Unlike applications where sudden power loss causes data loss or other operational issues, power loss to a pharmacy fridge is not such of an issue since the internal temperature is well controlled. In the event of a power cut a solution is simply not to open the fridge. A typical fridge will maintain the internal temperature for around 4 hours in the event of a power cut – provided the door is unopened. However note if the fridge cannot be opened then no medicine in the fridge can be retrieved.
Many laboratory or pharmacy fridges have alarm contacts which can alert to the fact that power has failed and as a result warn users not to open the door. However, a power fail alarm will have to be operated on a secondary power system, such as a battery, due to the obvious fact that a mains powered system would also be rendered inactive during a power outage. Having a battery system, will also require the battery to be maintained in a state of charge. These added complications mean that such alarms are rarely, if ever, implemented.
A pharmacy fridge will be used to house items, typically vaccines, diluents, immunoglobulins and other medicines with temperature requirements. The costs of these medicines can be quite substantial and if the temperature inside the fridge should rise to over +8°C, then, according to the NHS Green Book, the “cold chain” has been broken and these medicines may need to be destroyed. If not destroyed, then a time-consuming process needs to be instigated to determine the effect on the medicine which most likely will include a reduction in the expiry date.
Clearly, protection against sustained power outages has operational and financial benefits.
Fridge Power Consumption
Instead of giving power ratings of the Pharmacy Fridge, the manufacturers specify the energy consumption in KW for a 24 hour period. The method I found for doing this is here: ENERGY STAR® Program Requirements Product Specification for Laboratory Grade Refrigerators and Freezers, and Ultra-Low Temperature Freezers. This value varies from product to product and depends upon a number of factors, including capacity, the type of doors (glass or solid etc.) and the configuration (bench top, under counter etc.). Typically these figures are around 1KW/24 hour for a typical small system in a typical pharmacy. See Note 1.
The test schedule includes opening the fridge door for a period of 15 seconds (plus an additional 4 seconds for opening and closing), 3 times an hour each hour for 8 consecutive hours. This is useful as it allows us to specify a UPS runtime that will allow a degree of use of the fridge during an extended outage.
A typical fridge compressor has a power draw of around 200W, and will require a sine-wave inverter to ensure correct operation.
UPS Selection
In the table below I’ve created a lookup for the number of hours of runtime you could expect (and remember this includes periodically opening the door) given the energy rating of the pharmacy fridge.
The PF-S-Li products are units ideal for Pharma Fridge applications. The units contain an internal high capacity Lithium Ion battery offering long runtimes, long life and low weight. The PF1200S-Li has a continuous power rating of 1200W, but with a surge rating of 2400W. This allows it to easily deal with the inrush current generated by the compressors of the fridges.
Achievable Runtime in hours:
Energy Rating (KWhr/24hr)
Equivalent Watts
PF1200Li Expected Runtime
0.5
21
>24 hrs
0.75
32
21 hrs
1
42
16 hrs
1.5
63
10 hrs
2
84
8hrs
2.5
105
6hrs
3
125
5hrs
3.5
146
4hrs
4
167
4hrs
4.5
188
3hrs
5
209
3hrs
Contact us to enquire about UPS for Pharma Fridge Applications.
The PF1200S-Li has superb surge rating of twice its capacity for 5 seconds allowing it to cope with the inrush demands of high performance refrigeration units. It also has the benefit of fast recharge and can be connected to a solar panel array. Connectivity is via 4xUK socket outlets and it even boasts a wireless charging pad, USB A and USB C outlets. In addition to powering the fridge it can also provide battery backed power for ancillary devices.
Note 1: I’ve used what manufacturers are displaying on their spec sheets in order to avoid confusion, however the correct term should in fact be kilowatt hours per 24 hour period eg. kWh/24
Power Inspired launch the iPower-DC2 – a DC UPS designed to provide long runtimes on telecommunications equipment. Not only will this keep equipment going in mission critical applications following a power outage – it allows FTTP (Fibre To The Premises) companies to have compliance with OFCOM guidance on providing telephony services for an hour following a power outage. 1
The Power Inspired existing iPower-H is a fantastic solution for this, and indeed is used in many thousands of installations for that very purpose, however with the increased power demands of routers and hubs the need for a more powerful and higher runtime unit became apparent.
Most DC based IT products are 12V, however a proportion are 9V powered and some even 24V. Furthermore, more essential equipment is being powered via USB. In addition several separate boxes can be required in an installation requiring several connections. The iPower-DC2 encompasses all these scenarios with adjustable 9V, 12V or 24V operation, a 2A USB port and 5 DC jack outlets. An adapter can also be used for affixing to a DIN rail on the wall or in a cabinet.
Runtime is impressive with a 10,000mAh Lithium Ion battery pack delivering over an hours runtime at 25W. Full safety is ensured by using UN38.3 certified cells, and with full battery protection circuitry – the battery pack is monitored for overcharge, over-discharge and over-current.
Operation is simple. Set the Voltage Selector switch to the nominal voltage of your power supply and plug in. The iPower-DC2 will start automatically and provide continuous power to the connected loads. If the DC power is unavailable the iPower-DC2 can be cold started – to basically act as a power bank.
To save needless expense and waste, the iPower-DC2 is intended to be used with the AC/DC adapter that comes with the equipment to be protected. However it can be provided with a suitable AC adapter within the same box and any additional leads required. It comes as standard with two 30cm DC-DC leads with sprung connectors suitable for 2.1 or 2.5mm input jacks.
Battery Life or “design life” of a battery is based on average use at room temperature (20-25°C) operation. For a modest UPS System, the design life is typically 5 years. Since, UPS applications are standby applications, the batteries are float charged, and the life is also referred to as “float life”.
The moist gel interior of VRLA batteries dries up over time, gradually reducing the effectiveness until the battery capacity is no longer viable for the application. This is why batteries will wear out regardless of how well they are maintained.
Typically, you have around 200 charge/discharge cycles in a 5 year design life battery. This is because the charge and discharge process involves a chemical reaction and this causes corrosion within the battery itself.
As this limit is approached the battery capacity starts to tail off, and can become very low very quickly. You can see that if a battery is used daily for example, the life expectancy is lower than one year.
Note how cycle life can be extended significantly by reducing the battery depth of discharge
Sulphation
If the battery is allowed to stand unused for a prolonged period of time, lead sulphate crystals form- blocking recharge. If this happens the UPS charger is usually incapable of recharging these batteries. It is possible to sometimes recover such batteries using high charging voltages that break down the sulphate but also having a current limited charger. Temperature monitoring is also required and as such, this is beyond the scope of most UPS built in chargers.
Sulphation occurs mainly when batteries are allowed to stand in an uncharged state. This is why it is important to have your UPS charged as soon as possible after an outage.
Heat
The float life of batteries is rapidly reduced with heat, and I mean rapidly.
HIGH TEMPERATURE will reduce battery service life often quite dramatically, and in extreme cases can cause Thermal Runaway, resulting in high oxygen/hydrogen gas production and battery swelling. Batteries are irrecoverable from this condition and should be replaced.
Based on this, if the batteries are locked in a cupboard with little ventilation and temperatures allowed to build, for example to 50°C, then a 5 year float life battery would be expected to last no more than 6 months, regardless of how it has been used.
Thermal runaway results on VRLA battery
Battery Life Conclusions
A battery cannot be expected to last in excess of its design life so schedule a replacement before this.
Regular cycling of the battery will diminish its performance. If your application is for regular charge/discharge cycles then the life expectancy reduction needs to be considered.
Avoid heat build up. Ensure the UPS and batteries are well ventilated with adequate air flow though the air intakes. Ensure vents are free from a build up of dust and the UPS is not in direct sunlight.
Always recharge the batteries as soon as possible after an outage to prevent the possibility of sulphation.
Our client runs a campus environment and has been suffering from regular outages on his CCTV equipment. Throughout the campus the CCTV cameras get their power directly from the street lights. This meant that a UPS solution would not have to power just the CCTV, but the lights as well.
Another problem is that space is a real issue. A competitor had visited this site and had proposed a UPS solution that would fit in a pre-fabricated cabinet outside the comms room, and this would keep the system up and running for a good 12 hours or so. Hmm, this seemed real overkill and a more cost effective solution would be to fit a small UPS within the comms cabinet and use a generator outside. This was a better solution, but not what the client wanted to pursue. Discussing this with the client it became apparent that having the system up and running for 12 hours was more of a wish list than a real requirement. In fact about an hour to 90 minutes would be acceptable. What else can we do?
The site has the street lights split into three zones, each powered from a single phase. This necessitated the use of a three phase UPS System, although the entire power consumption was in the region of 3000W or so. Our standard 10KVA 3phase UPS, the VFI33-10KT would provide around 20 minutes runtime. Not long enough.
Fitting a battery pack comprising a +/-120V strings with 36Ah capacity did the job exactly with a calculated 102 mins of runtime. There’s the solution, now where’s it going to go?
The comms room was a bit of a squeeze. And calling it a comms room is also a bit misleading. It was more of an out-house than anything. The UPS could possibly fit, but then getting in would be a challenge. As luck would have it another outhouse was nearby that we could wire the UPS to. Bring on the electricians.
A schematic was made up, discussed with the site electrician and a plan put in place to minimise downtime. Phase 1, the electrician would run cables to the outhouse and fit the UPS input and output breaker panels. Phase 2, UPS installation, leaving it in bypass mode. Phase 3 involved unavoidable downtime where the power feeds to the cameras needed to be diverted to the UPS.
Once this was completed, the UPS internal bypass made sure that power was still being presented to the CCTV. All that was left was for Power Inspired to come back to site and commission the UPS System. Take it out of bypass and switch it online. All completed without any downtime.
Happy days, over 90minutes autonomy for a CCTV UPS application from a 10KVA 3phase UPS System with additional battery cab.
Need any idea how long your UPS will last for? Eg How much runtime will you get out of your UPS? Then this UPS Runtime Calculator is just what you need.
You’ll need to know how much power (in Watts) your UPS is delivering. Then you’ll need to know how many battery blocks and of what Ampere Hour capacity are in your UPS.
This calculator is based upon 12V blocks only and will only accept integer values. So, if you have one single 6V battery of 12Ah capacity, then you’ll need to say it’s a 12V 6Ah battery. If the spec of your battery is not in Ampere Hours but Watt Hours, then as a very rough guide divide the Wh rating by 4 to get the Ah. If you have 7.2Ah or 8.5Ah then if you round down this will give you a minimum, and round up will give you a maximum.
Note, the calculator is approximate. There are no assumptions made on standby current consumption and inverter efficiency. These will be different for different UPS and also different at different load levels. Please just use as a guide. For example if you have an AC load of 1000W, the calculator makes no allowance for DC to AC conversion losses. This allows you to add your own. For example if your system uses 5W in standby, and has an efficiency of 90% then for a 1000W AC load, use 1000 / 0.9 + 5 = 1116W.
If your load varies over time, you’ll need to estimate the average power consumption. You’ll need to size a UPS to meet the maximum power draw expected, but calculate the runtime based upon the average power consumption.
UPS Runtime Calculator
If you want to select a UPS to meet load and runtime calculators please use the UPS Selection Tool.
If you’ve used the UPS Runtime Calculator please leave a comment or drop us a line with any ideas.
Did you know BS7671:2018 Requirements for Electrical Installations, a.k.a. The IET Wiring Regulations 18th Edition states that any socket outlet 32A and under must be protected by a Residual Current Device (RCD)?
Section 4.11.3 is the Requirements for fault protection. Subclause 4.11.3.3 entitled “Additional requirements for socket outlets and for the supply of mobile equipment for use outdoors” states:
In AC systems, additional protection by means of an RCD with a rated residual operating current not exceeding 30mA shall be provided for:
(i) socket-outlets with a rated current not exceeding 32A
BS7671:2018 Section 4.11.3.3
In other words any socket outlet that you plug anything into (basically anything powered from a 13A outlet, or up to 8KVA Systems on Commandos) must have an RCD protecting that circuit. There are exceptions to this, dwellings excepted, but only following a documented risk assessment which clearly states why an RCD would not be necessary.
Purpose of RCDs.
An RCD works differently to a miniature circuit breaker (MCB) or fuse. An MCB renders devices safe in the event of an overload, or short circuit to earth. They are rated in Amps, generally in stages from 1-32A. RCDs work by tripping on an earth leakage fault typically of 30mA. This is a fault current of up to 1000 times smaller than the MCB! RCDs are useful as certain hazards can exist in the event of a fault that will not trip an MCB. Typically this involves applications that are, or may, come into contact with water.
Earth leakage is a small current that stems from phase conductors to earth. This causes an imbalance between live and neutral and it is this imbalance that RCDs detect. If the earth leakage is high enough on an appliance due to a fault or water contact then the equipment chassis can deliver a dangerous “touch current” if a user touches it. The RCD is there to protect against this scenario. If your application has water involved, then it is very difficult for a risk assessment to justify the omission of an RCD from the electrical infrastructure unless other safety measures are taken.
Isolation Transformer
An isolation transformer, by its very nature will stop RCDs from tripping – even in the event of an earth fault. See Isolation Transformers – what you need to know for further reference on this. However this isn’t a problem. In fact, the isolation transformer can make the installation more safe than with the RCD alone. Even a device with a fault can be touched by a user without any hazard occurring. Unless – and I can’t stress this point enough – the isolation transformer has the output Neutral and Earth bonded!
N-E bonds are not there for safety, but rather for noise rejection performance by establishing a zero volt neutral-earth voltage. Isolation transformers in conjunction with UPS Systems provide a very resilient power protection solution. However, in order to ensure the system is safe, then you should not bond the N-E. Our isolated UPS systems leave the system floating, providing true isolation and an inherently safe electrical environment. If you use a N-E bonded system and no risk assessment has been carried out to determine that no RCD is necessary then this contravenes the requirements of BS7671:2018.
Decision Flowchart
Start by asking if there is a documented Risk Assessment as to why there is no need for an RCD on a socket outlet. If there is, then you’re good to go and any UPS is good for this scenario. You can use isolated (floating or N-E bonded) or non-isolated depending upon your requirements.
If there is no risk assessment in place then we check if there is an RCD fitted. If not, or unknown, then in order to provide the safest environment, the solution is a truly floating isolated UPS. Granted, if no RCD is in place, fitting any UPS does not make the situation less safe, it’s just that a floating isolated UPS does make it safe.
If there is an RCD fitted, and no risk assessment has been carried out, then you must not use any NE bonded system NOTE 1. This removes the safety aspect of the RCD.
Conclusion
According to the 2018 Wiring regulations there needs to be an RCD fitted on any sub 32A circuit. This will cause power to be removed if earth leakage of over 30mA is detected. Any standard UPS will not interfere with the operation of the RCD, however an isolated UPS will prevent the RCD from operating.
However, a floating isolated system, where Neutral and Earth are not connected provides a safe electrical environment. In situations where an RCD should be installed, for example there is water required by the application, and the electrical infrastructure is unknown (for example older installations to which RCD was not a mandatory requirement), floating isolated UPS provide the ideal solution.
An isolated UPS that is floating renders RCDs ineffective but provides enhanced safety by removing any touch current hazard.
On the other hand, a N-E bonded UPS system not only negates an RCD but does not make safe any scenario to which the RCD was required to protect against. There’s a reason for section 4.11.3.3 of BS7671 and this situation violates it.
An isolated UPS with a Neutral and Earth Bond renders RCDs ineffective and does not protect against hazards for which the RCD is intended.
NOTE 1: Unless a secondary RCD is fitted to the output of the UPS.
Many moons ago we blogged about BS8418:2010 (Installation and remote monitoring of detector-activated CCTV systems, Code of Practice) and the requirements for UPS Systems. That standard stated:
Unless the mains power supply is supplemented with a stand-by generator, an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) must be able to power the CCTV control equipment and communications devices for a minimum of 4 hours after mains power failure. Where the mains power is supplemented by a stand-by generator, the UPS needs to be capable of providing stand-by power for a minimum of 30 minutes after mains power failure (for example if the stand-by generator does not start).
The 2015 revision relaxed this somewhat, allowing for a documented threat assessment and risk analysis to determine whether a UPS is required or not. That said, it is difficult to state how any threats or risks are mitigated against a loss of power without a UPS, so the requirement for UPS Systems is likely still to remain in BS8418:2015 installations.
If a UPS is used as the “alternative power source” then this has been changed from a 4 hour requirement to a 30minute requirement when supporting control equipment and data transmission devices. However the standby power capability for the detectors and semi-wired detectors remains at 4hours.
Find a UPS Solution
Enter in your load power and how long you need the UPS to provide backup power for. The UPS Selector will identify any UPS that meet your requirements.
You can filter the selection based upon required features, by clicking the checkbox. Many models are available to by online from our webstore but contact us using the form below for specific requirements or for other products not available to purchase online.
Electricity is mainly generated by turning a large magnet through coils of wire. This induces a clean sinusoidal waveform that can be transmitted down cables, stepped up and down using transformers, to eventually find it’s way into our homes, offices and factories. Along the way, however, some power virusescan interfere with this clean power and cause your equipment power problems. Some problems are obvious, and others not so. There’s generally accepted to be 9 power problems but there’s another problem which is often overlooked and we make it 10.
1. The Blackout
This is one of the most obvious power problems. A complete loss of power. Caused by a variety of reasons, tripped breakers, fuses blown, faults on the utility line, the list goes on. Some power cuts are brief lasting only a moment, for example lightning striking a power line causing protection equipment to operate and then reset. Some may be for hours or days, for example when a cable is dug up by accident. Others last until the breaker is reset. Whatever the cause a sudden loss of power is clearly undesirable for electrical equipment.
Oops!
Only a UPS System can protect against black outs. Your choice of UPS will depend upon the load you are protecting and the amount of time you need support for.
2. The Power Sag
Also known as a power dip, this is where the power momentarily drops. It’s usually caused by the start up of heavy electrical equipment. Other causes include overloads on the network, or utility switching. Note that the plant that is causing the power sag may not be in your building but sharing the same substation. The severity of the dip will impact equipment in different ways. Some equipment will have a natural ability to cope for momentary dips where others will shut down or reset.
You will need a UPS System to protect against a power sag.
3. The Voltage Surge
Some call it a spike, but in any event it’s a short term high voltage on the power line. Usually caused by lightning, which doesn’t have to be a direct hit on the power lines but nearby causing the spike to be induced onto them. The surges are generally destructive in nature as most equipment is not designed to protect against them.
This is where the voltage drops below 10% of the nominal voltage for an extended period of time. This is caused by high demand on the network. The effect is more pronounced the further you are away from the electrical substation. In fact, in rural areas this can be a problem when switching on everyday appliances such as ovens or electric showers. Brown outs affect different equipment in different ways. Computer systems tend to be able to cope well with brown outs as the switch mode power supplies have a wider input voltage. Other equipment that relies on a stable AC source such as lighting, motors or heating will not fare so well. Equipment with linear power supplies such as in high end AV applications may fail entirely.
In order to protect against a brown out you will need some form of voltage regulation. A line interactive UPS System incorporates a boost function to raise the voltage higher by a fixed percentage to bring it into the nominal range. It does this without needing to revert to battery operation.
5. Over Voltage
Also known as a voltage swell this power problem is caused when the demand on the network is lower than normal. This causes the output voltage from the substation to rise. This is a problem when the voltage is over 10% of the nominal. The effects of over voltage can range from overheating, diminished equipment life to complete equipment failure. It’s the inverse of the brown out in that the closer you are to the substation the more pronounced the effect will be.
Similar to the brown out you will need some form of voltage regulation. A line interactive UPS System incorporates a buck function to lower the voltage by a fixed percentage to bring it back into the nominal range.
6. Electrical Noise
This is generally noise between the live and neutral conductors and is called normal mode noise. Its caused by radio frequency interference (RFI) or electro-magnetic interference (EMI). This is usually from electronic devices with high switching speeds. Since the noise carries little energy it generally does not cause damage but rather disruption in the function of other electronic systems. Some filters may remove this, but this is not always effective. The best way to eliminate noise is to recreate the output waveform and this can only be done with an online double conversion UPS System.
7. Frequency Variation
Frequency variation can’t occur on the utility as this would require all the power stations in the country to suddenly change frequency. In fact, the frequency on the national grade is very tightly maintained at 50Hz. However, when you’re not connected to the utility and instead relying on a portable (or even large scale) generator then this can be an issue. As the load increases on the generator and in particular sudden large power draws from them causes the motor to slow down and hence change the output frequency. Some equipment won’t be affected by this at all but it can cause damage to other systems, particularly those with motors or other inductive devices.
More severe than electrical noise, switching transients are very fast high voltage spikes induced onto the power conductors. Caused by the switching off of inductive loads and variable speed drive systems. Such power problems may not be immediately damaging but they can cause degradation of devices subjected to them, particularly if the transient is of high enough voltage.
A surge suppressor can help if the magnitude of the transient is high enough, but these only work at levels above the nominal voltage. This means you could still have a transient of many hundreds of volts entering your equipment. Like with electrical noise a filter will help, but can only reduce a transient not eliminate it. The only way to be sure to eliminate the transient is with the online double conversion UPS System.
9. Harmonic Distortion
Harmonic distortion is where the supply voltage varies from a pure sine wave. The amount of variation is a measurement called the Total Harmonic Distortion or THD. Since we’re talking about voltage we call it THDv, not to be confused with THDi which is a measure of the distortion of input current which is a different thing entirely.
It is generally caused by non-linear loads. These are types of loads that don’t take current in a smooth sinusoidal fashion but instead take it in large chunks. Depending on supply characteristics these chunks of current cause a greater or lesser degree of distortion on the supply voltage. This causes problems for motors and transformers with hum and overheating. In three phase supplies harmonic distortion can actually cause the burning out of neutral conductors and surprise tripping of circuit breakers. Again the only way to eliminate harmonic distortion from your load is to use the online double conversion UPS System.
Summary
That’s the main generally accepted 9 power problems that can cause issues for electrical and electronic equipment. But wait, didn’t I say there was a tenth?
10. Common Mode Noise
This power problem is often overlooked and can cause equipment malfunction. It’s defined as electrical noise between the earth conductor and the live/neutral conductors. Even an online UPS System may not eliminate common mode noise. This is because it is normal practice to have the neutral conductor connected through the UPS from input to output. So although any noise between the live conductor and ground would be taken care of, any noise between neutral and ground is passed straight through to the load.
In a modern electrical infrastructure this generally may not be a problem since the neutral and earth are tied together at the distribution board. This shorts them together and in theory eliminates any voltage or noise between them. However, particularly on long circuits with a lot of equipment on them, voltages can start to be created and common mode noise becomes an issue. Hospital laboratories are a prime example of this.
The way to solve common mode power problems is to isolate the load from the supply. This is exactly what the TX Series does. The in-built isolation transformer creates a new live and neutral, and the online double conversion technology then ensures a high quality stable output. An an added advantage the isolation transformer can provide a safety shield against electric shock which is particularly important in applications where water and electricity may mix. Again, hospital laboratories are a prime candidate. Thus the TX Series can also be defined as Laboratory UPS System. Click for further information on the isolation transformer.
The new summary is this. If you need to provide the highest degrees of power protection against power problems and viruses then the UPS Technology choice should be online double conversion, and the load should be isolated. Choose the TX Series Isolated UPS System.
For the highest degrees of power protection the TX Series of Isolated UPS from 1-10KVA
This article looks at GPON ONT UPS solutions, why you need them and what the solution is. GPON is the acronym for Gigabit Passive Optical Network and is used in “last mile” broadband distribution to provide “Fibre To The Home” or FTTH. Once in your home, the fibre is terminated with an Optical Network Termination device or ONT. If you want to read more about this then try this GPON Fundamentals, but seriously you don’t have to.
What GPON allows is seriously fast broadband into your home but there is a drawback – and it’s nothing to do with broadband, it’s to do with power.
In a typical broadband connection you have copper wires coming into your house. These wires carry a 50V supply which originates from the telephone exchange. This allows the ability to make (and receive) landline calls from your telephone service during a power outage. Essential during any emergency.
GPON however uses fibre optic cables. These cables are made from glass, and glass if you didn’t know is a very bad conductor of electricity (in fact a very good insulator) and so it is impossible to deliver power from the telephone exchange to your home or office. Of course, the result of this is that in the event of a power outage you are unable to make or receive any landline calls.
Depending upon circumstances this may not be too much of an issue. Mobile devices have largely removed the need for landline telephones, however in areas of poor signal quality the need for a landline is paramount.
What’s more, services such as Skype, FaceTime, WhatsApp etc., will also fail as the GPON ONT will be without power and therefore your home or office without internet connection. As well as the fact that you would have to deal with restless children not being able to play on their tablet devices, workers twiddling thumbs etc., there is a more serious note in that you may be completely cut off from any form of communications.
An Uninterruptible Power Supply can provide back up power for just such an eventuality, and for 12V supplied ONTs the iPower is the ideal GPON ONT UPS solution. The iPower has a 12V 2.1A output and in most cases will replace the supplied power supply that came with your ONT. This means that the unit occupies no additional space and simply plugs into your device.
The iPower can provide up to an hour or more back up, depending upon the power requirements of the ONT, enough to protect against the majority of power cuts, or allow you to make an important emergency call in the event of something more serious. For longer runtimes the iPower-HD (coming soon) can provide hours if not days of runtime, or a standard AC system may suffice.
