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[Weaver]

I have now installed one of these big fat little Li-Ion 12V DC UPS bricks to go into one of my ZyXEL NWA 3560 WAPs. I just does its job nicely, quit a chunky unit. Really pleased with it. I suppose I ought to do a rundown time test, I have no idea what the power consumption of that WAP is though. Since this first purchase is deemed a complete success I am going to get another one for my second WAP.

[burakkucat]

I have one question.

When the Li-ion battery of cells reaches the end of their life, are they replaceable? Or does the whole unit have to be consigned to the electronic waste recycling pile? 

[Alex Atkin UK]

New URL https://1va.co.uk/ipower-12vdc-ups-system-p-29.html

[Weaver]

These have been really brilliant. Have been using them in my WAPs. Recently they kept me going when the whole of Skye and the Western Isles were experiencing a power cut.

I am wondering about using them with modems, but I’m not sure about compatibility. Could obviously just risk it as an experiment. Mind you, they turned out to be the right thing, by some miracle, when plugged into my WAPs.

What’s more, I’m also not sure whether or not this idea is even desirable. Running everything critical off the one UPS means that at least you won’t have the situation where one component dies before everything else even though the simultaneous availability of every one of them is essential.

[Alex Atkin UK]

The fatal flaw is a standard UPS you'd be lucky to get 15 minutes backup time.

That's plenty for my NAS so it has time to safely shut down, not really ideal for broadband.

There's also the bonus to the "if one component fails, the others still work".  For example if all four of your modems have their own UPS each, if one of those UPS fails you still have connectivity.  Granted its moot if the Firebrick loses power.

There's nothing to stop you having BOTH though.  I have the NAS, router, core switch and 4G router into the UPS.  But the 4G router also has an additional 12V UPS, so when everything else goes down I can still connect to that directly over WiFi as a backup.  The DSL modems have no backup power as I have no adapter to fit the HH5A, but in a power cut its likely the cabinet will go down anyway.  Course the cell tower might too, but likely has more backup power (though not sure if data remains active on backup power). 

That's kinda the advantage with ADSL, as its all the way back to the exchange theres a good chance a local power cut wont impact the exchange too, plus it has better backups than cabinets/cell towers.

I also have another 12V UPS running the 12V LED tape in the hall, as emergency lighting.  That I believe can run for several hours.  I also have USB power banks and little USB LED lights that would run for longer.

[Weaver]

What you said about having both is a good point. I had thought about that. Perhaps that’s a reasonable way to go. Mind you the £80+ I spend on four of the DC UPSes would be best put into the pot for a new larger main UPS, given that I’m in the market for one anyway after Janet killed one of mine.

As for the no adaptor thing, I made up a custom cable from a UPS trailing socket lead to a standard 4-way mains distribution block, so I can plug anything at all into that now.

[burakkucat]

. . . I made up a custom cable from a UPS trailing socket lead to a standard 4-way mains distribution block, so I can plug anything at all into that now.

But not a kettle! 

[jelv]

but in a power cut its likely the cabinet will go down anyway.

FTTC cabinets have batteries so would stay up for some time.

[Weaver]

But not a kettle! In fact the odd thing is that Janet has been warned not to plug high-power devices into a mains distribution block and this time she plugged the kettle straight into the wall in the office but next door to the UPS. The fact that that action managed to kill the UPS is very strange. I’m thinking that it was basically knackered anyway, as it was really old - ~ 10 years old. A second APC UPS survived and that’s the one I’m using now having just moved everything onto the one UPS.

[Alex Atkin UK]

FTTC cabinets have batteries so would stay up for some time.

In theory, I thought it had been suggested that some don't have any or they are 30 mins max or something?

Presumably FTTP in most places is like ADSL, it goes all the way back to the exchange so has more protection from power cuts - so a UPS on the ONT is a good idea (and sucks Openreach don't provide one any more) then.

[Weaver]

If all my DSL links stop working (tested continually by PPP LCP probes), then the Firebrick switches over to 3G (which is appallingly slow, but works enough to keep you alive).