How to keep my wireless internet gateway running during a power outage

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Hello,

We have just gotten a T-Mo Nokia 5G21 Gateway device for our internet, and I am wondering if there is a device that would power the gateway if there is a power outage. It runs on AC power.

We previously had a T-Mo jetpack hotspot device for our internet that was battery powered, so a power outage wasn’t an issue, but now I am concerned that we’ll lose our internet if there is a power outage.

Just wondering if anyone knows of a way to keep the gateway up and running if the power goes out.

Thanks!!

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LHiggins wrote:

I am wondering if there is a device that would power the gateway if there is a power outage. It runs on AC power.

A simple UPS Battery Backup like this for example:
APC UPS 450VA Battery Backup Surge Protector, BN450M Backup Battery Power Supply

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Myst

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Thanks. Yes, that was what I thought, but how can you tell how long those devices will power the device. It seemed that some I read about said they lasted 8-10 minutes – long enough to shut down whatever is connected to it.

I am looking for something that will power that gateway device for several hours or longer.

 

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PL1

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@LHiggins –

I take that you’ve already asked at your nearest T-Mobile store to see what they have or recommend for a power outage?

As an aside, here’s a link to the runtime graph for that 450VA APC backup power supply. With a 10 watt load, it’ll run for about 3½ hours, but the gateway probably pulls more than that.

https://www.apc.com/us/en/products-runtime-graph/BN450M/

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PL1

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Thanks! I haven’t actually talked to T-Mo – just got this device yesterday and still getting to know how it works. But yes, I believe it does take more than 10 watts – I’m pretty sure I saw in some specs for it, it’s 20 watts. Something else to check.

The specs also say that it has a battery, but no idea why since it can’t run on battery power – needs to be plugged in.

We are just spoiled with the jetpack/hotspot – it has a rechargeable battery, so it was never an issue in an outage. Just not enough data with that device for what we’re running now, compared to this one, which is unlimited.

I’m sure there is some solution, just need to keep searching, I guess.

Thanks again for the help!

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The battery that’s inside it might be for backup in the event of a loss of power.

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Bad news on the battery front. 

According to the tech specs for the gateway that are on T-Mobile’s site (at the link in your original post), the battery, although a decently sized one at 5000VA, is disabled so you indeed don’t have a battery backup even though I had thought you might. Scroll down a ways on that page linked to in your original post and you’ll come to the “Tech Specs” section where it plainly states the size of the battery and the fact that it’s disabled.

All the more reason to pay your nearest T-Mobile store a visit to get some questions answered, perhaps.

EDIT to add: Removed the link originally here as it was the same one in @LHiggins original post. 

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Thanks! Yes, I have a list of questions to ask them, though I’ve found their tech support on the phone is better than the guys at the store. I did stop there before we got this, and it seems they are mainly involved with phones, and didn’t even mention this device at all.

I wonder if there is some way that the internal battery can be enabled – guess that’s another question.

I think the benefits of having the unlimited data outweigh the concerns about the occasional power outage issue, but it would be nice to have a way to keep it going. We usually run a generator when the power’s out, so I guess I can look into how this would work with that – maybe through a good surge protector?

Lots to think about – thanks for the links and the info!

 

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LHiggins wrote:

We usually run a generator when the power’s out, so I guess I can look into how this would work with that – maybe through a good surge protector?

Exactly! Just make sure ahead of time which outlets inside your home have power when your place is being fed from the generator, and plug the surge protector into one of them so you’ll have power for the gateway through the surge protector.

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It’s more like a power cord that is run into the house from the generator that can power several things like the refrig or the TV. I’ve plugged in a surge protected power strip once or twice to charge a device or two. I guess if the gateway was positioned near that, it could plug in and work? I probably need to move it around a bit to see what kind of signal it gets in different parts of the house so I’ll know where the generator feed needs to be.

Thanks for all of the help and ideas!

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According to this thread, the battery is for setup purposes only.
The unit itself seems to draw about 15w in use (same thread)
Using a 12v UPS unit seems to last twice as long – power consumption about 7w.

This APC unit will power the unit for about 10 hours (same thread).

cheers, Paul

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Myst

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Thanks Paul,

I just found that same thread and was reading through it when you posted. I think there is some good info there to digest, and it does seem like this is a solvable problem given some thought.

Thanks for the links!

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And one other question – kind of off topic – but I am wondering if it is OK to just leave this device turned on overnight. It is like a router and probably doesn’t need to be turned on and off each day, but I wasn’t sure.

Thanks!

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LHiggins

We use CyberPower Battery Back-Up Systems to support all of our desktops.

Right now, I am sitting at a desk that has a CyberPower – PFC Sinewave Series 1500VA Battery Back-Up System, Model: OR1500PFCLCD that we purchased during April 2021.

At the present time it is feeding power to a HP ENVY Desktop, ARRIS SURFboard modem, ASUS Router, internet telephone modem, a wireless phone base station, and two 23″ LCD monitors.

As currently being used, the battery back-up system has an estimated run time of 74 minutes.

We leave our routers, modems, and phones on 24/7. We do turn off our computers when we are finished for the day.

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LHiggins

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Kathy Stevens wrote:

CyberPower – PFC Sinewave Series 1500VA Battery Back-Up System, Model: OR1500PFCLCD

I have this save UPS.  Mine is powering my desktop computer, four 27″ screens, Klipsch speakers, two modems, and a router.  All totaled this equals 153 watts with a power-out run time of 33 minutes.  Computer / monitors / speakers are turned off at the end of day and everything else runs 24/7.

Desktop mobo Asus TUF X299 Mark 1, CPU: Intel Core i7-7820X Skylake-X 8-Core 3.6 GHz, RAM: 32GB, GPU: Nvidia GTX 1050 Ti 4GB. Display: Four 27" 1080p screens 2 over 2 quad.

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LHiggins

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Thanks everyone for the help and advice. I have my list for T-Mo and have looked into the various links everyone posted. Looks like there are plenty of options, so I just need to investigate and make a few decisions.

Thanks again – have a great weekend!

 

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LHiggins mentioned the use of a gasoline engine portable electric generator. I wish to amplify on that idea.

My Internet access and telephone are on a digital fiber optic line which comes into the modem/router which serves the computer wirelessly, and converts the digital signal into analog for the telephone. The router and computer are connected to an “APC” backup battery power supply which keeps the router and computer going short term while I close files and safely shut down the computer. If the power outage is to be more than about 30 minutes, I start up my generator and connect the backup battery to the generator. (A long, heavy duty, extension cord connects to the generator outside the house.)

A 2000 watt capacity Inverter generator keeps the fridge, chest freezer, an LED light or two, and the telephone happy for about 8 hours on a gallon of (I recommend non-alcohol) gasoline.

The Inverter style generator provides cleaner electric power and is actually more fuel efficient  than the typical open frame generator. The Inverter can adjust to a lesser load by slowing down the engine rpm, while most open frames must run “3600 rpm” continously to yield the 60 Hz frequency, whatever the load. Alas, the cost of the Inverter is quite a bit greater for the same wattage. However, for a several day power outage, any generator can pay for its cost by saving the food in fridge and freezer.  Nuf Sed!

Moderator’s Note: Caught in spam bucket. Too many edits too quickly.

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Cybertooth, AlphaCharlie, LHiggins

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Hello again,

I was hoping for a little help in figuring out what the right “size” UPS/battery backup I’d need for my Nokia 5G21 Gateway. I’ve looked at a few recommendations both here and at this TMo discussion and I’m not sure of the right voltage, wattage, etc.

One that is mentioned is a Shanqiu Mini UPS Battery Backup that says it is 12V 2A (37Wh). A different Shanqui is 12V (74Wh). Would that higher Wh be better and allow the battery to last longer in an outage?

This is all sort of new to me and I really don’t understand all of the numbers, but hoped to find one that would be affordable (a few others in that thread are quite pricey) and would supply battery power to keep the unit going in an power outage.

Thanks for the help!

 

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LHiggins wrote:

Would that higher Wh be better and allow the battery to last longer in an outage?

Yes, higher Wh (Watt Hrs) means it’ll last longer before it quits.

The trick to getting a proper UPS is knowing the total wattage everything that’ll be plugged into it draws (Watts = Amps x Volts) and how long you want it to last (UPS Wh rating/Total Watts = #hrs it “should” last.)

The catch is, there doesn’t seem to be any reliable info on the web as to exactly how many watts of power the Nokia 5G21 gateway actually draws from the 12VDC adapter when in use (FYI, it’ll draw much less power when idle than when it’s actually broadcasting/receiving a signal during use.)

The adapter itself indicates it outputs 12VDC @ 5.5 Amps (66 Watts) but that’s simply it’s maximum possible output and not how much the Gateway will actually draw from it.

Images of the label on the Gateway show the input as 12VDC @ 4 Amps (48 Watts) but that’s also the maximum possible input it might use and not how much it’ll draw during normally use.

The FCC info for it shows a theoretical draw of 36 Watts, but again, that’s probably also the maximum amount it might use.

The only way to tell for sure how much power it uses would be to connect a power meter while it’s in use to read how much power it’s pulling from the adapter.

Some UPS devices come with a USB connection/cable and S/W (i.e. my 650 Watt Cyberpower SX650G) that allows a PC to display the total power draw from everything plugged into the UPS like this.

If you have access to one like that, it’d be the best way to determine how much power the gateway needs to ensure you get a properly sized UPS to last as long as you want.

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LHiggins

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Thanks so much for the answer, and sorry for my late reply. I don’t have a power meter, but I am guessing that it is better to get the higher Wh model. I am only planning to have the Gateway attached to that – nothing else, so all of the power would just go to the Gateway – that hopefully might make it last a bit longer than if there were other devices plugged in.

I’ll take a look at your model, too – that indicator of usage is a great feature.

Thanks again for the help!

LH

 

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n0ads wrote:

my 650 Watt Cyberpower SX650G

Actually it’s 375W (650VA), very different things.

Small consumer devices tend to have high VA requirements but low Watt requirements (search for “Watts vs VA” for the complexities). The above UPS will only power max. 375W loads, but it will be happy with things like your router.

The battery is rated at 12v 5.5Ah, which means it will last about an hour if you use 12 x 5.5 = 66W, in ideal conditions.
From my post above you need about 15W for your router, so this UPS will power it for over 4 hours (66 / 15) – fingers crossed.
At less than half the price of the above APC unit you can’t go far wrong.

cheers, Paul

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LHiggins, Cybertooth, PL1

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