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Comments on news posted 2006-09-06 10:51:28: More discussion in our Fios forum about how the Fios battery backup unit doesn't last very long, leaving users in an emergency pinch if there's an extended power outage. ..
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 amungusPremium
join:2004-11-26
America Reviews:
 ·AT&T DSL Service
| la de da I don't get why people are so harsh about this news... I find it interesting to be kept up to date on this. For one, fios isn't even close to everywhere. If it gets there, people are now way more informed than they would have been!
So of course one can buy a huge UPS or a generator, that's not the point. I'd rather have a generator running a fridge than my telephone... anything more neccessary than a phone.
Point I see here is that copper works, is reliable in bad times, and fiber just isn't! Great for communications, yes, cheaper to "maintain" ...sort of... unless it gets snapped by some kid digging a hole to China, or if it's on a pole, knocked out by a hurricane/tornado... in that case it's much harder to string back up than wiring a few strands of metal back up.
I would NOT give up a real landline no matter what. Currently don't even have one, but the lines are there in case I did! Sure, it's old, and people want something new and shiny, and faster, but it is solid, proven, and guaranteed to last DAYS without trouble in the worst situations even if it's routed over other lines that aren't down.
...People affected by the hurricanes last year know that reliability matters, people in the midwest do too because of tornados, I don't know what the rest of you snooty folks are so upset about... anyone that's been through DAYS of no power knows how valuable a working phone can be.
...and like Karl said, if you got anything else, feel free to submit it... he actually does pay attention and will post your story if it's worthy! | |
| | | | Re: la de da "I don't get why people are so harsh about this news..." I suspect that many of them live in places where they've rarely (if ever) been without electrical power for any significant length of time and some of them are probably so young that they can't even remember when cellphones weren't in widespread use. They probably consider the electrical grid more or less infallible because it has been in their lives. Perhaps they assume that it will always be so and / or they don't understand the importance of having phone service even during a power outage, such as when someone has a serious medical conditions.
As far as why it makes them angry to hear people say that they want the same reliability from their telephones that they've had for decades, that one I don't really understand. Maybe they're just a bunch of immature loudmouths with no girlfriends who are frustrated because they can't get FIOS at all and they take their anger out on the people who can get it but aren't 100% thrilled with all that comes with switching. | |
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 CoronaIt's cool, I'm takin it backPremium
join:2000-03-14
Dallas, TX
 ·AT&T U-Verse
| Time for the consumer to step up & take some responsibility As these advanced networks evolve the onus is on the consumer to step up and take a little personal stake in their communications where they can.
A UPS is CHEAP.
For example, I chose to have only a cordless phone system in the house. That means if the power drops out, and the base station loses power, I can't make calls. Realizing this, I purchased a UPS on sale at a big box store for my DSL modem/router/cordless base station.
Now, as long as the power isn't out for more than 2 days, I have all the power I need for those applications. If it is out for more than 2 days, I've got other crap to worry about instead of if my dialtone is working.
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d00mz | |
| |  Homebrew1994Betzwood Basement Brewery
join:2001-11-15
King Of Prussia, PA | Re: Time for the consumer to step up & take some responsibility said by Corona:For example, I chose to have only a cordless phone system in the house. That means if the power drops out, and the base station loses power, I can't make calls. Realizing this, I purchased a UPS on sale at a big box store for my DSL modem/router/cordless base station. Now, as long as the power isn't out for more than 2 days, I have all the power I need for those applications. If it is out for more than 2 days, I've got other crap to worry about instead of if my dialtone is working. Wouldn't it be better to get a cheap wired phone at the Dollar Store or a yard sale?
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My other cyber-pasttime, Where's George
Miserable Failure | |
| | CoronaIt's cool, I'm takin it backPremium
join:2000-03-14
Dallas, TX Reviews:
·AT&T U-Verse
| Why? This is seamless and I never have to be bothered with the 99% of the time I have a power outage that lasts 5 minutes or less. Plus, it also keeps my broadband up and running 24x7 as well.
Sure it costs a little more, but the convenience is worth it.
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d00mz | |
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| | that's crap Any copper running to a home is yanked during install, eliminating the option of a traditional landline backup.
When V* brought FIOS to my residence I simply requested to keep my copper POTS line. They agreed and that was that.
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The Light Pipe is the Right Pipe !!! | |
| | | Problem solved!!! You people are stupid; go you local shit-mart buy a bigger UPS or a freaking generator. Problem solved!!! | |
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1 edit | Wow...this is unexpected... Sweet jeebus.
I didn't mean to start such an argument. I was just really pissed and wanted to vent...it was exacerbated by the fact that Verizon flat out refused to leave the copper in. (Note: I'm in Montgomery County, MD...maybe they are just pissed or something...).
I wanted the service because I don't have cable (at all) and I've had DSL with no problem. I was worried about the no copper, since emergencies were the real reason I was getting the line anyway - I have cell service (through Verizon Wireless, even). So, based on what I was told by Verizon managers I spoke with when ordering the service, I was stupid enough to believe them and keep the phone line installation on.
The real point of my post, and again I didn't think this would make the front page nor knew it even could, was that I specifically said this was an emergency line. If, as someone has said in the thread, it doesn't accept incoming calls then thats even worse on top of it because I can't receive calls from family members, etc.
It comes down to this - many people only have a 'landline' as an emergency backup. Fiber phonelines, at this point, don't qualify as this and seem to be equal or less reliable then a cell phone. Verizon shouldn't be telling people that the phone will work the same, work for X days, etc., when it won't.
(FYI: The coppers still there, I'm going to call and have it reattached or to cancel the phone service. Might as well just use my cell since I'm already paying for it, no need to pay 15$ with fees for a line thats for 'not really an emergency') | |
| | | buy your backups just like most things.. you need electricity to make them work! you cheap people need to just bite the bullet eventually and go out like the rest of us and buy UPS's, and EMERGENCY jump-start batteries which were originally designed to jump your car's dead battery.. but now have fancy gadgets such as tire inflators, lights, radios, and "110-volt inverters!!"
(for the laymen, regular electric outlet plugs)
Keep the things fully charged and... whola! Barring a localized Katrina event (which you would not be able to use the utility either way) you will have emergency power.
Nothing to rant/rave about, your total grand cost for 4-8 years of assuredness of emergency power is no more than $300.
now there are those who will go "crazy" and buy gasoline genrators with the a/c inverters, but well, to each their own flavor of madness! or should I digress to those who have solar panels who are mostly "off the grid" don't even enter into this conversation.. | |
| | | New ONT Motorola is working on a new ONT/Firmware that makes the ONT go into a hibernate/sleep mode. This will turn the ONT OFF when the AC fails. When you pick up the phone the ONT will wake and you can make a call. This will dramatically extend the battery life to weeks, not hours.
Verizon rates the batteries for 4-8 hours. After a year, you own the battery. I 'think' Verizon does not garantee incoming calls when the ONT is on batteries due to the limited ringing current on the ONT. This is similar to a TA adapter for VoIP. So customers with 7 phones might be out of luck as far as getting your phones to ring durring a power outage.
Relax. | |
| | | | Re: New ONT I've never had a need to call anyone during a power outage so this is a non-issue to me. | |
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 PashuneCaps stifle innovationPremium
join:2006-04-14
Gautier, MS | Fiber not coming here for a year or longer... Well, all I can say is since Bellsouth provisions my area, and that I'm in a bit of a rural area, I don't expect to see fiber here for atleast a year or longer. :P Go POTS! Though those screaming broadband speeds would be nice....hmm. | |
| | |  fios batt back up.
thanks | |
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