While Tipmont’s electric service reliability is routinely above 99.9%, occasional outages are inevitable. With a few strategic preparations, your Tipmont fiber-optic internet service will often still work.
Power outages usually stem from infrastructure damage, such as a tree falling on a line. Tipmont’s fiber-optic lines are Kevlar-encased to protect against physical stress because they are more time-consuming and expensive to repair. Where an electric line may break, the adjacent fiber-optic line will often remain undamaged.
Assuming fiber-optic infrastructure is undamaged, the key is providing backup power for your optical network terminal or ONT, also known as a router or modem. The most common and effective solution is an Uninterruptible Power Supply, or UPS.
A UPS is a battery backup that plugs into the wall with your ONT plugged into the UPS. During an electric outage, the UPS provides power from its batteries. Choose a UPS with enough power capacity (measured in volt-amps, or VA) to handle your ONT and any other devices you may need to power. Most UPS devices in this range cost $100 to $300.
In my home, I use a 1,500VA/1,000W CyberPower UPS. The Tipmont-provided ONT has a power rating of 36W, so that UPS will power the ONT for about two hours. It has six battery-backup and surge-protected outlets to power additional devices. However, each additional device plugged in will shorten the battery backup window.
Before a power outage, test your UPS setup to ensure it’s working correctly and understand how long it can power your devices. Also remember that any mesh units in your home to extend WiFi coverage will not provide WiFi without a separate battery backup, so wireless coverage will be limited to the original ONT signal area.
There are other ways to stay connected during a power outage, such as cellular data or a whole-home generator. But for me, a UPS is the most affordable option I can control in my home.
