Network goes down during power cuts despite (local) battery backup

Tony_Jef · ‎05-09-2025

We have full fibre broadband and a Digital Voice landline courtesy of EE, and have installed suitable UPS battery backup units to power essential equipment in the house (the fibre terminal, the EE router, the Digital Home Phone handset...etc.), with the reasonable expectation that even if there is a local power cut we will still be able to use our home phone and broadband. However, after experiencing 3 power cuts now since we had the installation (the most recent a couple of days ago), it is very clear that while our in-house equipment is suitably power-cut proof, the same can not be said of the external fibre network supplying us with broadband service, because in all 3 cuts the broadband instantly went down. I am led to believe that the Openreach network "should" be resilient against power cuts, but this is absolutely not the case with our infrastructure in this location. We're on the Isle of Mull and the fibre network was installed at the back end of last year, so should be up to current spec.

Happily, power cuts here, while fairly frequent, are usually fairly short, but one of the 3 mentioned here lasted 2 days.

The battery backup solutions sold by EE are marketed as a means of maintaining contact for vulnerable people; clearly, if the network itself is failing as soon as the power goes off, this isn't doing what it says on the tin.

JimM11 · ‎05-09-2025

@Tony_Jef The home is covered, as you expect but the owner operator off the fibre back if they decide that the BBU or UPS system control is required to cover the Essential Services that you are not included in then that is it, no comms!

Weebles2025 · ‎05-09-2025

@Tony_Jef While the Isle of Mull is a very beautiful place to live, it does have it's disadvantages and one being you are reliant on where the main fibre cables go in order to connect the Island to the main land, of which I believe the cables run to the various islands and then onto Ardnamurchan which is the interconnect for the main land. If you have power outages covering those areas as well then you might loose your phone/broadband connection. If communications is vital, then maybe look into Satellite broadband/phone for backup.

Tony_Jef · ‎07-09-2025

@Weebles2025 @JimM11 I think you are missing the point here. If you look at:

https://www.bt.com/help/landline/digital-voice--will-my-service-work-in-a-power-cut-

I quote:

"Using Digital Voice during a power cut
If there’s a power cut, a Battery Back Up will give you at least an hour of service for essential calls. You need to make sure you've connected your digital handset to your Smart Hub or plugged your existing corded handset into the phone port in the back of your hub."

The only way this can possibly work is if the network itself (external to the property) is powered by some kind of UPS as well as the equiplent within the property. My own experience indicates that the network DOES NOT have UPS.

EE is selling battery backup solutions to allow customers to continue making calls (and use broadband) during a power outage. If their own network isn't resilient against a power outsge, then customers are being misled.

JimM11 · ‎07-09-2025

@Tony_Jef Something that you are going to have to take up with EE, nothing i have missed!

Weebles2025 · ‎07-09-2025

@Tony_Jef That link does not cover living in a remote area. Having lived up on Uist my self, I can assure you that you never rely on a utilities infrastructure and you always have a backup of your own, especially when it comes to communications and electricity/heating.

JimM11 · ‎07-09-2025

@Tony_Jef Next time the system goes out and if you do have a mobile, then check if it is still up and operating voice and data, the EE Smart Hybrid unit would then be able to cover your needs to switch you over onto the Mobile network but you do need to have a reasonable 4g signal and sweet talk EE into a reduce payment to get one! Home phone will not work but you will have internet and another method of trying to communicate externally!

Tony_Jef · ‎10-09-2025

@JimM11 I have an EE mobile, and in the 3 most recent power cuts it has continued to operate on both voice and data. EE provides mobile connectivity for emergency services locally, so that may have a bearing on why it is more resilient than the fibre. So yes, I could pony up another £7/month and use an EE smart hybrid unit, but my point here is why should I have to do that when the EE/BT/Openreach advertising material indicates that they have it covered.

I found this gem the other day:

https://www.openreach.com/help-and-support/damage-health-and-safety/extreme-weather

I quote:

"Check your power: We have backup plans in the event of local power cuts to keep our network running, but you might find it hard to connect if your own power is disrupted."

Also this:

https://www.bt.com/help/landline/digital-voice--will-my-service-work-in-a-power-cut-

The last paragraphs clearly indicate that if your optical terminal and router are backed up using UPS units, "...the Battery Back Up Unit will give you at least an hour of service."

So it seems pretty clear that they do expect their network resilient. It isn't, at least, not here.

JimM11 · ‎10-09-2025

@Tony_Jef There is a couple off things to do, one if you see a local OR Engineer floating about the Island ask if the exchange is running a UPS system to keep the Fibre network up, that is the whole network or just Emergency services, you have covered your home with the BBU so as long as they stay connected you are good, the older BBU that EE had kept the ONT up a good 18Hrs, but the EE Router was closer to 8Hrs off run time, and as you say power off the whole Internet is down, Exchanges have a few methods off keeping power going but that is up to OR how it is all implemented at the exchange side, and if the main Fibre feed is off just will not matter No internet No landline phone! Hybrid does switch over the BB to mobile at a way reduced speed, but landline is not covered, who knows that may change some day!

Tony_Jef · ‎19-09-2025

@JimM11 Indeed - it would help to know what is actually on the ground here. I know that the exchange we are connected to is in Tobermory ~50 miles away and that there are 2 substations between there and our installation here, both of which would need to have suitable UPS arrangements for our service to continue. So whether they do or not is another question - the symptoms I am experiencing (and it turns out, others in my neighbourhood too) would suggest not.

I had a lengthy and deeply frustrating conversation with a gentleman from EE's Executive Complaints (!) no less with regard to this issue. Unfortunately, he didn't have any kind of grasp of the technical side, and insisted on harping on about the fact that I am using my own UPS solution rather than "official" EE/BT products, and he insisted that if I used an EE battery backup, I would get an hour's phone service during a power cut. He also insisted that it is only the voice service, and not the broadband, that is maintained, and that for the phone to continue working I would need to plug a POTS (analogue) phone into the legacy socket on the router. He failed to grasp the point I made to him that for the DV service to continue, the broadband MUST be operational, as the BB is what carries the DV. Also, if the router is powered up, and any digital handsets still have battery power, there's absolutely no reason why they shouldn't continue to work. So lots of red herrings I'm afraid. Anyhow, as a "goodwill gesture", he offered to send out their battery backup solution for me to use, and I accepted, on the grounds that at least when the power fails again, I will be able to remove the battery system from the equation as a justification for EE not addressing the real problem. Following that call I had a look online at the EE instructions for setting up their BBUs:

https://ee.co.uk/help/home-phone/getting-started/set-up-a-battery-back-up#article-heading-1

I quote:

"About Battery Back Up
A Battery Back Up (BBU) will keep your Smart Hub and broadband services, including Digital Home Phone, working for at least an hour in the event of a power cut." (Bold added by me).

So it is abundantly clear that they absolutely do not expect broadband and digital voice both to fail as soon as there is a power cut, as long as you have BBUs on your ONT and router.

The EE BBU units arrived today - not one unit but two, so I can power the ONT and the router separately, which is just as well as they are in different rooms. The ONT is now powered up using one of the units, but unfortunately, the power plugs on the supplied cables are the wrong size and shape to fit the router power socket. The router PSU has a plug that is 3.4mm diameter, with a small central hole; the BBU cable's router plug is 5.4mm diamerer with a large central hole. So it was on the phone to EE again this afternoon, speaking to a tech giude who was mystified by the problem, and even suggested I try to force the plug in - I replied that I wasn't about to do that as it would have broken both the router case and the socket. They are sending out a replacement cable - hopefully one with the right connectors on it this time.

Oh, and amusingly, the box the BBU came in is labelled "Broadband Battery Backup - keeping you connected during a power outage".