I live in a dry area with wildfire risk, and there is no reliable cell signal at home. I want to keep access to internet, emergency information, and possibly emergency services during a power outage. I'm not ready to buy a full-size generator, so I'm looking for something compact enough to keep in a media cabinet that can mainly power my modem and Wi‑Fi router, with perhaps enough capacity for a few other essentials. Is a UPS or a portable power station the better choice?
5 Answers
If you want several hours of runtime, look at a small portable power station from brands such as Anker, Bluetti, or Jackery. A unit with a few hundred watt-hours could run a modem and router for many hours and recharge phones or other small devices. It costs more than a UPS, but it can be recharged from a vehicle or optional solar panel and is more useful away from home.
For a basic setup, start with a small UPS. A 350–750 VA unit should usually keep a modem and router running for roughly 30–90 minutes, depending on their actual power draw. Plug both devices into the battery-backed outlets, not just the surge-protection outlets. Check the labels on the power adapters to estimate wattage, and remember that a mesh system or separate access points will reduce runtime.
A vehicle with an appropriate inverter can serve as another backup source for charging a small power station, laptop, or communications equipment. Use a properly rated inverter and operate the vehicle outdoors, away from doors and windows, because carbon monoxide is dangerous. This is more of a backup plan than a replacement for a generator, but it can extend your available power.
Satellite internet could help if the local internet infrastructure is unavailable, but it needs power for both the terminal and the router, and the subscription cost may not make sense for occasional emergencies. Some services have flexible or seasonal plans, so check the current terms before buying hardware. For a few outages each year, a UPS plus a radio is probably the more economical setup.
Before buying anything, measure the modem and router’s combined wattage and decide how long you need them to run. Battery capacity and runtime are more important than the advertised VA rating. Also, backup power at your house does not guarantee internet service: cable, fiber, neighborhood equipment, cellular towers, or local exchanges may lose power too. An AM/FM radio is a good low-cost backup for local emergency information.
Our utilities are mostly underground, so the service might remain available during a local outage, but I’ll treat that as uncertain and keep a radio as a separate backup.
That sounds like the simplest option for short outages. I’ll check whether the internet equipment in my area also stays powered when the neighborhood loses electricity.