500VA or 1500W means nothing and will last no way near 9 hours.

Just checked, I've got an APC BX750MI.

It lasts about an hour running a DSL modem, router, switch, WiFi AP, RPI, Apple TV, IP Cam, Smart Meter Display and 3 Smart home hubs.

3 minutes ago, alexp999 said:

APC is a good brand, I've got an APC UPS. But as explained above, 1500 on its own, or just 1500VA or 1500W means nothing and will last no way near 9 hours.

I've looked at APC but they all seem to accept 'kettle' style plugs, not your standard 3 pin plug?

1 minute ago, alexp999 said:

Just checked, I've got an APC BX750MI.

It lasts about an hour running a DSL modem, router, switch, WiFi AP, RPI, Apple TV, and IP Cam.

So, if I narrow it down to just a router, it probably will last much longer than an hour? I don't need full domestic functionality, just the ability to call an ambulance if needs be lol

Just now, StephenFord said:

So, if I narrow it down to just a router, it probably will last much longer than an hour? I don't need full domestic functionality, just the ability to call an ambulance if needs be lol

Probably 2 hrs, maybe a little longer, it can get hard to estimate because power is getting lost with the inverter and the UPS own circuits. Sometimes until you try it, you can't say for sure.

I use these cables and 4 ways with mine:

https://www.kenable.co.uk/en/486-ups

6 minutes ago, alexp999 said:

 

I use these cables and 4 ways with mine:

https://www.kenable.co.uk/en/486-ups

 At last, something cheap!! 😀