Battery Backup Requirements

Backup Power for Home Phone Services during Power Outages

For many years, your home phone would allow you to stay connected to emergency voice services during a power outage. However, many of today’s advanced home phone services require backup battery power to continue functioning during a power outage. To minimize disruption of home voice service during a power outage – and to maintain the ability to connect to 911 emergency services – PEAK Internet offers you the option of purchasing a backup power solution for your home phone line.

 

What Your Battery Can – and Can’t – Do for You

Backup batteries for optical network terminals allow you to continue to use your home voice line during a power outage. Without a backup battery or alternate home backup power source (such as a generator), customers will not be able to make calls during a power outage, including emergency calls to 911. The only way to maintain the ability to use your voice line during a power outage is by using some form of backup power.

 

We currently include a backup battery that offers up to 8 hours of standby time if there is a loss of commercial power. A backup battery for the optical network terminal does not usually provide power to any services other than voice. Internet service, computers, home security systems, medical monitoring devices, and other equipment may not run on a residential optical network terminal’s backup battery. Cordless phones and their base stations are not powered or charged by the backup battery.

 

Purchase and Replacement Options

You may purchase a larger backup battery solution directly from the vendor, Precision Group, this will provide up to 24 hours of standby time. The backup battery will be shipped directly to your home. Please call us to make an appointment to install your BBU, please note that there may be a charge for installation if the backup battery solution is not installed at the time your voice service is installed.

 

Expected Backup Power Duration

The standby operating times noted above are estimated and will vary as the batteries age. Please follow the detailed instructions included with your battery backup system for proper use, storage, and care to ensure that it will function as specified during a power outage. If you do not store your battery correctly, its useful life may be shortened. Environmental factors such as temperature can shorten your battery‘s useful life. We recommend that you store your battery above 14°F and below 120°F. The estimated service life of the battery is 10 to 15 years.

 

Testing and Monitoring

Although the batteries are rechargeable, they will not last forever and should be replaced as the unit instructions indicate. The battery backup unit will indicate via an active red light when the batteries need to be serviced or are disconnected. You should test your backup battery solution periodically, as described in the instructions included with your battery, to verify both the operation of the backup battery and its condition.