AT&T U-verse → Battery Back-up....Is it needed?

My mother just had UVerse TV and ISP installed in her condo, the HOA entered into a bulk agreement with ATT for those 2 services. The tech who came out was very efficient and quick getting 3 TV Receivers, including 1 Wireless Receiver and ISP installed. The condo has a Media panel in the front hall closet and we were able to fit the Gateway and WAP (for the wireless receiver) to fit behind the Media Panel access door, but there as no way the Battery back was going to fit so it is sitting on the floor below the panel. This is less an ideal so my question is this....She does not have ATT Phone service, so is the battery back up needed or can I remove it?

I would keep it; in general those UPS units also shield your equipment from damaging brownouts and surges.

agreed.... it protects the gateway and more importantly...

when you get power fluctuations during storms etc or even if your power occasionally dims.... it can glitch the gateway and cause performance problems / cause the need for restarting / cause unexplained internet problems and outages

having smooth power all the time makes for a much more satisfying and reliable internet experience...

I have Uverse IPDSLAM Internet, but don't use AT&T for my VoIP voice. I use a pretty-good-sized backup unit to power my modem and router (only). I have been able to maintain voice telephony service for almost 24 hours during a local blackout. That's nothing compared to recent east-coast power-outages, but it's more than anything I'm likely to experience here in Chicago. I have several old, line-powered phones that I plug directly into the ATA if there is an outage.

And then there's my cell phone, and the BMW-powered generator to keep it topped-off. ;-P

Thanks all..... I will leave the UPS in place and try to figure out a solution for its location

Is the problem that the UPS cannot be easily powered where it is because the power outlet is inside the media panel but the UPS won't fit in there? Or is the problem that it looks bad because the UPS is sitting on the floor?

If it is merely the "UPS on the floor" issue, then you can fix that easily. The battery backup unit AT&T gave me (I do have Uverse Voice) has mounting holes molded into one side so you can hang the UPS on the wall. The directions came with a template if I recall correctly to help you space your screws when you drive them into the wall.

remove it it life is only about 3yrs then when it dies youll have all types of trouble then at&t wont replace it and you will fork out $130.00 to replace it youll only get phone support for about an hour with tv and everything else on it ...

Go buy a real and backup UPS !!

I guess I would have to ask which model of Battery Backup is it?

Is it the Belkin unit, or the 2Wire/Pace Unit?

If Belkin BBU, then no. If 2Wire/Pace iPSU, then yes

Links for the standard power cord/power bricks available on the online AT&T equipment store (for use with 2Wire/Pace 3600/3800/3801):
»www.att.com/equipment/ac ··· q_model= -- Power Cord (really a standard non-polarized 2-prong cord)
»www.att.com/equipment/ac ··· q_model= -- Power Brick

Also if you happen to come across an U-Verse Technician in the area, he/she would probably be able to give you a standard power cord/power brick

Alternate Power Cord (but not Power Brick) source from monoprice.com
»www.monoprice.com/produc ··· format=2 -- Comparable 6' Power Cord (standard non-polarized 2-prong cord; Monoprice has 3', 6', 10', and 15' versions of cord available)

Semper....It is plugged into the power outlet in the media panel and sitting on the floor below the media panel because it will not fit into the media panel.....I will look for mounting holes next time I am over at the condo

Here is a photo of the back of my unit. "Holes" was the wrong term. They are slots for hanging on screw heads.

I hope it works out for you to hang it next to the media cabinet.

Edit: I just found the booklet that came my BBU and also a separate piece of paper that is a template for helping you place the screws in the wall. Hopefully those will still be there for you.

Edit 2: A pdf of the template can be downloaded near the bottom of the page. from: »www.belkin.com/us/suppor ··· nId=4794

If anything, the UPS is perfect for "dips". If your power fluctuates sometimes, you internet connection may be dropped, and it can take up to 5 minutes to reconnect/sync the line from the time the 2Wire reboots.

I have had half-an-hour outage, and beside from the annoying beep, me and my wife happily continued surfing on our laptops until power was restored. So it doesn't hurt

I'm surprised the tech installed a BBU when there was no VOIP on your order. It is mixed bag as you can see from other replies. Most times you'll only get one when you order VOIP due to legal regulations/e911 stuff. But… as said before, if you have one, might as well keep it. It's great if she has a laptop and can still surf in power outage. I would also recommend hanging it as Sempergoofy has. May need to modify the IT panel door depending on model/style.

Flip the switch in the front to mute and it will shut up.

Also, while useful for "dips" it is not useful for "blips" (with a blip being a ~1 second interruption of power). With a blip the battery backup detects the disruption in power and starts the process of flipping to battery mode, but then senses that main power was restored and reverses course to restore AC power to the gateway. The process of starting to flip to battery mode, then stopping, and switching back to mains power is just long enough for the gateway to actually lose power and need to reboot to re-establish a normal operating state. It's the one type of power disruption where a battery backup will fail to maintain power to the device it is supposed to be supporting.