topic Re: Question About Digital Phone Service in Community Chat

Question About Digital Phone Service

Marp — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 00:20:22 GMT

For those that have digital phone service does your carrier provide backup power for when the power goes out and how long does it last?

Re: Question About Digital Phone Service

Irshgrl31201 — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 00:24:26 GMT

@Marp wrote:
For those that have digital phone service does your carrier provide backup power for when the power goes out and how long does it last?

We have our phone through TWC and when the power is out the modem and wifi is out and we cannot use it. We do have back up power system for our house though but I do not know how that would work if you didn't.

You can purchase back up batteries that will work for 8-24hrs I hear but TWC does not offer them. You buy them seperately.

Re: Question About Digital Phone Service

Irshgrl31201 — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 00:26:20 GMT

Here is some more info per TWC site. You are supposed to look at who your modem manufacturer is and go from there I guess to order it.

http://www.timewarnercable.com/en/support/phone/topics/phone-power-backup.html

Re: Question About Digital Phone Service

Mz iMac — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 00:42:36 GMT

@Marp wrote:
For those that have digital phone service does your carrier provide backup power for when the power goes out
Yup!

and how long does it last?
78 hrs - 1 week if you turn off the phone backlight.

Re: Question About Digital Phone Service

LonestarBabs — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 01:18:13 GMT

We have Verizon FiOS. Yes, backup battery is provided upon initial installation but from that point forward we are responsible for buying the battery. About $50 each time. Batteries last about 2 years.

Re: Question About Digital Phone Service

JustJazzmom — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 01:20:31 GMT

Yes, Marp Verizon FiOs has a battery back up box that is installed as part of the installation process. Ours is in our basement; it's a rechargeable battery. Ours does keep the phone running for at least 8 hours. But it works for a phone plugged into a phone jack (not to confused with a phone plugged into the wall electrical outlet).

In a power outage, those phones will not work.

The digital box is outside the house and connected to the fiber optic cable; in a protected area from the elements. In all the years we have had FiOs, the technician came to replace a component on that digital box because he said a spider managed to short out the connection with it's body!

Re: Question About Digital Phone Service

Q4u — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 01:29:34 GMT

@Irshgrl31201 wrote:
@Marp wrote:
For those that have digital phone service does your carrier provide backup power for when the power goes out and how long does it last?
We have our phone through TWC and when the power is out the modem and wifi is out and we cannot use it. We do have back up power system for our house though but I do not know how that would work if you didn't.

You can purchase back up batteries that will work for 8-24hrs I hear but TWC does not offer them. You buy them seperately.

This is absolutely true, we have them on two computers, mine and our younger son's. He works on his computer, has two screens and can't afford to lose what he's working on. The one on my computer is to help me close up without losing what I'm working on (usually eBay)..... and by having these back up batteries you won't risk harming your screen or tower. Our batteries give off an intermittent beep and will last for about four hours after the power goes off. IMHO they are worth the money.... and can easily be purchased at Best Buy or if you prefer on-line, NewEgg might be worth checking out....

Re: Question About Digital Phone Service

Marp — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 01:30:26 GMT

@Mz iMac wrote:

@Marp wrote:
For those that have digital phone service does your carrier provide backup power for when the power goes out
Yup!

and how long does it last?
78 hrs - 1 week if you turn off the phone backlight.

@Mz iMac, 78 hours or more sounds reasonable. If you don't mind saying who is your carrier?

Re: Question About Digital Phone Service

Q4u — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 01:31:02 GMT

I'm sorry.... I misread the OP and thought you were talking about back up batteries for computers.... my bad...

Re: Question About Digital Phone Service

Mz iMac — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 05:51:59 GMT

@Marp

Xfinity a/k/a Comcast

FWIW, I live in Comcast country. We are offered/given products that have not been offered national yet. We are the guinea pigs.

Guess what? We no longer have cable "boxes."

Re: Question About Digital Phone Service

sunshine45 — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 05:54:58 GMT

@Mz iMac wrote:
@Marp

Xfinity a/k/a Comcast

FWIW, I live in Comcast country. We are offered/given products that have not been offered national yet. We are the guinea pigs.

Guess what? We no longer have cable "boxes."

THAT would be sweet! we pay so much for our boxes.....that is one of the main reasons why our bill is so high.

our landline phone lasts about 8 hours when the electricity goes out. of course we have our cell phones AND portable chargers.

Re: Question About Digital Phone Service

Shorty2U — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 06:06:48 GMT

I just thought of this today too with this storm coming.

We have our house phone hooked up to cable now so when the power is out we have no house phone. (we cant get Comcast here, its a local cable company for the net, tv, and cellphone and there is no back up battery or anything).

So anyway, we have cordless house phones (3) BUT we still have an old wall phone in the basement, and when we got cable service for our phone I asked him to hook cable to that wall phone and he said he couldnt that the cable wires were all being used for the tv, net and main phone (which again is cordless)

So I just said to my husband today, I think I am calling to go back to Veriozn JUST for our house phone because in the 50 plus years I had Verizon for our house phone (well earlier it was AT&T and Bell of PA) it NEVER went out, storm or no storm like it does with the cable phone!.

PS) I do have a cellphone but Id rather have a house phone too as long as house phones exist because of course you dont have to charge a wall phone!. So anyway I hope we dont lose power during this storm, or there goes our house phone this weekend.

Re: Question About Digital Phone Service

Mz iMac — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 06:34:44 GMT

@sunshine45

Now you talk to the remote. You tell it what channel or station you want, your tv automatically turns to it. Matter of fact, you can tell it anything pertaining to your tv & it will do it for you.

You DO NOT point the remote to the tv either.

I have a landline & cordless phone w/phone jacks. Power goes out, I still have use of my phone. A lot of good it does, since everyone has cell phones. LOL

At least I can still call 911.

Re: Question About Digital Phone Service

sunshine45 — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 06:40:29 GMT

@Mz iMac

i sure hope those features come around our area sooner versus later......and i hope they are not going to charge MORE for the service. the boxes are a small fortune when you have a lot of tvs!

we have two older phones (that dont need to be plugged into an electrical outlet) that are connected to the phone jacks and the rest are all cordless phones.

Re: Question About Digital Phone Service

Marp — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 12:32:12 GMT

@Mz iMac wrote:
@Marp

Xfinity a/k/a Comcast

FWIW, I live in Comcast country. We are offered/given products that have not been offered national yet. We are the guinea pigs.

Guess what? We no longer have cable "boxes."

@Mz iMac, thank you so much for answering. Unfortunately not only am I not in a guinea pig area I'm not even in a comcast area. I so want to get rid of the boxes.