VoIP Power Outages
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An issue to be aware of for VoIP is power
outages. While normal phones work fine during
blackouts, Internet calling, like cordless phones,
needs a power supply. Customers may not be able to
call their utility to report a power outage, or
reach emergency services for example in the event of
an earthquake that takes down power in your local
area.
``I guarantee you in an earthquake like Loma Prieta,
a lot of people will be without phone service if
they have VoIP,'' said Regina Costa of The Utility
Reform Network. ``People may scoff and laugh at your
little snail-pace dial-up line, but come the Big
One, or a two- to three-day power outage, that phone
will still be working.''
One way to resolve this is to get a Universal Power
Supply (battery backup) if you want your VoIP phone
to keep working during power outages.
In order to keep the VoIP line working for as long
as possible during a power outage, only plug small
(and necessary) electronic items into your UPS. The
necessary items are your DSL/cable modem, your
router, your VoIP adapter, and your cordless phone.
Do not plug power hogs (anything that generates a
lot of heat, like computer monitors and halogen
lights) into the UPS, or else when the power goes
out, the UPS will only last a minute or two.
If you have a home alarm system it is advisable to
keep your regular phone service in case there is a
power failure.
With the widespread use of cellular phones today
most people see their cell phone as an emergency
backup phone in the event of a power failure.
Remember that in the event of an extended power
failure (say 2 to 3 days) you’ll still need a power
source (maybe your car charger) to recharge your
cellular phone. |
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