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anon1
@optonline.net

anon1

Anon

good way of telling I have power in the house?

Still with no electricity in the house 2 weeks after the storm but trucks are in the neighborhood. I don't want to check the house every single day since we're living away from it. Is it a good way to tell if electric is back if I just call the FIOS home phone number? I left a plain old telephone (no electric needed) connected to the phone line - which is supposed to run off the ONT. So if my electric is back, it should power the ONT which should have my phone line operating again. But right now it goes straight to my FIOS voicemail - which indicates it's not ringing at all.

Is this a good way to tell when power comes back or am I not thinking of something?
kes601
join:2007-04-14
Virginia Beach, VA

kes601

Member

I believe if you are without power you will be put into Voicemail after the first ring, if you have power then it would ring 4 times at the house before going into VM, at least this is how it worked for me a couple years back.
fieroloki
join:2007-07-29
Van Alstyne, TX

fieroloki to anon1

Member

to anon1
FiOS support can tell you if the router is up (which would mean power)
ansky
join:2009-05-18
West Orange, NJ

1 recommendation

ansky to anon1

Member

to anon1
Here's another trick if you have a DVR:

Log into your account online or through the Remote DVR app on your smartphone. Click on the option for DVR Recordings or DVR Schedule. If you get a message like "Unable to connect" or "No recordings" then you know your house doesn't have power.
That was my experience. Once the power came back on I was able to see my recordings.
Capt_video
join:2001-12-28
Grapevine, TX

1 recommendation

Capt_video

Member

Just be aware that according to friend in NJ who works for Verizon said about 10% of ONTs have failed when power is brought back up. No one is sure of the cause but suspect power surges when lines were shorted to trees etc. during storm. So you could have power to the house but still no phone or connection to Verizon.

Lex Luthor
Mod
join:2000-09-17
Hicksville, NY

1 recommendation

Lex Luthor

Mod

said by Capt_video:

Just be aware that according to friend in NJ who works for Verizon said about 10% of ONTs have failed when power is brought back up. No one is sure of the cause but suspect power surges when lines were shorted to trees etc. during storm. So you could have power to the house but still no phone or connection to Verizon.

Is it better, then, to turn off house power at the electrical panel and then flip that switch back on once power to the house has been restored? Would have reduce the risk of the ONT frying?

Still no power at my house (or office) either, but there was a tree and electrical crew in my backyard as of an hour ago. Good luck to you, anon1.

I had been calling my phone to see if I have electrical, but when I came home just now, I did turn off the breaker totally, so I guess there's really no way I'll know unless I go home or check with a neighbor on the same circuit.
Capt_video
join:2001-12-28
Grapevine, TX

Capt_video

Member

No that will be too late as they think most of the BBUs that failed probable failed when the power went out but it is always a good idea to throw the main breaker in your panel before the power comes up to avoind any surprises.

WK2
Premium Member
join:2006-12-28
united state

WK2 to anon1

Premium Member

to anon1
I just listen for different answering machines if my power is out and I am not home.
Morris0
join:2011-05-14

Morris0

Member

Call others on your block :-}

bhan261
join:2001-02-12
New York, NY

bhan261 to anon1

Member

to anon1
I have two lines and one forwards to my cell and the other to my wife's cell if there are issues. So if I call my home DV number and it immediately rings on my cell, I can assume that FiOS isn't functioning. I also use the DVR method mentioned by another poster here.

ITALIAN926
join:2003-08-16

ITALIAN926 to anon1

Member

to anon1
If your drop wire was damaged in the storm, you may think your power is out for the next year. Dont you have a neighbor you can call about the power condition?
drummrboybac
join:2010-10-22
Holliston, MA

drummrboybac to anon1

Member

to anon1
I was without power for about a week. I kept pinging my dvr, from the app, and knew I had power when I could view recordings. We had gone to a hotel the day before (we have a well, oil heat, and electric appliances, and young kids so it wasn't sustainable past 3 days), and when I woke up, seeing my recordings was a glorious sight.