voipdabbler
join:2006-04-27
Kalispell, MT
| reply to mazilo
Re: Power failure
Yes, they're too expensive. Battery technology, and the lack of real developments in high-capacity, long-life batteries is going to be the stumbling block for cost-effective, non-fossil fuel energy systems used by individual home owners. It's all fine and good to capture energy, like solar or wind, but if your battery banks need replacing every 24 months, it gets to be very, very expensive. (Plus you need to keep track of your power consumption and learn to conserve, which many just can't seem to do.) I see the future of solar, wind, etc, being large power plants that deliver what they generate via a grid and don't worry about storing excess capacity for later use.. |
|
mazilo
From Mazilo
Premium
join:2002-05-30
Lilburn, GA
| reply to mgraves1
said by mgraves1  :I have the fol,lowing list of gear on a 2500 VA UPS. In your case, you are better off to use a much smaller UPS that has a much better power factor for efficiency. |
|
mgraves1
join:2004-04-05
Houston, TX
 ·Junction Networks
2 edits | reply to buckeyered
I have the fol,lowing list of gear on a 2500 VA UPS. It can run for over an hour with no problem. Never had to deal with longer thus far as I have a small generator. We live in hurricane alley (Texas gulf coast)
Siemens DSL modem
Soekris 4801 (monowall router)
HP T5700 hosted Asterisk server
Netgear 24 port switch
2 POE insertors
2 Polycom IP 600s
Siemens S685IP DECT phone base
snom m3 DECT phone base
Portech GSM gateway
None draws much power so the UPS is actually overkill. I haven't tested the UPS since adding some gear, but each item draws less than 12 watts.
--
Michael Graves
Houston TX
»blog.mgraves.org |
|
mazilo
From Mazilo
Premium
join:2002-05-30
Lilburn, GA
| reply to voipdabbler
said by voipdabbler :You could use a sealed re-chargable RV battery fairly safely, just expect to replace them fairly frequently. Let me guess, this sealed re-chargeable RV battery is pretty expensive compared to a regular car battery of the same ratings, isn't it? |
|
voipdabbler
join:2006-04-27
Kalispell, MT
| reply to mazilo
I know I hated dealing with the sealed, re-chargable RV batteries when I had a camper. Even with solar panels, they didn't seem to have a life span greater than 18 months. You could use a sealed re-chargable RV battery fairly safely, just expect to replace them fairly frequently. |
|
asitgoes
@wavecable.com | reply to mazilo
As long as its not wired into the house... |
|
no_one
@QWEST.NET
| reply to mgraves1
said by mgraves1 :Yes, as many have noted the CableCo may not take the same precautions that you did to ensure continuity of power. This has some very specific implications for emergency services during a power outage. If you rely on their digital phone service you may lose 911 access when the power is out. In my case this is why my primary ISP is connected via DSL, and cable is used as a backup. Cable might be faster, but DSL stays up during power outages without question. Not all telco dsl stays up. CO based dsl will stay up. Has same backup as CO based POTS. Remote dslams may or may not have backup depending on provider where located etc.
The POTS phone even remote will stay up on its own power unless it receives the same storm damage power did. So POTS will stay up under its own power unless it is damaged. DSL remote based may not always have backup. DSL is not regulated the same as POTS always. |
|
buckeyered
Premium
join:2005-05-07
Hamilton, OH
·VoicePulse
·QuantumVoice
| reply to voipdabbler
560W/900VA will run the modem, router, 2 ATA's and the cordless phone base for around 90 minutes, I could drop one non essential ATA and the cordless phone base to stretch it out even more.
I thought about the car battery idea but I would prefer to keep the battery in the house if a sealed (maintenance free?)car battery is really sealed and wont omit gas but I am not sure if they are truly sealed.
--
'If you change phone numbers one more time I am leaving you.' - My wife |
|
mazilo
From Mazilo
Premium
join:2002-05-30
Lilburn, GA
| reply to voipdabbler
said by voipdabbler :I have two, but the batteries are small and only meant to last long enough to power down equipment, not run it through a power outage. I have some clients in some other 3rd world countries using various UPS; however, most of them have replaced the original dead battery with a car battery and the UPS can easily run more than 6 hours during an outage. To avoid the H2S gas emits from the car battery, they locate this battery out door and run a heavy gauge pair of wire from the battery to the UPS. Honestly, I don't know if such a hack is legal here in the US. Anyone?
--
Mazilo always prays for FREEBIES!
US Phone: +1-678-601-0907
UK Phone: +44-703-194-2574
|
|
voipdabbler
join:2006-04-27
Kalispell, MT | reply to buckeyered
You must have one heck of a UPS system. I have two, but the batteries are small and only meant to last long enough to power down equipment, not run it through a power outage. What capacity does your UPS have? |
|
mgraves1
join:2004-04-05
Houston, TX
·Junction Networks
| reply to buckeyered
Yes, as many have noted the CableCo may not take the same precautions that you did to ensure continuity of power. This has some very specific implications for emergency services during a power outage. If you rely on their digital phone service you may lose 911 access when the power is out.
In my case this is why my primary ISP is connected via DSL, and cable is used as a backup. Cable might be faster, but DSL stays up during power outages without question.
It's also worth noting the cellular service stays up during loss of power. When earlier this year I added a GSM gateway to my network it gave me a means of ensuring call capability even under extreme circumstances. For example, a construction crew digging for sewer pipes cuts through the DSL line, and undermines stability of a pole, taking out the CableCo.
Michael
--
Michael Graves
Houston TX
»blog.mgraves.org |
|
mazilo
From Mazilo
Premium
join:2002-05-30
Lilburn, GA
| reply to buckeyered
said by buckeyered :Could roadrunner be using the electric from my grid to run something so that if I loose power so do they? No. Cable operators get their power from the thin air within their local distribution hub (LDH) facility. 
Of course, both cable operators and telco get their power from the local electric grids for their local distribution hub (LDH) facilities to operate. The problem is most cable operators don't have their own battery backup UPS system built within their LDH facility. This means anyone who uses VoIP system based on such a cable operator internet feed will automatically have no VoIP connection. As such, no capability to dial (e)911. In this case, (e)911 is useless completely. The US Congress has to do something to force any cable operators to equip their LDH facility with some sort of battery backup UPS system that must last at least 8 hours during an outage period; otherwise, one should not expect to have (e)911 to operate during such an outage period.
--
Mazilo always prays for FREEBIES!
US Phone: +1-678-601-0907
UK Phone: +44-703-194-2574
|
|
engineerdan
join:2006-12-07
Manassas, VA
·Callcentric
| reply to buckeyered
There's much more to cable than - uh - cable. Most cable systems are actually hybrid fiber-coaxial systems that combine optical fiber and, in some cases, microwave radio with coax. All three of these technologies require power to operate. As mentioned above, fiber requires electricity for the fiber optic-to-coax nodes, microwave radio requires power for the transmitters and receivers, and coaxial cable requires electricity for the bi-directional amplifiers.
Due to the sheer number of systems, it is often impractical to provide UPS's to everything. However, I'm told this is changing with the deployment of more cable-based phone systems since people expect their phones will always work. Also, it is challenging to maintain and repair all of this electronics because it is literally scattered around the hinterland. Truly, it's amazing that most systems work as well as they do.
|
|
priller
join:2000-10-20
Gainesville, VA
·voip.ms
·Callcentric
·Vonage
·callwithus
| reply to buckeyered
said by buckeyered :Could roadrunner be using the electric from my grid to run something so that if I loose power so do they? Absolutely! Same thing happens to me with Comcast.
I believe it's the cabinets where they do the fiber to coax conversion.
|
|
teledatatech
Premium
join:2001-11-23
Bucyrus, OH
clubs:
 ·Embarq
 ·HughesNet Satellit..
 ·Sprint Mobile Broa..
| reply to buckeyered
That is possible that they have equipment that is served
from the same power as your home that has no back-up power
source.
I have done power restoration after storms and have seen
cable equipment that had no back-up power.
I have seen Adelphia power some equipment during outages
with those Honda power generators if the power is going
to be out for quite awhile.
--
Embarq DSL 1500/386 |
|
buckeyered
Premium
join:2005-05-07
Hamilton, OH
·VoicePulse
·QuantumVoice
| Today we had a power failure for about an hour, I was at my PC and my UPS took over and powered my cable modem, router, PAP2, HT286, and the cordless phone base but I lost my internet connection (roadrunner) even though all the components still had power through the UPS the entire time of the outage and the power lights stayed on.
When the power came back on the the cable modem reconnected within a minute and as well as the ATA's. My question is shouldn't everything have stayed connected to the net since all the necessary parts were on the UPS and never lost power?
Could roadrunner be using the electric from my grid to run something so that if I loose power so do they?
--
'If you change phone numbers one more time I am leaving you.' - My wife |
|
