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Battery backup problems during hurricane?

I'm wondering if folks lost FiOS phone service during the hurricane because their power failed and the FiOS battery backup ran out after eight hours. If so, what probelms did this cause: i.e. being unable to reach 911 or to check on relatives and friends.

Did you anticipate losing phone service? Were you able to use cell phone instead? Did the battery on that run out too?

Thank you!

A. GIorgianni

Comments

Peter_VZ

Hello A. GIorgianni;

The battery back-up unit will supply power for dial tone for up to 8 hours.

Thank you,

Peter C.

JRTEMT

Burlington, MA lost power Sunday 11am - 4:38pm

We had phone service during the initial power outage and happily I was able to check on an elderly relative a few towns away.

BUT the backup-battery box (located in my livingroom behind the SONY) kept BEEPING...we were hiding in another area of the house and were afraid it was a smoke detector or CO detector ...stayed away from livingroom where all those nice windows ARE! OMG

After 3 hours the phone stopped working. Disappointed since I fought with hubby about KEEPING a landlines service in case of emergencies at the house. I wanted to go to all cellphone service years ago. He thought landline would be more reliable than cellphone towers and roaming...

Who won that argument? LOL

JRTEMT

Just had a CHAT LIVE session about battery backup box beeping.

Was told

"The battery only has a year warranty. Outside the year warranty we can no longer offer replacements. You could order a replacement here: https://fios.asurion.com or you may find a better option at a local hardware/battery store. "

Andrea T(07:27:44): where is the battery? did not know I could OPEN your equipment.

Josh(07:28:14): It is usually in a closet, basement or garage. Josh(07:28:19): You can open the battery backup box

If you follow the link, the battery is $46. This is my phone's backup battery not the battery in my SAAB! OMG Why not use a lithium that is easily found at any supermarket or drugstore?

Were you aware that we need to maintain VZ equipment every year?

Rdman

Obvious design flaw since 8 hours doesn't begin to provide coverage. We and others we know were without phone services for several days, much to our surprise. For various reasons some of us had no cell coverage as well. I don't recall being advised of the limited backup capacity of the battery at time of purchase. Is it prominently disclosed in the sales literature?

tns

Other sources for replacement batteries are less than half that.

prisaz

My battery from Verizon is a little over two years old, and the phone was available for well over 8 hrs. I would say closer to 10. Your mileage may very. During an outage your backup will beep, letting you know you are on back up power. Mine beeped for over 8 hrs. Rather annoying yes, and I am not sure how much of the battery the beeping uses. But even after the beeping stopped, my phone was still available for a period of time. During an emergency situation I would avoid using the phone unless necessary. Unless you have old hardware, there should be a button on the front of the battery backup for "Emergency Use". The backup system turns the unit off before the battery is 100% dead. This prevents ruining the battery. If there is an emergency and you much use the phone, you can press the button to get the remaining use from the battery. Time available may very.

Slightly off topic, but still applies. My Voice Over IP line was gone as soon as the power went out. But Verizon provided service. Another reason I am staying with Verizon voice. Also when the power came back I had all my services. My cable neighbors did not. Cable is like VOIP where your voice is gone when power is gone. Even when you get power back, unlike FiOS, you probably will still not have service with cable.

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