Battery Backup beeping and in the Red

I have Verizon Fios Internet, TV, and phone service since 2006 and recently renewed my 2 year contract with them this April 2010. For the last week and a half, I've been hearing intermittent beeping noises. I finally figured out what was making the beeps. There's a red light indicator for the battery backup unit. Apparently it needed to be replaced. I called up Verizon Fios support and the lady politely explained to me that the battery backup unit is only covered for a year and that I would need to shell out around $50 to replace the battery myself. If it was a new install, they would have covered the replacement. My complaint is, it's only been 3 months since I renewed a 2 year contract with Verizon Fios. Why isn't the backup battery replacement offered to me for free? I'm annoyed and aggravated by Verizon for 1. putting me on hold for 45 minutes to speak to a live person and 2. for telling me that had I cancelled my service, had them come and remove all the equipment, then call them back shortly after to resubscribe to Verizon Fios, the battery backup would be covered under the one year warranty. Needless to say, when my 2 year contract is over, I will immediately cancel my account with Verizon Fios.

Accepted answers

viafax999

You could just disconnect it and leave it disconnected. I believe that will stop it beeping.

All comments

somegirl

@Phoonster wrote:
I have Verizon Fios Internet, TV, and phone service since 2006 and recently renewed my 2 year contract with them this April 2010. For the last week and a half, I've been hearing intermittent beeping noises. I finally figured out what was making the beeps. There's a red light indicator for the battery backup unit. Apparently it needed to be replaced. I called up Verizon Fios support and the lady politely explained to me that the battery backup unit is only covered for a year and that I would need to shell out around $50 to replace the battery myself. If it was a new install, they would have covered the replacement. My complaint is, it's only been 3 months since I renewed a 2 year contract with Verizon Fios. Why isn't the backup battery replacement offered to me for free? I'm annoyed and aggravated by Verizon for 1. putting me on hold for 45 minutes to speak to a live person and 2. for telling me that had I cancelled my service, had them come and remove all the equipment, then call them back shortly after to resubscribe to Verizon Fios, the battery backup would be covered under the one year warranty. Needless to say, when my 2 year contract is over, I will immediately cancel my account with Verizon Fios.

The flaw in your logic is that Verizon doesn't remove the equipment when you cancel.

If I were you, I'd do a little troubleshooting. Make sure that the battery actually needs to be replaced and it isn't just an issue with power to the BBU.

lasagna

Plain and simple ... batteries wear out. The battery itself comes with a one year warranty (not from Verizon), which if it fails during this time, will be replaced under that warranty (perhaps Verizon helps here by doing it for you). It has nothing to do with the "service date", but the original "install date" of the equipment.

The battery in the BBU is disclosed as a "customer servicable part" when you install FiOS -- meaning it has nothing to do with a contract or installation of service. The same thing applies if you get service from a different supplier (like the cable company) and get phone service thru them -- they give you a modem which has a little battery backup builtin -- when the battery wears out, you replace it (or accept the fact that phone service will go down if the power goes out).

So, when it fails, you replace it.

Now, with that said what can you do ....

1. Accept that batteries fail and pay Verizon to get a new one. You are simply buying a user replaceable part from them.

2. Take the battery to a local "Batttery Warehouse" or other battery wholesaler and purchase a replacement from them. It's likely to be cheaper and just as good. No one says you have to buy it from Verizon -- if you have to pay for it, it's your call. In fact, I've seen replacement batteries listed on various auction sites, etc. for as low as about $15 (buyer beware, YMMV).

3. Disconnect the battery and accept that anytime there's a power blip or outage that you will not have any service (Internet, TV, or Phone) until power returns and the ONT reboots. Optionally, use your own UPS (which you can get from various office and computer stores) to power the ONT thru the BBU and not rely on the battery in the BBU.

Witty-in-Tampa

FYI, I have found out that just because your Battery Backup Unit has the "Replace Battery" light on, and you get an audible alarm to draw your attention to this fact, it may not necessarily mean the battery has to be replaced. I have on several occasions had this condition with my FIOS service BBU, and as noted in the article link below, the resolution may be as simple as unplugging the BBU from the electrical outlet, then opening the battery compartment door to allow access to the battery, then unplug your battery terminal from the BBU so that it is not providing backup power. Leave the battery disconnected for approx 5-10 minutes, then reconnect it to the BBU and put it back in the slot in the BBU box, then plug the electrical power back in to charge the system. I have found this will eliminate the red light and audible warning signal, and your battery may continue to function fine for many more months/years. As noted in the article, you can also take the battery to have it tested to determine if it is still good, or needs to be replaced. I suspect there are a lot of good batteries being replaced that don't have to be. See if this situation applies to you!

http://www.tpcug.org/newsletter/nl_2010/april2010/verizon.htm

Hubrisnxs

Cheapest place I have found it, was online at amazon.com for $11.50

Keep in mind these have two types of connects, an f1 and an f2 terminal. View a comparison of F1 and F2 terminals. you should always make sure you're buying the right battery with the right connector.

You are looking for a 12v 7ah sealed lead acid battery

Hubrisnxs

that is great info witty in tampa.

tjnolanjr

The procedure given by Witty-in-tampa is worth a try before shelling out the bucks for a new battery - I tried it this morning since I too had the annoying beep and the replace battery indicator glowing red. Well it worked - follow the instructions exactly and it may work for you too provided your battery isn't really dead or the backup unit is not totally defective. Having cleared the beep and the red indicator tells me the backup units verizon has been using or perhaps are still using have a problem or a design flaw. A backup lead acid battery should last more than a year or two if it is not stressed by repeated or long power outages. I wonder why Verizon dosen't tell its customers about this simple procedure to test and possible clear the problem? Maybe they get a kick-back from the battery companies...........

scoobie1

I had the same experience as the OP. Called Verizon and was informed that they will send out a replacement battery. Waited a week and still no battery; so I searched the web and found this page, followed the procedure in the article mentioned in Witty in Tampa's post, and lo & behold the red light and annoying beep went away (at least for now). If the battery does eventually arrive I will keep it in the garage for future use. By the way, I had FIOS for less than a year, I read somewhere that Verizon covers the back up battery within one year of service. In either case, it's worth a call to Verizon first to see if they will send a replacement.

lasagna

You are correct scoobie ... Verizon covers the battery while it's under warrenty (one year at last check), but also clearly discloses in the subscriber agreement that the battery is considered a user replaceable item ... meaning that once the warrenty expires, it is the end user's responsibility to have it replaced. Verizon will gladly sell you a new battery, but as many others have cited, the same component can be obtained from a number of online sources at a much cheaper rate.

barrymcconnell

At least as of today, Verizon is giving people this solution. It worked for me.

Here is an extract from a chat message when I went to get online support from their agents. It was pretty clear this is from a canned solution and was pasted in, not typed manually as with the other responses in the chat. (because it appeared so fast!)

[...]

Roger: Yes....I want you to do a manual reboot there and that should clear this erroneous bbu light issue.

Roger: So..

Roger:

To do this from your Battery Backup Unit (BBU):

1. Please go to the smaller beige box and follow its power cable to the 3-prong power outlet.

2. Disconnect the power cable from the outlet, you may hear a beep.

3. Go to the larger beige box, remove the battery panel to reveal the black battery. Follow the black/red leads until you get to a plastic coupler that hooks into the BBU.

4. Once disconnected, all lights on the larger box will be off.

5. Let it sit for 1 minute then reconnect the battery and plug the power cable back in.

Roger: can we try this?

hk1988

Hello everyone.

I've had Verizon Fios since 2010, and while it is working smoothly, I do have an issue with a low battery beeping in the red as well.

I have read through your posts, the only thing I am wondering about is how to briefly disconnect the battery because my ONT has a "craft access only" section. There is a huge bolt I can't seem to budge.

I'm not sure about the upper part, where the battery is likely to be located. This is probably where the battery is located, but I'm not sure from which side I'm supposed to open the upper compartment. I can't manage to really open it (at best I can pry it a little bit from the top, but nothing else).

My ONT model is sfh ONT 612.

Thank you in advance.

beckad01

I had the same problem and had done the fix disconnecting and reconnecting everything a few months ago. Now my battery is definitely dead, but the customer service rep said I could just disconnect the battery completely if I was willing to go without a backup (ie have a cell phone to use when the power goes out). I did that but the red light is still on. Anyone tried this and had success stopping that infernal beeping?

lasagna

I believe the battery for the 612's is in the BBU unit and is seperate from the ONT itself ... follow the power cord from the ONT to find where it plugs into the BBU (and then the BBU continues on to the regular A/C power plug). The battery is located behind a door on the BBU (you have to depress the side to unclip the latch).

Pittsburgh_100

beckad01

I had the exact same problem. I am happy to go without the backup, but need to get rid of the beeping.

Hubrisnxs

I'd shell out the 12 bucks and get yourself a new battery, the only way for you to get rid of the beeping is to find and remove/kill the replace battery jumper in the ont. that means you have to go into the craft access only side, and not many people would recommend you do that.

Pittsburgh_100

I bought a new battery. All is good no more beeping. But it cost $35 at batteries plus

Hokiedad2

@Pittsburgh_100 wrote:
I bought a new battery. All is good no more beeping. But it cost $35 at batteries plus

I'm sure they appreciate the business!!

jjtrindc

Thanks for the fix. Worked perfect for me.

Dweedlebug1

My power went out for about an hour, then came back on and everything worked fine. When I got up the next morning, the red "replace battery" light was on and no phone/net/tv. I replaced the battery and that fixed the issue for a few hours, now the replace battery light is on again and nothing is working. The really odd thing is, I get no alarm beeping and even with the battery completely removed, none of my services are working. Shouldn't the system work even without a battery connected?

Dweedlebug1

My issue was solved. They had to replace the entire BBU. I was pretty sure it was a hardware issue.

smith6612

Sounds good 🙂

Benefit now is, since you do have two batteries, you can get them both charged up and use one of them in the ONT. If you ever need to power up the ONT for an extended amount of tine during an outage, you can always swap the second one in, or you can see if your ONT supports auxilary battery power that could be put to use.

Fiosee

I just got the same beeping problem, found it the same way and was told the same story by tech support two days ago, but it was $35 or you can get on from Amazon ot Walmart for cheaper.

Luckily, I learned the lesson just in time. We are going to have a new account in a week. I originally asked not to send technicians over and I could use all the exisrtint equipment. Now, they have to come to repalce every single equipment, hopefuly they will last for the next two years under the new contract. Unfortunately, we have to suffer the beeps for the next 7 days or so unless I want to pay them $35 for a battery which will be replced soon.

My problem is why, the design looks like a flaw. A backup battery is meant for power outages. It should not be a mandatary part for the FIOS setup. Insteady, users should be able to take the battery out and connect th eequipments directly to power.

ping1

> My problem is why, the design looks like a flaw. A backup battery is meant for power outages. It should not be a mandatary part for the FIOS setup. Insteady, users should be able to take the battery out and connect th eequipments directly to power.

it should not, and it is not. read the other msgs in the thread to disable the beep. and user is able to take battery out to run on a/c power directly, if you are ok to be without battery.

Miandw

That unplugging, and disconnecting the battery worked for me. Didn't think about it interrupting the service, but my son made me fully aware as I did it right when he was in the middle of an apparent critical moment of an online tank war game, hehe. So I had it disconnected for only a couple minutes, not 10, plugged it back in and it looks good.

We'll see how long it lasts.

rcarr39

Removing the battery for a while stopped the beeping for me, but it started up again after a week or so. I don't even want battery backup, I just want silence. It's ridiculous that the alarm cannot be silenced permanently.

Verizon support person tells me "Just buy the $35 battery. That'll fix it." Yeah that makes sense, I'm unhappy with your service, so here, let me give you more money for something I don't want.

Verizon, please improve your hardware. Though I'm not sure I'll still be a customer if/when you ever do.

logan81

why Verizon does not pay for the battery:

1. It is not service impacting, technically you can throw the battery down the street and as long as your PSU is plugged in to steady power then your services will work.

2. If it were up to Verizon they probably never would have installed batteries in the first place, but they are required to in order to give people some kind of back up system in the case of power outage (Googe Fiber was smart not offering traditional voice services)

3. Many people now days use cordless phones in their house anyways, which will not work in a power outage even if you have a battery backup (wireless electricity is just not there yet)

Also to respond to what somebody said, I agree there should be an option to have the battery or not in the first place. In fact I thought I heard that in Texas Verizon is doing a trial program with new customer installations where they will give the customer the option to purchase the battery at that time of install or just not have it at all.

logan81

And just a few days after this thread verizon announces this... Beginning in 4Q 2013, New FiOS customers ordering FiOS Digital Voice (FDV) or standalone FiOS Data, Video or Data/Video will be given the option to PURCHASE an ONT Battery. If the customer declines to purchase the Battery, the installation will be completed as scheduled without the installation of an ONT battery backup.

Doitbetter

Why doesn't Verizon show you the battery and the reset button when they install????

I am out of town - the box is in the bedroom closet - behind a shelf - and my wife lost a nights sleep from the battery beeping.

I called Verizon and they were very helpful - they said they can have someone come out in 7-10 days to install a new battery (takes 7-10 days to get the battery because it cannot go overnight). Big Help!

If I had been shown the battery during the installation I would have purchased a new battery ahead of time and made sure the shelf was not over the door as it was when we moved into the condo!

Bad business.

viafax999

Just go and buy a battery at a battery store, it'll be far faster and far cheaper than the Verizon way.

The battery is a UB1270, commonly available. I see them at Amazon for $10.82, I believe the Verizon price is $34 + ?

Arciel

Doitbetter wrote, "If I had been shown the battery during the installation I would have purchased a new battery ahead of time and made sure the shelf was not over the door as it was when we moved into the condo!"

I think Verizon did show me the battery. But I didn't realize the implications a year or so later when an electrician managed to squeeze the new breaker box onto the basement wall just a half inch to the left of the Verizon box. That wasn't a problem until now, when it turns out the battery cover opens TO THE LEFT! Which means, it cannot be opened more than an inch or so.

After snapping a photo and sending it to the Verizon tech support guy while he was on the phone with me, we came up with the simplest solution that didn't involve removing one of the devices that's hard-mounted to the basement wall: hack off the battery cover with a Dremel tool.

I might have to do that at some point, but for now -- because I could squeeze my hand in and temporarily disconnect the battery contacts, following the advice in this thread -- the "Replace Battery" light is off and the beeping has stopped.

Thanks for the info!

Arciel

pushmybutton

Unfortunately, the great fix that is working for most, did not work for me. I unplugged the power, the battery, waited 10 minutes, plugged the battery back in, then the AC power. The red "replace battery" light is still on and the beeping started right back up. However, I live in an area where the power goes out pretty often and the battery back up has been required quite a few times, so my battery life probably is shot. I have no intention in replacing the battery because now I have a back up generator that fires the FIOS up just fine when the power is out.

So with the beeping going every 15 minutes it was really pushing my button. That's it! Push the **bleep** alarm reset button! I took a little rubber suction cup hanger and cut the suction cup part off. That left me with a little rubber round button about a half inch high. I duct taped it over the blue alarm reset button to keep it constantly pushed in and NO MORE BEEPS!!!

beetlejuice2

@pushmybutton wrote:
Unfortunately, the great fix that is working for most, did not work for me. I unplugged the power, the battery, waited 10 minutes, plugged the battery back in, then the AC power. The red "replace battery" light is still on and the beeping started right back up. However, I live in an area where the power goes out pretty often and the battery back up has been required quite a few times, so my battery life probably is shot. I have no intention in replacing the battery because now I have a back up generator that fires the FIOS up just fine when the power is out.
So with the beeping going every 15 minutes it was really pushing my button. That's it! Push the **bleep** alarm reset button! I took a little rubber suction cup hanger and cut the suction cup part off. That left me with a little rubber round button about a half inch high. I duct taped it over the blue alarm reset button to keep it constantly pushed in and NO MORE BEEPS!!!

If you aren't going to replace the battery, disconnect it from the terminals (unplug the negative then positive wires) and the alarm should remain off.

Nken84

Mine didn't need replacing after trying this! Sayonara annoying beeping alarm! I didn't even wait a full 5 minutes before plugging it back in, just popped it back on after a minute or so and VOILA! Glad I don't have to shell out any extra cash right now, I have enough things breaking down all at once!

Seener

I have had FIOS since 2007 and this is the second time my BBU has started beeping. I did the unplug, disconnect and wait ten minutes routine and once again the beeping has stopped.

However, every battery will die at some point so now I am going to order a replacement and keep it on hand.

I know that the beeping drives some people crazy but I actually wish that it beeped four times once every hour rather than one beep every 15 minutes. With only one beep it was hard for me to tell where it was coming from (my BBU is in my garage).

viafax999

You could just disconnect it and leave it disconnected. I believe that will stop it beeping.

ggoldman_VZ

We have launched a new Self Service Troubleshooter Flow this weekend:

Fix Battery Problems:

https://www.verizon.com/ForYourHome/VZRepair/vziha/Servicecad.aspx?ihaweb=FIX_BATT

Please let me know if you have any questions!

- Greg

SoCalHal

@ggoldman_VZ wrote:
We have launched a new Self Service Troubleshooter Flow this weekend:
Fix Battery Problems:
https://www.verizon.com/ForYourHome/VZRepair/vziha/Servicecad.aspx?ihaweb=FIX_BATT
Please let me know if you have any questions!
- Greg

A reboot did not solve my false alarm. Disconnecting the battery negative lead for a minute and then reconnecting it did solve the problem. I suggest you include this step in your troubleshooter flow.

johnsmit

This is a solution for more technical people.

I have been removing the speaker from these units for a few years now in my apartment buildings for complaining tenants.

If you unscrew and open up the battery compartment and remove the circuit board, You can use your ears to track where the beep is coming from. You will find a small black speaker attached on the circuit board. its aprox 1x1cm.

Use pliers to twist and pull it out. be careful not to touch or damage any of the surrounding parts.

I assure you there will be no more beeping after this 😉

CRobGauth

Hopefully you don't do any damage to unit.

And if Verizon has to come service unit, you could get billed for damaging their equipment.

Best solution is to just disconnect the battery.
The beeping will stop.

BelloDragon

I was appalled when I contacted Verizon and was told the solution to the problem was buying a new battery for $40! I DO NOT like being held hostage.......

I only quite coincedentally added phone service a few months ago to have a local charity's phone at my house as a favor to the charity. Otherwise I'd only used cellular. So the battery in my unit was, until a few months ago, of absolutely no purpose to me regarding the services I contracted for from Verizon. It should have never been installed with my unit in the first place! The only purpose of the battery is for limited phone service in a power outage. The battery is superfulous for any other use. The beeping however was awakening me in the middle of the night!

Only removing the battery does not stop the beeping.

I just used this Instructable http://www.instructables.com/id/Silencing-the-Verizon-Battery-Alarm/ and although the configuration of my Fios unit was slightly different the concept for finding the circular alarm on the circut board was the same. I disconnected the battery and removed the alarm, reconnected everything in reverse and all of my service's work without the annoying beeping! (That silence alarm button only worked for 24 hours.) This is a 5 minute job and by no means needs an expert to do it. I did need needle nose pliers to remove the alarm from the circut board due to it's location.

dorisnorth

I removed battery and it is still beeping. I have tried disconnecting various wires but either it has no effect on the beeping or it disconnects the internet. What do I have to disconnect to get it to stop?

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