Beeping FiOS terminal After Battery was Removed

[cpapir]

After our FIOS only connection started the routine of two beeps about every 30 minutes, I removed the battery. Tech support said this would solve the problem and that no battery replacement was needed in our case b/c we were using FIOS without a land line phone connection. 

But, the beeping has continued, and any thoughts on what to try next to stop the beeps would be appreciated.

[RTNevins]

I had beeping in my house for a few days last week.  It took me a while to realize it was not a smoke detector or a UPS.  In my case, the FIOS base station was indeed beeping and a red light indicated battery replacement was needed.  I went to the Battery Warehouse on Gude Drive and got a new battery of Friday.  I installed installed it that afternoon and the beeping and light stopped.

I think the tech gave you incorrect information if you were told just to remove the battery, or maybe your understanding was off.  The battery has to be replaced!  My new battery cost me some $28 or so.

— RTNevins

[smith6612]

Not all of the ONTs stop beeing when you remove the battery. Those ONTs simply need a new battery. $20-30 and you've got yourself multiple years of life where you should not hear a thing from the ONT unless the battery undergoes a deep discharge.

[Szyphoid]

WE have to buy a new battery for a piece of equipment we don’t own?

[lasagna]

Yeah ... and what's with Verizon not replacing the batteries in their remote control when the wear out either?  :Sarcasm:

Seriously though, the battery is classified as "user servicable equipment" in the FiOS contract you agree to at installation.   Verizon gives you one as part of the initial install and will replace it within the first year (warranty) but after that it's your responsibility just like anything else you buy which takes batteries (the manufacturer often includes the first one, but after that it's your responsibility to replace them).   By the same token, if you discontinue FiOS service, you would have every reason to expect you could keep "your" battery if you replaced it.

As some have indicated, you don't absolutely need it, but without it you have no battery backup if your local power fails.  I've personally not encountered any units that couldn't have the alarm silenced, but then there are numerous models and I'm sure I haven't seen them all.   What I've heard most from folks who run without the battery is that it will start beeping again every once in a while -- but in almost every case, when I asked them to think about it, they also remembered having to reset the clock on their microwave, etc. around the same time -- which means the unit simply lost power and went back to beeping as a default.  

UPS batteries cost more than regular batteries because they are rechargable, but they also last for four or five years under normal circumstances.  I've had my current one going on 5 years without any issues.  At around $20 or so to replace it, it's no big deal.

[Hubrisnxs]

as low as 12 dollars at amazon.com

search  12v    7.2ah sealed lead acid battery  f2 connector 

[mpnret]

There is more to consider than just the cost of a replacement battery. My FIOS equiopment consumes about $40 per year in electricity with the battery in. It only consumes about $15 per year with the battery removed. So it's costing $25 per year just to keep that battery charged. If you only have internet and TV (no phone) I see no reason to keep the battery.

[downstate]

I agree, I do not need the BBU and removed it, but the beeping has not stopped.  Any suggestions??

[smith6612]

---

@lasagna wrote:

Yeah ... and what's with Verizon not replacing the batteries in their remote control when the wear out either?

Seriously though, the battery is classified as "user servicable equipment" in the FiOS contract you agree to at installation.   Verizon gives you one as part of the initial install and will replace it within the first year (warranty) but after that it's your responsibility just like anything else you buy which takes batteries (the manufacturer often includes the first one, but after that it's your responsibility to replace them).   By the same token, if you discontinue FiOS service, you would have every reason to expect you could keep "your" battery if you replaced it.

As some have indicated, you don't absolutely need it, but without it you have no battery backup if your local power fails.  I've personally not encountered any units that couldn't have the alarm silenced, but then there are numerous models and I'm sure I haven't seen them all.   What I've heard most from folks who run without the battery is that it will start beeping again every once in a while -- but in almost every case, when I asked them to think about it, they also remembered having to reset the clock on their microwave, etc. around the same time -- which means the unit simply lost power and went back to beeping as a default.  

UPS batteries cost more than regular batteries because they are rechargable, but they also last for four or five years under normal circumstances.  I've had my current one going on 5 years without any issues.  At around $20 or so to replace it, it's no big deal.

---

Same deal with Alarm Systems, laptops, computer CMOS batteries, mobile phones, cordless phones, or vehicles for that matter. They always include a battery, but when they start to go bad, it's the user's job to replace it or to pay to get someone to replace it.  From my own experience, a well-kept Sealed Car battery will last 5-8 years. Up north where I am, the batteries if you discharge them enough do die faster when it's cold out, but that's really it. My alarm system for my home had a sealed battery last 8 years, even after it had a few deep discharges after a few lengthy power outages. That thing only started giving us problems a few months ago. I simply went to the store, picked up a new battery and installed it to the panel to stop the alarm panels from going off at 4AM during an intense video gaming event. I expect that to last just as long. My laptop battery, despite being 3 years old and being through a few deep discharges, has only lost 19% of the capacity it is able to carry. The machine still runs for 4 hurs, but I can't expect Dell to go replace the battery past the 30 day battery warranty (as after all, I could be ruining the battery before the warranty ran out by deep discharging it! The battery won't degrade enough in a month to claim it as defective). I simply go online, get the $50 battery, and replace it.

So ultimately, it's the same deal with Verizon. If you don't want to replace batteries for the ONT every several years, I would suggest getting Verizon to hook you back up with Copper service. The battery changing is then their responsibility as mandated by law for the upkeep of the copper telephone service. Verizon was kind enough to at least supply one for your convenience during a power outage, and for the protection of that expensive ONT. They aren't mandated to since their end of the network will always work up to the ONT, as COs don't lose power unless they are flooded or cannot generate their own any longer. The cable company in my area is also under no obligation to ensure phone service works, either. Since they offer a VoIP Product, while the nodes are battery backed to prevent power blimps from killing their equipment, the Phone/Modem Gateways they hand out do not have batteries handed out along with them. If you want to make the modem run, you'll need a UPS or a compatible battery which will be your responsibility anyways. Also, cell phone service is also not guaranteed out here during an outage. Though the cell sites have batteries and Diesel generators to run them, some of the sites do not run for very long during an outage. Usually, old batteries that have died too often, or a diesel generator that will not start for whatever reason. They're under no obligation to make sure those towers work during an outage, either. For mobile phones, the carrier is under no obligation as well to ensure your phone gets days of runtime out of it. Most smartphones can barely manage a day of usage out of them on a brand new battery if used a decent amount. Either way when the battery dies or gets weakened, you have to change it out.

[dareynol33584]

But the problem is the battery isn't even needed in the OPs situation. I'm in the same boat: internet only, no phone service. The battery in the ONT supplies backup power to the PHONE ONLY, NOT THE INTERNET. I've only had Fios for two years and the battery died about 4 months ago. There is an alarm silence button on the ONT power supply, but it does not seem to work in this case.

[lasagna]

Actually the "phone" side also includes the portion of the ONT which drives the fiber optics (over which the internet rides) and also prevents a power "blip" from causing the ONT to reset and thus lose any logs or diagnostic information it may have.   So, there is value in having the battery even without phone service.

As others have pointed out ... people are being penny wise and pound foolish here.  It's less than $20 for something which needs replaced once every four or five years.

[smith6612]

The key thing about the battery, even if the phone service isn't even being used is that it is protecting expensive equipment as well. The BBU is essentially a UPS and is meant to feed the ONT a constant supply of power. Small power blips, like the frequent brown-outs we get here during our wind storms because of how open it is does take their toll on computer equipment, and can get low enough to cause gear to reboot or error out. You're essentially protecting gear that, if it gets damaged or destroyed due to a blip or small spike, will obviously result in a loss of services and isn't exactly a nice bill to foot if Verizon wasn't covering it. Fiber gear 'aint cheap. Look at the cost to get a fiber card installed on a PCI Express bus for a PC.

Phone service or not though, the battery is a very small part of the puzzle. With how little it should be replaced I can't see how it would be a problem to do so. Alarm panels, even if they don't have a company standing by to respond to an incident or are ever armed, still are "in use" until completely removed or powered down. As such, they will require a good battery to operate which also protects the unit. It isn't just a matter of being there to annoy people when it goes bad or to protect logs on an ONT.

[Hubrisnxs]

that's a pretty hefty cost, most places are a lot less than 40 a year for the ont.

http://forums.verizon.com/t5/FiOS-TV-Technical-Assistance/FiOS-Energy-Consumption-Energy-Star/m-p/40...

http://lancej.blogspot.com/2008/03/verizon-fios-electricity-use.html

---

my Kill-o-Watt watt meter reported that there was a 16 watt load on the circuit. And since Verizon's box is powered and plugged in 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, 16 watts would quickly add up to roughly 140 kilowatt hours per year:

calculation: 16 watts x 8760 hours per year ÷ 1000 = 140.16 KWH/Year

How much does 140 Kilowatt-hours cost in dollars and cents? Here's a table that shows how much that would cost per year based on recent residential electricity rates (source: DOE. State Electricity Profiles, 2006 Edition):

State	¢/KWH		$/Year
Alabama	7.07		$9.91
Alaska	12.84		18.00
Arizona	8.24		11.55
Arkansas	6.99		9.80
California	12.82		17.97
Colorado	7.61		10.67
Connecticut	14.83		20.79
Delaware	10.13		14.20
Wash. DC	11.08		15.53
Florida	10.45		14.65
Georgia	7.63		10.69
Hawaii	20.72		29.04
Idaho	4.92		6.90
Illinois	7.07		9.91
Indiana	6.46		9.05
Iowa	7.01		9.83
Kansas	6.89		9.66
Kentucky	5.43		7.61
Louisiana	8.3		11.63
Maine	11.8		16.54
Maryland	9.95		13.95
Massachusetts	15.45		21.65
Michigan	8.14		11.41
Minnesota	6.98		9.78
Mississippi	8.33		11.68
Missouri	6.3		8.83
Montana	6.91		9.69
Nebraska	6.07		8.51
Nevada	9.63		13.50
New Hampshire	13.84		19.40
New Jersey	11.88		16.65
New Mexico	7.37		10.33
New York	15.27		21.40
North Carolina	7.53		10.55
North Dakota	6.21		8.70
Ohio	7.71		10.81
Oklahoma	7.3		10.23
Oregon	6.53		9.15
Pennsylvania	8.68		12.17
Rhode Island	13.98		19.59
South Carolina	6.98		9.78
South Dakota	6.7		9.39
Tennessee	6.97		9.77
Texas	10.34		14.49
Utah	5.99		8.40
Vermont	11.37		15.94
Virginia	6.86		9.61
Washington	6.14		8.61
West Virginia	5.04		7.06
Wisconsin	8.13		11.40
Wyoming	5.27		7.39

[mpnret]

Actually my ONT cost was fairly close to what you posted. My estimate was $15./year (also based on my kill a watt meter). I am in NJ and the chart you posted had $16.55 for NJ. The real cost is the BBU not the ONT. Plug the battery in and it goes up to about $40./year.

Also the rate for NJ in your chart is wrong. It looks like it is only the basic generation charge and does not include the delivery charge. I do realize the rates are from 2006 but in NJ rates in 2006  were .099631/KWH generation charge plus .066442/KWH delivery service charge for a total rate of .166/KWH. Today's rate is .10619770/KWH generation charge plus .059503/KWH delivery service charge for a total rate of .166/KWH.  Wow no change in 6 years.

Being NJ is wrong, I wouldn't be surprised if the whole chart is just generation charges and not delivery charges which would make all the costs appear lower than they actually are.

[majorml · Accepted solution]

This from 2015 article in USA Today (but I have not tried it yet):

If you disconnect the battery, the Fios “battery backup unit” should stop nagging you about replacing it.

That’s “should” but not “will,” because the answer depends on the age of the Fios hardware in question, Verizon spokesman Harry Mitchell explained. If yours was installed after March 2013, it’s already programmed to silence the battery-replacement alarm if you pull the battery.

With an older unit, Mitchell’s advice was to experiment: “Try pulling the battery; it won’t harm anything and, if the alarm goes quiet, it’s problem solved.”

If you get a different result and your Fios installation is as old or as older as mine, you should try asking Verizon for a replacement battery-backup unit. Mitchell said Verizon will replace “early-generation” backup devices at no charge.

[LawrenceC]

As this thread is now over two years old, it will be locked in order to keep discussions current. If you have the same or a similar question/issue we invite you to start a new thread on the topic.