How to keep appliances running during power outages

Tropical Storm Alberto may not have caused any damage in the Houston area, but its mid-June arrival reminds us that it’s a good idea to prepare now for a long (and expected active) hurricane season in 2024. That includes getting the technical stuff sorted.

In the event of a major storm that can cause you to lose power for up to several days, the best way to keep your battery-powered technology running is… install more batteries! External batteries, or power banks, that charge smartphones, tablets, and even laptops can be a lifesaver, but remember one thing: they also need to be charged, and after a large storm, finding an available AC power source can be difficult.

Most mobile device users are familiar with power banks, and many carry them in their gear bag or purse when traveling. They are small, light and allow you to fully charge your phone several times.

But when a disaster causes a power outage, one is not enough. A smartphone can be a lifesaver in an emergency, and on the Gulf Coast, it’s a good idea to have several power banks and keep them fully charged. I would suggest that you have enough of them to be able to keep your essential smartphone powered up for at least a week.

Power banks are available in various sizes, shapes, capacities and prices.

Check the specifications. Battery capacity is usually expressed in milliamp hours or mAh. A small power bank with a capacity of 5000 mAh is usually able to charge a smartphone once, although in the case of a large model with a large battery it may not fully charge it. Check your phone’s specifications to check its battery capacity.

For example, my iPhone 15 Pro Max has a 4,422 mAh battery. Since the charging process is never 100% efficient and loses some energy due to heat and other factors, it is likely that a 5000 mAh power bank will not fully charge my device from zero to full. If I needed a power bank to reliably charge this device multiple times, I would want one with a capacity of at least 15,000 mAh or more.

You can also buy power stations, which are larger versions of power banks that provide enough electricity to power devices. These can run into the thousands of dollars and also need to be charged via AC power. Some have solar panels available for charging. They are large – some are the size of a small suitcase – and very heavy. Some, like the Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus or Anker’s Solix line, can be combined and even connected directly to your home’s electrical system using an adapter.

Check connections. Charging ports on new iPhones, old iPhones, Android phones, and power banks themselves may require different cables. Android phones have long used USB-C connections and cables, while iPhone 14 and earlier use Apple’s patented Lightning cable, but last year 15 models switched to USB-C. Additionally, some older power banks only have a USB-C input port used to charge the bank itself, and charging takes place via the older USB-A port.

Check the price. Higher capacity power banks cost more, but prices have dropped over the last few years and continue to drop. Those with fewer features are also cheaper. Power banks are often sold on Amazon and other e-commerce sites, and often receive deeper discounts during Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday sales.

For example, I paid $120 for Anker’s 24,000mAh 737 GaNPrime power bank in December 2022, which I reviewed at the time. As of this writing, Amazon has it for $89, and it could be even less when Prime Day arrives. It can charge your iPhone 15 more than 5 times, which is probably enough for a week.

During the February 2021 freeze that brought the Texas power grid to its knees, I was able to access my home internet using several uninterruptible power supplies. These are backup batteries that stay plugged into the wall socket and when the power goes out, they provide power for a period of time thanks to a built-in power cell and have multiple AC outlets. Home units typically cost between $75 and $200.

They are designed to power devices such as a monitor, desktop computer or laptop, giving them time to complete their work and safely turn them off. They are rated for power, and if you want to power a large desktop computer for a while with the included monitor, you’ll need a computer with plenty of power. However, if you just want to be able to access the internet during a power outage, you don’t need a high-end model.

Consider using one of these to power your home internet equipment, such as a modem, router, or combination gateway. These devices typically don’t use much power, and if you use them for a short period of time, you can have decent internet speeds on and off for a few days.

When I needed a faster Internet connection than my phone could provide while on hold, I turned on the UPS, then my modem and router. I did what I needed to do online and then closed everything again. (Incidentally, Comcast rents a device called Storm-Ready that switches your home network to a 4G LTE cellular connection in the event of a power outage.)

Today I have several UPS units, including one on my newly installed AT&T fiber gateway. When the massive storm finally hits Houston – and it’s a matter of when, not if – my gear will be as ready as possible.