Saturday, June 8, 2019

A new way Verizon is backing up its FiOs Phone Service with D Cell Batteries but is it better than old way?

I have had  Verizon Fios service in my home since it first came into my neighborhood in early 2007 its been a fantastic service  but I maintained my old POTS telephone hard line copper service  due to keeping old alarm systems controlled over dial up modems and having to dial into Radio Station transmit sites I maintain  but of course times have changed. not necessarily for the better

But even thou id did not use the Fios phone service I had a 12 volt 7 amp battery  which would keep the phone service on incase I had it like my Neighbors did and it worked well you could get upto 24 hours of phone service if power went out .
Problem thou is easy access to them and the cost about $24.95-43.95 depending where you got it
they would work 3-5 years and you would get a beep at  main box and LED light would come on letting you know if battery went dead.

But sadly copper lines are being turned off and removed in my neighborhood so I had to go with Fios Phone . Not the problem it once was as most system today I control thru the Internet and do very little dial up. 

But one good thing with the copper always worked power or no power  and when internet was out I could still dial into some sites where a phone line is maintained and control it even if internet was out at the site.
But as more and more phone lines are going away I can no longer dial into 70% of sites I maintain.
There is a very big danger in everything going digital and cellular there is no back up which hardlines copper provided.

So I get my new Fios phone set up since copper is going away  and speeds have dramatically changed

with one big difference

The 12 volt 7 amp back up battery has been replaced with 12 D cell dry batteries.

still gives the 12 to 24 hr back up and much more convenient to change as may home owners have  D cells laying around compared to a large battery not as easy to obtain.

But the Unit appears to have no warning if batteries go dead that I see unless something pops up on your TV screen to warn you they are going dead.
So as we go forward are we really going backwards sure seems like it.
I have my fios system plugged into UPS Uninterruptible Power Supply Box  like those used to back up computers to help insure I have service during power outages but that only works if Verizon has properly maintained the batterys in their repeater boxes out on the street poles.

The problem being maintaining the Fios Fiber network has been more expensive than Verizon ever anticiapated so they re not expanding it and will they let it die like they have POTS Service ?
Verizon is under the gun right now from PA PUC over not getting after its many falling down and dis-repaired tel-co poles 

I eventually see Fios being replaced with the new 5G service once it is fully utilized but time will tell.
 Today it is more scary than ever how much technology is dependent on the internet  for control and how easily our entire country could be paralyzed by it unlike old copper hardware . 

I see it everyday when entire radio station networks in towns  can not transmit to radio towers cluster  they own  when internet goes out.








1 comment: