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View Full Version : Does Broadband go down during a power cut?

jcw00
11-05-2008, 21:30
In my area the power has been cut off either for a few hours or less than a second, and is now too many times in the last month. Each time I loss my work and have to wait for power to be restored and a new boot up.

I was thinking of getting a UPS and putting the cable modem and router on the UPS together with my PC. However are the Virgin Media cabinets at the end of my street using power as well? If so internet will still go down.
Ed2020
11-05-2008, 21:38
I would depend on the extent of the power outage. Potentially they would be affected.

Ed.
BenMcr
11-05-2008, 21:38
It can do...http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/11/01/virgin_media_manchester_arson/
papa smurf
11-05-2008, 21:39
they run off the street lighting circuit,but allso have a limited battery back up .
whydoIneedatech
11-05-2008, 21:40
In my area the power has been cut off either for a few hours or less than a second, and is now too many times in the last month. Each time I loss my work and have to wait for power to be restored and a new boot up.

I was thinking of getting a UPS and putting the cable modem and router on the UPS together with my PC. However are the Virgin Media cabinets at the end of my street using power as well? If so internet will still go down.

More than likely as the Amp in the box probably will loose power at the same time as yourself, but you would not loose the work on your PC if you have the UPS.
jcw00
14-03-2009, 18:23
Well I purchased a UPS, and all was fine for 6+ months, then we had a power cut for over 5 hours. Before my UPS died around 3 hours, I could still access the internet, so the cabinets have a good 3 hours backup power.
AbyssUnderground
14-03-2009, 18:54
I'm in Middlesbrough (TS6 0) and I can confirm broadband does have backup, at least in my area. I had an outage of 1 hour several times over Christmas and each time it stayed online with the help of my UPS's. I have one for my network, and one for each of my pc's/server.

At the very least a UPS would stop your PC being damaged, even if your modem takes a minute or two to come back online.
Halcyon
15-03-2009, 22:25
Out of interest, how much is a UPS at the moment as they used to cost a lot.
Thanks.
AbyssUnderground
15-03-2009, 22:38
Out of interest, how much is a UPS at the moment as they used to cost a lot.
Thanks.

Depends on the rating you need.

Offline UPS: http://www.ebuyer.com/search?store=4&cat=193&subcat=1898
and
Line Interactive UPS: http://www.ebuyer.com/search?store=4&cat=193&subcat=1896

Not that expensive, but the cheaper ones (Offline) won't offer a very long uptime if the power goes out.

I got a 1200VA Offline UPS for my server off ebuyer some years ago for £40 on an extremely good deal, and it has two batteries instead of one, giving it a significantly longer uptime. However the ones you see on the Offline page there have just one small battery and won't last long at all.

It all depends how long you need. If you just need one to last a few seconds to a minute brownout a cheap one will do, but if you want to keep working rather than shut down, you'll need a more expensive one to get the runtime you need.
leexgx
16-03-2009, 16:33
cable and bt have to have UPSs for phone system for 999 calls think they have to last 12 hr by law in an power cut (not sure what time) nice that the broadband still works as they do not need to keep that on really
jcw00
16-03-2009, 19:07
Out of interest, how much is a UPS at the moment as they used to cost a lot.
Thanks.

I paid around £80 for a Belkin 1200VA, which gives around 30 minutes for my PC, router and modem. Or around 3 hours, just modem & router using a laptop.
Stuart
16-03-2009, 19:43
cable and bt have to have UPSs for phone system for 999 calls think they have to last 12 hr by law in an power cut (not sure what time) nice that the broadband still works as they do not need to keep that on really

That's what I was told. It's also why VOIP (and for that matter cordless phones) could be a really bad idea..
jcw00
16-03-2009, 19:54
That's what I was told. It's also why VOIP (and for that matter cordless phones) could be a really bad idea..

I use Vonage, and have my cordless phone powered via my UPS. There is also my mobile as a final backup.