In many cases, a UPS (at your home) does not provide you with a "home" phone line in the event of a power outage in your area because the providers, (Bell, Rogers, etc). do not necessarily have battery backup on the node near your home. These nodes require power. These backup batteries are very expensive and not replaced as they age and they are sometimes stolen and again not replaced.

It is only on a case by case basis that you can determine if the the node serving your area works in the event of a power failure. I know that mine does not because when there is a power failure in our area, our TV, Internet and home phone are down instantly, even though I had a UPS on "everything applicable". If the node feeding the hundreds of homes in an area doesn't have a working battery backup, then you won't be able to use your "home" phone. An older battery in the node may also limit the amount of time that a node will remain "up." Usually this is limited to a few hours at best, sometimes minutes.

This used to be an issue when people didn't have cell phones, however, now that most people do, it's basically a non-issue for the vast majority of people since they can use their cell phones for calls or Internet for emergencies.

As my older UPSs failed throughout my home, I have not replaced them, only keeping one on my desktop computer.

Rogers (and soon Bell) have an option for "internet backup" using a device which automagically connects to the Cell Network when the regular "line" internet to your home is down. There is a cost associated with this option and it only lasts for up to 4 hours. See link below:

https://www.rogers.com/internet/internet-connectivity-backup

 

Rogers (and soon Bell) have an option for "internet backup" using a device which automagically connects to the Cell Network when the regular "line" internet to your home is down. There is a cost associated with this option and it only lasts for up to 4 hours. See link below:

https://www.rogers.com/internet/internet-connectivity-backup

Rogers Voice home phone service not supported.

 

I have a UPS for my cable modem, router, switch and access point and another for my computer.

 

Forgot to mention, my computer, ThinkPad and router are all configured so that they can be tethered to my cell phone with a USB cable.

 

I've had UPS's in the past but have not had good luck with them, they just don't last long and eventually don't charge properly so I gave up on them. I have a cell phone that never goes down and can use that during a power outage which is fine by me. My Fibre provider has backup generators that kick in if the power is off, so technically if I chose to use a UPS I could still have home connectivity by just backing up the power for the ONT the Router, the switch, my PC and monitor. I can tell you as far as Rogers is concerned its a crap shoot if it works during a power outage, their backups often require generators to be installed and their UPS banks of batteries often don't get replaced, and the batteries deteriorate and swell in the cabinets and just don't do the job.

 

I've had UPS's in the past but have not had good luck with them....

Not sure which brand/model you have been using or how long they lasted. I've been using APC for almost 30 years - see list below for lifetime experience.

APC BE425M, purchased 2018, still working fine.
APC BE650G1, purchased 2021, still working fine

APC BF250, purchased 1997, replaced batteries once or twice, failed 2013 (16 years)
APC BF350, for some reason this one's not in my spreadsheet, but lasted at least over 10 years and one replacement battery.
APC BF500, purchased 2004, failed 2018 (14 years, original battery)
APC BX1000, purchased 2005, failed 2016 (11 years, original battery)
APC ES750, purchased 2011, failed 2021 (10 years, original battery)
APC BE750, purchased 2016, failed 2022 (6 years, original battery)

Additional UPS discussions in the link below:

https://www.digitalhome.ca/threads/power-bar-ups-surge-etc-info-and-discussion.56058/page-13?post_id=3157374#post-3157374

 

I am ONLY referring to how to power the ATA during a hydro outage. When I lose hydro, my Bell Internet will continue to work because I have the Home Hub 3000 which has an optional backup battery that I purchased online, it's no longer being sold by bell so I had to buy it elsewhere.

Lets stick to answering the question, I am only talking about powering the ATA during a hydro outage not my modem I have no issue with the modem losing power during a hydro outage, otherwise I would have mentioned it in my post but I did not. so lets focus on the ATA please

 

I dont really even need to power my ATA during a hydro outage, this is just something I would like to try because it looks simple and inexpensive to accomplish. my modem already gets power during a hydro outage and unlike other providers, it actually works and provides usable wired and wireless internet, if I was using Bell as my home phone provider, and also paying their crazy high prices they charge for it, it would also continue to work during a power outage, I know this because a family member has the same modem as me and same backup battery and tested it. But I am not using them because I am not rich and can not afford to pay over $60 dollars a month for basic local phone service you dont even get long distance calling or call display for that price, its extra.

 

...I know this because a family member has the same modem as me and same backup battery and tested it.

Is your family member on the same node as you? If not, I guess you missed the whole point of my post. Anecdotal feedback is useless, since whether the node in your area works in a power failure is area specific and the feedback from others outside your area is irrelevant. You could ask your neighbours I suppose.

Providers usually have generators at their head ends, which is a different issue.

 

That is great but not helpful for the question I asked. I am only concerned has anyone successfully powered a USB Powered device off a 5 volt USB Power Bank? will this be suffficient to keep it powered during a power interruption ie hydro outage?

 

will this be suffficient to keep it powered during a power interruption ie hydro outage?

That depends on how much power that power bank can provide, how much power your ATA requires and how long you expect the outages to be.

Also, IIRC, those power banks are either charging or providing power, not both at the same time, which makes it difficult to use as a UPS.

 

Fiber infrastructure operates quite different and more reliable during hydro outage, does not suffer from the same issues rogers has.

 

Actually the infrastructure to/at the node is similar. Both require power at the node (the technology that feeds "the last mile") to function. Rogers has some fibre to the home, along with mostly coax to the home, however, the fibre infrastructure to the node is very similar. I strongly suggest that you understand that.

 

57, I really am not interested in discussing about if the family member is on the same node as me during a power outage or not, I really do not care which node I am serviced by, because I am powered by Fiber Optic and I am very happy with the quality of service it has delivered. Without getting too off topic, Lets hop back onto the discussion how would you suggest backup power ONLY in relation to power a 5 volt ATA during a hydro interruption to the ATA and nothing else.

 

Sure, but now I am no longer interested in asking the community questions anymore. Too often someone will give an answer that is not about the question being asked. Kindly delete my post. I will ask it somewhere else instead.

 

I don't really have a need for powering my home phone during a Hydro outage since we rarely lose hydro, but I do like to experiment when I get these crazy ideas.

Since you now have some information regarding nodes, power banks, UPS, feel free to experiment yourself since you don't seem to like people providing tangential pertinent information. We do not usually delete such threads

 

Thanks I will figure this out without the help of this community. Your situation with your node not delivering power to your neighbourhood during a blackout is an issue I am already quite aware of, but not an issue I am experiencing nor need to discuss.

 

I would think success. if you have a 4000mah power bank you would get 4 hours continuous. i have a couple of reasobaly priced power banks to charge our cell phones in case extended loss of 120ac. i know not answering the question but i felt free to state this. 😁

the answer, ignoring node, is you unplug the device, plug in the power source and see if led lights if there is led then try the device, Ignoring node question, which you made clear you want to ignore. (expletive) simple answer. 😒

 

Call me Crazy, but I had a crazy Idea that might just work. My ATA takes 5VDC at 1A, has a micro USB power connector, I am thinking to experiment with a low cost Power Bank that can output 5 Volts 1A DC, I can connect a USB Type-A cable to USB Micro connector, one end into the power bank and the other into the ATA, then charge the power bank with the 5V micro usb cable.

That's not such a crazy idea and is preferable to a UPS unless 120v is required. It should work just fine provided the power bank can be charged and supply power simultaneously which is quite common. They are commonly available in 5000mAh and up. A 5000mA version would be more than adequate for this application. Just be sure to get a reputable brand such as Anker. They often go on sale, with deep discounts around Black Friday. The power bank will likely provide power much longer than a UPS and at lower cost. A corded analog home phone that requires no power or a powered wireless home phone must be available.

Applications like this are a big advantage of having devices that use the USB standard for charging.

 

Thank you ExDilbert for your answer, I really appreciate this. I have a corded handset that requires no power to operate

If this works to be successful, I will then adapt a plug to make my google nest smart speaker / smart display to operate off battery power so I can take it with me and use it temporarily away from its locaiton. not everything running off battery pack/ups is because of a hydro outage