I could really use a helping hand with my FIOS BBU problems.

First a little background:

I have an old FIOS install (complete with bridged Actiontec) put in my house back in 2010 and it has since never once been touched or modified in any way. It has the old BBU with the seperately wired AC power supply next to it, with the ONT outside the house on the other side of the wall.

Specifically, it is this BBU+Adapter combo, exactly the same one as this picture:

https://imgur.com/wxbKSg5

Recently the battery (that we never needed) began dying and we figured out you could silence the alarm for 24 hours simply by holding Silence Alarm button for around 15 seconds which also caused the ONT to reboot. Annoying, but hardly a huge issue. We just got used to doing it once a day.

Fast forward to this week:

Two days ago on Sunday morning the power was out for about 15-20 minutes (longest it's been out for a couple years) and, for some reason, probably because the battery was finally completely dead, I could not get the ONT to power back up when the power came back on. I have never had this problem before.

My BBU (apparently) won't boot the ONT without a charged (at least partially) battery installed. It won't boot the ONT via AC if there is a fully dead battery connected NOR will it boot the ONT via AC with the battery disconnected. AC doesn't seem to matter at all for boot. I also noticed that the BBU won't boot the ONT with AC connected BEFORE the battery, even if there is a charged battery installed (no lights). I literally have to unplug the AC, plug in and boot via the battery (2 solid, non blinking green lights, System Status and Battery Power), then plug AC back in (1 green light, System Status, not blinking) and everything looks like it is back to normal... but actually the battery is fully powering the ONT until it drains in around 6-7 hours. There are never any low battery beeps when it eventually shuts off. It's like it somehow no longer knows that the battery is the battery, it thinks the battery is BOTH battery and 110v AC.

I really could use some ideas for how to fix this problem, because as it stands right now I'm swapping batteries several times a day just to get through the workday. We depend on FIOS to work from home during the pandemic and I really, REALLY don't want to get a Verizon tech to come out here just now, mainly because my family has a greatly elevated risk for COVID exposure so we've been bunkered down in the house for months.

I'm not super handy with soldering and wiring but I have done both before and could do it here in a pinch if necessary. If you need any more pictures or information please let me know.

Thanks in advance for any help you guys can give.

edit: I probably should add that the two leads (haha) I am currently chasing down are possibly connecting an AC adapter via Aux Plugin on the side of the BBU, or rigging up a separate 12v ac adapter to connect to where the battery plugs in on the BBU. I've seen information on other forums that these two methods can work but I don't yet have enough detailed information to attempt either one.

Accepted answers

lasagna

You've checked the obvious, I assume, and plugged in some other device like a lamp or something to the outlet to be sure you have power the outlet?

If so, it sounds like either the AC feed/BBU is toast or the power supply itself is toast.

Either way, that's really a "call Verizon" moment. If it's simply a power supply, maybe they'll just send you one and you can replace it yourself. If not, they'll likely want to replace the ONT since there are newer models that don't have a BBU with them -- all that's really required there is some outside work by the technician and a brief inside visit where the power plug is located to thread the power adapter out to the new ONT (is that in a garage perhaps?). They don't need to visit anywhere else in the home if you're not changing service.

All comments

lasagna

You've checked the obvious, I assume, and plugged in some other device like a lamp or something to the outlet to be sure you have power the outlet?

If so, it sounds like either the AC feed/BBU is toast or the power supply itself is toast.

Ninjahedge1

I just had the VERY SAME THING here a few hours ago.

I am looking at the way this thing is wired and it appears that the power needs to go through the battery to get out to the ONT.

I have had something similar, I believe, with the Ring 2 doorbell. I have had problems trying to wire it to power w/o a battery.

Here's the jimmy-fix I was going to ask. What if you bridged the leads on the battery? Would that be a temporary solution to this? Provide a circuit so the power gets to where it is needed, or will I be shorting something out and causing a blowout?

TIA!

[Deleted User]

In order to keep discussion on the community current, this topic has been locked to prevent new replies. If you have a similar question or issue that you wish to discuss, then please feel free to post a new message on the most relevant board. Thanks!