No Rogers Home Phone during Power Outage - Disappointing

[Davage]

We have had Rogers Home Phone for 4 to 5 years now.    Yes - we are old fashioned and have a "land line".   In the past when the power went out in the area our "land line" would continue to run for a few hours.   Now when the power goes out, we lose home phone and internet immediately.     Our phone modem and cable modem ARE plugged into a UPS to provide power to those devices, but the rogers network in our area apparently has no battery backups installed.

I called Rogers tech support to inquire about the issue.  They dispatched a tech who came by the house today to confirm that the battery within our home phone modem IS working fine, and I even showed him that I had a UPS on the Rogers equipment.  

I explained that 911 service to us would be unavailable if the power is out.  He said "Yes", and most people these days have a cell phone to use to call 911.

The tech tells me that the Rogers infrastructure in our area is not required by any regulatory agency to have battery backups, so they save millions of dollars each year by not installing battery backup systems.  Land lines have been moved down the priority list for 911 requirements he tells me because "everybody" has a cell phone these days.

So...  That's what I guess it comes down to.  Rogers doesn't see the need to keep 911 service available in a power outage to land line users.   

The tech suggested that we keep our cell phones charged at all times.

What is the use of calling 911 on a cell phone, as they won't be able to pinpoint the address at an instant.

Very disappointed in Rogers.  I've already made inquiries with Bell.  They say that their phone lines DO remain active during a power outage.   A family friend works for Bell in the circuit planning department  - I am going to inquire as to the truthfulness of the Bell rep's claim before I change service..

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[Gdkitty]

Yeah, must be your local node that doesnt have a battery backup.  I know mine stays up for quite a while.. longer than my local battery backup does.

Any VOIP based service, would run into much of the same issues.

Bell, with a standard phone line, will usually be much better.  Usually the power is at the CO, which is a much bigger location to put the backup.
Bell land lines are rather expensive now a days stand alone..
(Not sure if on a bell bundle with say Fibe.. if the phone is still standard, or is then voip as well)

[57]

Yeah, I've encountered the same thing (reported elsewhere in this forum).  Years ago I was able to use Internet and my Home Phone worked for a few hours during a local power outage.  I also have a UPS with phone and modem plugged into it, as well as a corded phone.   During the last few outages I no longer have phone or internet - it goes down immediately.

I reported this to the office of the president and did receive several calls back stating they were looking into it, but as you say, it's probably not high priority for them and we may never get this back.

[Davage]

Having a UPS on my phone/router I guess is pointless if Rogers do not have their equipment connected to any sort of backup power system for outages.

[Pauly]

Here's an idea. If having a home phone with some kind of back up power in the event of a hydro outage is necessary, why not switch to wireless home phone (if available).

Chances are if its available, you may be able to port your landline number over to the wireless home phone, it works relatively well my godfather has it, and it is cellular based so if the hydro goes out, chances are it will work as long as your cell phone works, it comes with a battery but most people prefer to plug it and their cordless phone into a APC UPS device too for further piece of mind

[OLDYELLR]

I never check the "Home Phone" forum because I have a real copper land line. When the Hydro is out only my cordless phones don't work  A couple of regular phones, even a 1960s rotary phone, work indefinitely and I can call the Hydro outage line to get updates.  Currently my ISP and phone provider, Execulink, is upgrading to fibre in my area and I just attended an info session on this. My concern was the new "home phone" service we'll be getting and whether it would go dead when the hydro goes out. The answer was that all my phones would work and in case of a power outage there is battery backup for 6-8 hours. At least that's how it works with fibre.

[RyeEncoke]

Same situation.  Very disappointed and also considering moving my services  to Bell.  Not having a cell phone is a personal choice but a land line should always be available during emergencies.

[OLDYELLR]

Be very wary of what providers call "home phone".  It's a form of digital facsimile of a real phone line, a copper line coming into your house from your phone company. It won't work if your Hydro goes out, or at least not for long. Withe the transition to fibre phone lines, it seems that even those won't stay active in the event of a power outage for more than 8 hours with provider battery backup. In this age of the smartphone, landline phones take a back seat.

[kookai]

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@Davage wrote:

We have had Rogers Home Phone for 4 to 5 years now.    Yes - we are old fashioned and have a "land line".   In the past when the power went out in the area our "land line" would continue to run for a few hours.   Now when the power goes out, we lose home phone and internet immediately.     Our phone modem and cable modem ARE plugged into a UPS to provide power to those devices, but the rogers network in our area apparently has no battery backups installed.

I called Rogers tech support to inquire about the issue.  They dispatched a tech who came by the house today to confirm that the battery within our home phone modem IS working fine, and I even showed him that I had a UPS on the Rogers equipment.  

I explained that 911 service to us would be unavailable if the power is out.  He said "Yes", and most people these days have a cell phone to use to call 911.

The tech tells me that the Rogers infrastructure in our area is not required by any regulatory agency to have battery backups, so they save millions of dollars each year by not installing battery backup systems.  Land lines have been moved down the priority list for 911 requirements he tells me because "everybody" has a cell phone these days.

So...  That's what I guess it comes down to.  Rogers doesn't see the need to keep 911 service available in a power outage to land line users.   

The tech suggested that we keep our cell phones charged at all times.

What is the use of calling 911 on a cell phone, as they won't be able to pinpoint the address at an instant.

Very disappointed in Rogers.  I've already made inquiries with Bell.  They say that their phone lines DO remain active during a power outage.   A family friend works for Bell in the circuit planning department  - I am going to inquire as to the truthfulness of the Bell rep's claim before I change service..

**Labels Added**

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I hear 'ya!!! I have the "ignite" tv with internet & home phone. We had a power outage about a month ago, & our phone didn't work. I absolutely hate the attitude of "well, people can use their cellphones to call Rogers or emergency sservices". Not everyone has a cellphone!  I've had techs tell me that my phone will work during a power outage, but this is NOT the case. Before switching to the "ignite"., the phone indeed would work during a power outage, as it then fed from the battery. There is no battery involved with the "ignite" service. Rogers needs to get in the game where their home phone service is concerned. As much as I detest B*ll, I will say that their phones most definitely WORK during power outages. Also, I don't like the attitude.."well, power outages are rare in this area". THAT DOESN'T MEAN TO SAY IT WON'T HAPPEN!!!!! ...I T   D O E S!!!!!

[kookai]

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@57 wrote:

Yeah, I've encountered the same thing (reported elsewhere in this forum).  Years ago I was able to use Internet and my Home Phone worked for a few hours during a local power outage.  I also have a UPS with phone and modem plugged into it, as well as a corded phone.   During the last few outages I no longer have phone or internet - it goes down immediately.

I reported this to the office of the president and did receive several calls back stating they were looking into it, but as you say, it's probably not high priority for them and we may never get this back.

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You got the 'standard" answer...."we're looking into it". Rogers has been aware for a very long time that their phones do not keep working during a power outage,especially with the "ignite" system. B*ll has them beat hands-down when it comes to phone service. Dont' even go there about using a cellphone should a power outage occur. Not everyone has a cellphone., & the clarity of them is terrible/

[kookai]

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@RyeEncoke wrote:

Same situation.  Very disappointed and also considering moving my services  to Bell.  Not having a cell phone is a personal choice but a land line should always be available during emergencies.

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Exactly....AND...not everyone has a cellphone, nor are they "addicted" to it.

[57]

@kookai : Just be aware that if you go with Bell Fibe, their home phone service is not guaranteed to stay up in the event of a power failure for the same reasons as with Rogers - the batteries in their infrastructure may not be in place or working.  It may be different for POTS, however, as discussed in this thread, having a working home phone is not much of a priority today, mainly due to the proliferation of cell phones and the few people who don't have them or use them frequently don't count.   We're at the point when the majority of people don't even have a home phone.

[OLDYELLR]

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@kookai wrote:

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@RyeEncoke wrote:

Same situation.  Very disappointed and also considering moving my services  to Bell.  Not having a cell phone is a personal choice but a land line should always be available during emergencies.

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Exactly....AND...not everyone has a cellphone, nor are they "addicted" to it.

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I signed up for fibre with my ISP/phone company last year and also had to accept "home phone" to replace my copper landline.  My worry was losing the phone during power outages. But most households only have cordless phones now anyway if the have home phone or a landline, which are dead with no hydro. I have a couple of corded phones though, which will work with no hydro that I use to check power outage status. The "home phone" I have now supposedly has 8 hour battery backup and it's been many years since there's been a power outage longer than that. If that happens, I can charge up my cellphone from my generator or in my car if necessary.

[57]

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@OLDYELLR wrote:

1. ...most households only have cordless phones now anyway....

2. ...I have a couple of corded phones though...

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1. That's why you plug the "home phone" modem as well as the base for the cordless phones into a UPS. In this way, if the phone line is "live" to your home (ie not missing infrastructure batteries) then you'll be up and running for as long as your UPS and/or their batteries hold up.

Unfortunately many providers no longer maintain/replace these expensive infrastructure batteries which wear out and are also sometimes stolen.  This keeps the overall cost down in the knowledge that almost every home now has at least one cell phone.

2. Keeping a corded phone just in case is also a good idea, however, it's useless if the line to the home is dead, as it is now in many instances.  Even "POTS" may run through the same infrastructure and may be down if the batteries are missing/dead.

Stats for those interested for 2017 (2019 publication), however, it's pretty easy to extrapolate to 2020. (Page 24)

https://crtc.gc.ca/pubs/cmr2019-en.pdf

[OLDYELLR]

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@57 wrote:

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@OLDYELLR wrote:

1. ...most households only have cordless phones now anyway....

2. ...I have a couple of corded phones though...

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1. That's why you plug the "home phone" modem as well as the base for the cordless phones into a UPS. In this way, if the phone line is "live" to your home (ie not missing infrastructure batteries) then you'll be up and running for as long as your UPS and/or their batteries hold up.

Unfortunately many providers no longer maintain/replace these expensive infrastructure batteries which wear out and are also sometimes stolen.  This keeps the overall cost down in the knowledge that almost every home now has at least one cell phone.

2. Keeping a corded phone just in case is also a good idea, however, it's useless if the line to the home is dead, as it is now in many instances.  Even "POTS" may run through the same infrastructure and may be down if the batteries are missing/dead.

Stats for those interested for 2017 (2019 publication), however, it's pretty easy to extrapolate to 2020. (Page 24)

https://crtc.gc.ca/pubs/cmr2019-en.pdf

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@57 wrote:

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@OLDYELLR wrote:

1. ...most households only have cordless phones now anyway....

2. ...I have a couple of corded phones though...

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1. That's why you plug the "home phone" modem as well as the base for the cordless phones into a UPS. In this way, if the phone line is "live" to your home (ie not missing infrastructure batteries) then you'll be up and running for as long as your UPS and/or their batteries hold up.

Unfortunately many providers no longer maintain/replace these expensive infrastructure batteries which wear out and are also sometimes stolen.  This keeps the overall cost down in the knowledge that almost every home now has at least one cell phone.

2. Keeping a corded phone just in case is also a good idea, however, it's useless if the line to the home is dead, as it is now in many instances.  Even "POTS" may run through the same infrastructure and may be down if the batteries are missing/dead.

Stats for those interested for 2017 (2019 publication), however, it's pretty easy to extrapolate to 2020. (Page 24)

https://crtc.gc.ca/pubs/cmr2019-en.pdf

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I do have a UPS where my desktop computer is connected, but it's an old one and maybe stays up for 45 minutes. The battery backup for my fibre internet is supposed to be good for 8 hours. I doubt I could afford a UPS good for 8 hours for everything else. I have 1300 watt max generator for emergencies in case of power outage that will run my sump pump, fridge or freezer, but not all at the same time. I've seen your advice recommending a UPS for cable DVRs and probably won't go that route because I'm considering something similar to Ignite provided by my ISP. As for the battery backup for my fibre internet, I'm sure my ISP will replace the Gigahub if the battery backup fails.

[Sami774882]

I talked with Bell some people have internet phone but in my building it is the traditional home phone which will work during power outages available with the bundle.

Rogers home phone is getting even worse with ignite as it will completely use internet.

Since I love Rogers so much the only choice I have is using my cell phone for emergencies.  Don’t want to pay the $70 for Bell just for the landline with features.

i know some people don’t have cellphones, but also not everyone can afford to answer the Bell.  What you can do is get a pay as you go phone from Speakout711Wireless.  They have airtime for a year where as other companies have it only for a month.  As of right now you will have to pay about $1.25 to $1.50 for 911 fees every month whether you use it that month or not.  Then its $0.30 per minute Canada wide talk, free incoming text, out going text $0.15 per text.

[Pauly]

If your really concerned about having rogers ignite home phone to work during a power outage, get a small ups and connect the ignite gateway to it, and invest in a inexpensive corded telephone and keep it in a spare bedroom or something, that way you dont have to use a Cordless phone during power outage and dont have to invest in ANOTHER UPS. trust me, keep things simple and your worries will be less and less.

[Sami774882]

thanks for your help.  I couldn’t find the modem info, how long can it run on 825 watts?

[OLDYELLR]

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@Sami774882 wrote:

Since I love Rogers so much the only choice I have is using my cell phone for emergencies.  Don’t want to pay the $70 for Bell just for the landline with features.

i know some people don’t have cellphones, but also not everyone can afford to answer the Bell.  What you can do is get a pay as you go phone from Speakout711Wireless.  They have airtime for a year where as other companies have it only for a month.  As of right now you will have to pay about $1.25 to $1.50 for 911 fees every month whether you use it that month or not.  Then its $0.30 per minute Canada wide talk, free incoming text, out going text $0.15 per text.

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I know 711 Speakout is good for a year, but I've had Rogers PayGo since forever. I renew once a year for $100 and since I don't use it much, just turn on  the phone and take it with me when I leave the house, all it costs me is the monthly $0.75 911 charge, so I use $100 from my balance to renew when it's available. I've now discovered that during the COVID-19 lock-down My calls are free.

[57]

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@Sami774882 wrote:

thanks for your help.  I couldn’t find the modem info, how long can it run on 825 watts?

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A modem probably only uses about 5-10 Watts. It would therefore run for many hours even with the smallest UPS, provided nothing else is plugged into the battery protected side.

I have  my Rogers phone modem and my cordless phone plugged into the same UPS, however, as discussed earlier, many provider node batteries are no longer being replaced by the service providers and as soon as there is a power failure in your area, you're going to be down for TV, Internet and home phone, regardless of provider.  Years ago it used to be different, before almost everyone had a cell phone.

I also have an older corded phone, however, for about the past 4-5 years in my area, if the power goes down, everything provider-related is down.  Because I have my computer, internet modem, router, etc all connected to a different UPS used for my computer, I used to be able to continue to surf the internet for a while, but no longer.

I'm on Rogers Digital Cable, not IgniteTV.

[kookai]

At the expense of being illiterate, what is a ups where this topic is concerned? I have experienced power outages, which of course, resulted in my not having telephone service. Please don't go there & mention a cellphone. 

At least Bell's phones will work during a power outage. Before switching to "ignite"., if the power went off, the phones would work through the battery system, but this is no longer the way with "ignite". If your power goes off, so does everything...

So again, what is an ups? Thanks so much!!!