home router battery backup

Thu Jan 13 15:38:53 UTC 2022

Greetings,
    I am a home user.  Much of my home has been rewired to run off of 
12-volts D.C. from a large 1200 Amp/Hour LiFePO4 battery bank that is 
recharged using Solar.  All my lighting, ceiling fans, water pump, Ham 
radio gear, weather alert radio, USB charging stations, alarm system, 
security cameras and DVR, my wife's CPAP machine, 40-inch flat screen TV, 
ROKU streaming device, etc. all now run off 12 VDC.  High consumption 
devices like stove, refrigerators, air conditioners, furnace, still run on 
AC but get *much* of their power from a 5kw Grid-Tied Solar array (Enphase 
IQ7 microinverters) which I hope to soon add a battery backup to.  There 
is also a whole-house 4kw backup generator.  This is what is known as a 
"Hybrid" home :)

    ALL of my servers, workstations, routers/hubs, WiFi, are also converted 
to run on 12VDC from this battery/solar plant.  In many cases it is just a 
matter of adding a DC-DC buck/booster regulator that can be purchased on 
Amazon for ten bucks, or so.  These generally take 8-40 volts input and 
will deliver whatever voltage output that you desire.  Both my DSL and 
FTTH are powered this way.

    It was mentioned that we need to address *reducing* our power 
consumption in order to reduce our carbon footprint.  This ongoing project 
has helped me to do just that and eliminate so many "power suckers" and 
wall-warts from my home.

    We consume around 150 watts on DC and generally around 600 watts on AC 
(unless a freezer or air conditioner cycles on).  When the power goes out, 
sometimes we don't immediately notice it!  I think I am living inside a 
giant UPS, and more independance from the Grid is refreshing.

    Enjoy!
       --- Jay Nugent  WB8TKL
           Ypsilanti, Michigan
           jjn at nuge.com


> From: Scott T Anderson via NANOG
> Sent: Thursday, January 13, 2022 7:28 AM
> To: Scott T Anderson via NANOG
> Subject: RE: home router battery backup
> 
> Hi everyone,
> 
> Thanks very much for all the responses throughout the day. They are very helpful. Your
> (collective) answers triggered a couple follow-on questions:
> 
> For those individuals with backup battery power for their modem/router, do they maintain
> Internet access throughout a power outage (as long as their backup power solution works)?
> I.e., does the rest of the ISP network maintain service throughout a power outage?
> 
> Are the modems with backup power designed to operate for a specified period of time without
> power and if so, for how long and how was that duration identified?
> 
> If those with backup power do maintain Internet access during a power outage, do they lose
> that access if the power outage extends beyond a certain time? I.e., does the ISP network
> equipment go offline at some point in time due to batteries being drained and not having
> power generation capabilities?
> 
> Again, thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience!
> 
> Scott