Router Battery Backup

[aktiv]

So for those not wanting to fiddle with 12V car batteries and don't want to wait for stock from GeeWhiz here was my solution that ended up working for me.

One of these: https://www.geewiz.co.za/ups/68269-...-power-bank-supply-b315-b618-cctv-router.html should theoretically last you 5hrs. You can power one device for that long, or 2 for less…or you can do what I did and get away with up to 7hrs of powering both a 5Ghz (Asus RT-AC1200G+ - 12V, 2A) router and a fibre box (12V, 0.5A).

So it’s between waiting for these devices to one day come back into stock or you can make use of that power bank that’s just lying around the house and do essentially the same thing. Here’s what I did…

*Shopping list:*
- Power Bank ( - Usb to Power Cable (
You can buy 2 usb to power cables if you want, since the power bank has 2 USB outputs. One thing to make sure of is if your 12V devices (router) will run off of 5V. Most will, mine did, even my 9V 0.6A tp-link ran off of 5V. In the spirit of DIY you can also hack together a power cable adapter and an USB cable yourself. Which is what I ended up doing. I only had to buy the power adapter plugs which was R17 and had 2 old USB cables lying around (warning: it does require soldering). I tried it out last night and it had no issues powering my internet for 4hrs until I decided to go to bed rather.

So there you have it, I tried it, it works. Hopefully this helps someone else as well.

More proof it will work

Thanx for this !
I am so doing this today

Best solution if you have adsl router

 

[Taariq404]

Also bought a 720VA / 360W for our small office yesterday. http://pss.co.za/product/ap-series

Planning to connect a router and ONT (fibre) to it. I basically just want it to keep the network and analogue phone up until I can get the other machines on the network shutdown and the phone line diverted/forwarded...

Doesn't look like one can disable the speaker/alarm in software & no front panel settings on these cheapies. Removed the internal speaker from the board (broke it off). Warranty is void. Acceptable risk at +-R450 a pop.

How long does it last?

 

[Taariq404]

See my offering (pic on the left)
This is specifically designed for power backup of your routers (fibre or ADSL & Wi-Fi)
It's a low voltage unit (i.e. not an inverter UPS) so it's way more efficient.
It will keep your system going for the whole day during power outages.
I charge R650 and will do the installation as well (Joburg area)
If you are interested I need to know which routers you are using..

Interested

 

[Geoff.D]

Yes it is apparently possible to drive devices even down to 5V. But is it desirable? Or good for the devices? Is it okay for expediency in emergencies? Probably, but without doing some proper measurements of current drain etc, one does not know. One thing is for sure, any device still under guarantee should NOT be powered this way. All you are doing is inviting the manufacturer to refuse to honour the warranty.
So, as a rule of thumb, DON' T DO THIS as a permanent solution!

 

[Geoff.D]

Let us assume for the moment that a device requires 24 watts to operate correctly, at 12Volt. That means the current drawn by the device will be 2 Amps.
Now you go and decide 6 Volt is good enough try and it works.
BUT, if the system still needs 24 Watts to operate, the current drawn will now be 4 Amps. Now you are going to start stressing internal components.
If the device has a current limiting protection circuit, then the device will stay at 2Amps, and draw only half the power and you will be okay, but something will be suffering somewhere.
The better way is to find out over what range the device was designed to work, then you can play these games with impunity.

 

[TheHxckid]

Let us assume for the moment that a device requires 24 watts to operate correctly, at 12Volt. That means the current drawn by the device will be 2 Amps.
Now you go and decide 6 Volt is good enough try and it works.
BUT, if the system still needs 24 Watts to operate, the current drawn will now be 4 Amps. Now you are going to start stressing internal components.
If the device has a current limiting protection circuit, then the device will stay at 2Amps, and draw only half the power and you will be okay, but something will be suffering somewhere.
The better way is to find out over what range the device was designed to work, then you can play these games with impunity.

Good point, it would seem that the Xiaomi Power Bank 20000mAh automatically adjusts output level based on the connected device for both voltage and amps. How it does that...don't ask me.

The other issue is the constant on and off of the power grid which is also not good for devices.

 

[Geoff.D]

Good point, it would seem that the Xiaomi Power Bank 20000mAh automatically adjusts output level based on the connected device for both voltage and amps. How it does that...don't ask me.

The other issue is the constant on and off of the power grid which is also not good for devices.

Absolutely. That is where Surge protection comes in. That is where a battery backup setup will offer some protection for devices permanently plugged in and powered up comes in.
Knowledge of the devices is where the strength lies. Know what your devices can accept as a power source BEFORE you start playing games.

And just to make it clear, devices these days all have log files somewhere in the software. So if you believe you can take a device in for repair and the supplier won't be able to know that you exposed the device to an alternative power source, think again!
That is the trade-off for the power of modern chips, storage and software. You are controlled by the machines you use, like it or not!

 

[Speedster]

Good point, it would seem that the Xiaomi Power Bank 20000mAh automatically adjusts output level based on the connected device for both voltage and amps. How it does that...don't ask me.

The other issue is the constant on and off of the power grid which is also not good for devices.

I've always understood that adaptive charging (eg Qualcomm quickcharge) works by the chips in the charger and device communicating with each other, so that it won't adjust for a simple "dumb" connection. But I could be wrong on this.

 

[Vernon]

I just want to be safe here so I'll ask the guys that would know.

So I have one of those Romoss Jump Starter/Power Bank (12000mAh) devices.
https://www.takealot.com/romoss-jump-starter-12000mah-yellow/PLID47195812
It has a 12V, 10A out port.

I've already (very briefly) tried it with my Fibre ONT and router. I'm using a DC cable and a 1 to 2 way DC splitter to power both at the same time.
https://www.geewiz.co.za/cctv-accessories/13613-oem-1-to-2-way-cctv-dc-splitter-sp1-2h.html

It seems to work just fine. My question is though am I safe in powering them this way. Anything I should know in that regard?

 

[Geoff.D]

I've always understood that adaptive charging (eg Qualcomm quickcharge) works by the chips in the charger and device communicating with each other, so that it won't adjust for a simple "dumb" connection. But I could be wrong on this.

Huh? Time for someone to post something about how adaptive charging works.

 

[Geoff.D]

I just want to be safe here so I'll ask the guys that would know.

So I have one of those Romoss Jump Starter/Power Bank (12000mAh) devices.
https://www.takealot.com/romoss-jump-starter-12000mah-yellow/PLID47195812
It has a 12V, 10A out port.

I've already (very briefly) tried it with my Fibre ONT and router. I'm using a DC cable and a 1 to 2 way DC splitter to power both at the same time.
https://www.geewiz.co.za/cctv-accessories/13613-oem-1-to-2-way-cctv-dc-splitter-sp1-2h.html

It seems to work just fine. My question is though am I safe in powering them this way. Anything I should know in that regard?

What does the manual say about using this device a power source for other devices? It appears to have USB ports etc, so one would like to believe it capable of acting as a backup power source, provided the voltage and connection to the device is correct.

 

[joker08]

Connected the power bank straight to my tplink router( which asks for 9v) and it worked thanks @TheHxckid for the suggestion.
At mantech right now. Buying a step up converter for the raycore cpe. Let's see how it goes.

 

[Park@82]

How long does it last?

About 1 hour.

ONT + Router + mini PC without a screen.

 

[TheHxckid]

Absolutely. That is where Surge protection comes in. That is where a battery backup setup will offer some protection for devices permanently plugged in and powered up comes in.
Knowledge of the devices is where the strength lies. Know what your devices can accept as a power source BEFORE you start playing games.

And just to make it clear, devices these days all have log files somewhere in the software. So if you believe you can take a device in for repair and the supplier won't be able to know that you exposed the device to an alternative power source, think again!
That is the trade-off for the power of modern chips, storage and software. You are controlled by the machines you use, like it or not!

Is there something smallish you can put in-between the power bank and power cable to regulate the output to what the device needs, i.e step up voltage but not mess around the other units?

 

[Jake45]

Is there something smallish you can put in-between the power bank and power cable to regulate the output to what the device needs, i.e step up voltage but not mess around the other units?

There is very little chance of damaging a 12V device by powering it from a 5V power bank. Dips and surges on the mains line due to loadshedding would be far more likely to cause damage to sensitive electronics. I am powering both of my 12V B315 and B618 Huawei 4G routers using a 7.4V 2600mAh Huawei battery pack Model HW-Li2.6Ah-C which was bundled with a different Telkom B315 router.

Here are a few very cheap boost converter boards that you could use to increase the output from a power bank.
http://www.xtcomp.co.za/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=269&search=step
http://www.xtcomp.co.za/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=660&search=step
http://www.mantech.co.za/ProductInfo.aspx?Item=15M0257-A

 

[aktiv]

I took the plunge
Cut the power plug off old adaptor and soldered to old usb cable I had spare

Plugged in my Telkom adsl router, connect to Romoss powerbank - 5v max 2.1a rating

Voila ! everything works, including WiFi

Now to find how long I can get on this - been running for an hour

A hat tip to the user who posted this tip - thanx

 

[aktiv]

Here is pic of my settup

 

[joker08]

There is very little chance of damaging a 12V device by powering it from a 5V power bank. Dips and surges on the mains line due to loadshedding would be far more likely to cause damage to sensitive electronics. I am powering both of my 12V B315 and B618 Huawei 4G routers using a 7.4V 2600mAh Huawei battery pack Model HW-Li2.6Ah-C which was bundled with a different Telkom B315 router.

Here are a few very cheap boost converter boards that you could use to increase the output from a power bank.
http://www.xtcomp.co.za/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=269&search=step
http://www.xtcomp.co.za/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=660&search=step
http://www.mantech.co.za/ProductInfo.aspx?Item=15M0257-A

I bought the exact same one. The input and output voltage is exactly the same. I tested it by connecting it to the power from 5v 2a power bank and used a led as load and tested the voltage by connecting the probes in parallel. Tried turning the screw nut no change in voltage. What m I doing wrong??

 

[Geoff.D]

I bought the exact same one. The input and output voltage is exactly the same. I tested it by connecting it to the power from 5v 2a power bank and used a led as load and tested the voltage by connecting the probes in parallel. Tried turning the screw nut no change in voltage. What m I doing wrong??

RTFM

NOTE: 1st time connect 5V on input and adj trimpot CCW +-15 turns to set the output V

CCW = CounterClockWise and that stupid +- means "About or approximately", not plus and minus! Turns presumably means one complete revolution (360 degrees)

 

[joker08]

RTFM



CCW = CounterClockWise and that stupid +- means "About or approximately", not plus and minus! Turns presumably means one complete revolution (360 degrees)

Thanks. The buck converter worked.
However the power bank was not able to power the raycore device and the modem together. So got a 6v 3.2ah battery. Router connected direct to the battery and CPE through the buck converter.
Got a charger for the battery. The guy said it's kind of intelligent, the indicator light goes green when fully charged.