Battery backup choice - but from a business perspective.
Posted by trustinglemming@reddit | preppers | View on Reddit | 25 comments
Hi, we're looking to purchase an "emergency kits" for key employees -> something very simple: starlink kit + 1-2 kwh battery backup + a portable solar panel, so they can "connect" in case of an outage (or whatever).
My question is which brand do you think is the most "reliable" one as far as "recalls", documented cases of battery fires, general business conduct, etc..
secamp@reddit
Solar is complicated. A small dual fuel generator running propane would likely be easier and more practical. Propane has better availability during a major emergency and make maintenance easier.
cbmamherst@reddit
I work remotely and have a Jackery 2000 V2 and Starlink. The will last about 10 hours for my setup. One comment, make sure what ever you choose is setup and used regularly or you may be in for a surprise when you need it. We live in the woods and finding a place for the Starlink antenna was not straightforward. After that routing the cable from the corner of the roof that worked took some doing as well.
YankeeDog2525@reddit
On the other hand. If folks can connect to their employer they can also connect with friends, family and emergency services.
Sheesh people. Stop seeing the evil everywhere.
DanteMustDye@reddit
It's the mindset here too. Emergency could be a snow day...
doublendoublem@reddit
While assisting your employees during a potential service outage could be considered preparing, if my employer required me to be connected and available while I have to take care of myself also during such an event, I’m pretty sure I’ll kick the employer to the curb in favor of taking care of personal needs.
Employees are assets, but they’re also people.
trustinglemming@reddit (OP)
it's a small business - the best place i have worked for my whole life. 25 years - i think there were 2 people who quit.
Hunter62610@reddit
Is your business critical to health and safety of the public? Otherwise this is the most insane corpo shit Ive seen
Federal_Refrigerator@reddit
Johnny wants to talk to you
WhereDidAllTheSnowGo@reddit
Agree
Power & comms is a necessity for everyone these days… and then when appropriate so is work
fieroloki@reddit
Y'all need a 50yo IT manager? 👎🏻
Ryan_e3p@reddit
Agreed. I'd be more concerned about making sure my family is warm, fed, and safe, and there's about 2 more pages of stuff I'd be more concerned about "getting online" as an employee.
If you want to be a good employer, provide basic kits for all your employees, and not to be used for work, but improving their lives and encouraging them to make smart, rational decisions that will improve their circumstances for them and their families in an outage.
maimauw867@reddit
Solar panels production is always less than advertised and often sun is not shining. You probably need 160 watt panels or more.
This_Connected23@reddit
I’m using an EcoFlow River for my small biz and it’s been super handy for short outages. Pairs easily with a foldable solar panel too. The newer ones use LiFePO4 batteries so they’re pretty safe. Just FYI, there was a recall on one of the older River 600 units in Europe but overall it’s been reliable for a simple Starlink + battery setup
nanneryeeter@reddit
I'm guessing these would be used with laptops?
I would try to find something that allows it all to be run on DC.
Utilizing barrel plugs for output will help conserve power that would other side be lost making AC power.
For brands, I would be partial to Jackery and Bluetti. Ecoflow has too many issues of being nonfunctional if connectivity is lost. An idiotic oversight if I've ever heard of one.
Will you be using these as a quasi UPS as well? If so I would also find something that can work somewhat with dirty grid input.
AlyadaHatchet@reddit
Most modern laptops can charge from USB-C, so as long as the device has 100W rates ports, that fixes the issue of keeping everything DC
IGetNakedAtParties@reddit
Solar is probably not the way to go for the mainstay, unless you have fuel for cooking and heating plus rations for more than a week and other consumables.
Look into low voltage UPS for emergency lighting (likely mandatory) and adapt this for communications and other essentials like security and access.
For higher power requirements look into a propane powered generator as a backup, propane is much cheaper than batteries for emergency power and needs zero maintenance.
WhereDidAllTheSnowGo@reddit
Black Friday sales are DEFINITELY the right time to buy these sets
You’ve very little time to find and test out the best solution before buying in bulk
There_Are_No_Gods@reddit
It often looks that way, but I've done a lot of research on solar generators and sales during such periods, and my findings were that at least 95% of those amazing sales are actually very close to the standard price throughout the rest of the year. It may be "60% off"...from an increase of 40% just weeks prior to the "sale".
There can be a very rare deal here and there that's legitimate, but the vast majority of these sales are scams, making it hardly worthwhile to even slog through them.
SheistyPenguin@reddit
Just a counterpoint to the naysayers: Given that jobs are a source of livelihood, business continuity plans like this are a good thing.
It's nice to hear that a business values their employees to this extent, and is willing to invest in them. It doesn't guarantee they will be available for work in a crisis, but it sure as heck increases the odds (and is miles better than saying "get through snow/hurricane damage to come to the office, or else"). It also gives the employees something they could mooch in a crisis for personal use, sanctioned or not.
On choosing a brand, I would try to look for something that offers LiFEPo4 batteries and has a decent track record for customer support and RMAs... though that may be overkill if your needs are modest enough to be ok with just getting them retail.
WhereDidAllTheSnowGo@reddit
Technically yer biggest problem will be solar panels and cabling to indoor batteries.
Folks will need to set up many, connect in parallel and series, to pull in enough juice to power the gear AND charge batteries
And many ‘solar generators’ charge exceptionally slowly, so you must examine that
Employees should keep batteries plugged in charging… or charge monthly
Don’t forget surge protectors for all the 120VAC parts and fuses in the 12VDC parts
WhereDidAllTheSnowGo@reddit
Asides…
One…
Whatever you pick, buy one and have your two least tech savvy persons try it at the office. Either work through the problems or pick a better system and repeat. It MUST be stoopid simple.
Two…
Don’t forget a full-day, hands on, in person, roll-out training & and hour-ish annual training with paid practice days for everyone.
I’ve deployed many different systems around the world. People will always be your failure points.
MaowMaowChow@reddit
I have a starlink mini and I use a Jackery 1000v2 for temp access in power outages. I like Jackery because it’s lightweight and has a handle. Also, I like their portable solar panels, super easy to set up. I bought it last year during their Black Fridays sales and it’s held up great. I use the 1000v2 all year as a 0ms UPS so it’s always ready to go.
DwarvenRedshirt@reddit
You may want to ask in r/Starlink for input on the costs. I've definitely seen other people doing that, but not sure it's worthwhile just on standby (depends on what your key employees do for you).
Personally, I have Starlink already for my residence, and just got a Starlink Mini. I originally did not get the mini because it's substantially more for the mini and roaming data alone (and I don't travel enough to need it). They have a special program they just started for current users that provides a Mini for a cheaper price (but that won't apply for your situation).
I haven't had a chance to test it out on the road yet. However, I already have a Bluetti AC180 with a solar panel for my backup power, and the Starlink Mini is supposed to use 20-40watts/hour, so should last two to four days without charging (this number's a bit floaty because the AC180 is not exactly 1800 watts, and the Mini doesn't use full power that whole time).
YesaceeLP@reddit
I am a remote worker that has a terrible power grid and the power goes out or flashes off/on constantly.
I have one of the first gen starlinks and a big backup battery thing that everything is plugged in to for when the power goes out or keeps me going when it does a flash off. I have not been off long enough to see how long the backup battery will last but earlier this week it kept me going for 2 hours with a laptop, 2 monitor system etc.
I also have a gas generator for if it's out too long for house heater and all that, and some solar packs for more backup.
For the battery thing it's like 200-500 bucks though. We also just got the mini starlink but haven't tried it out yet.
DonkStonks@reddit
“Why don’t people want to work here? We gave them the tools to work during a disaster!”