Power outages, especially scheduled brownouts, don’t have to leave your home in the dark or cut off from the digital world. With the right gear, you can keep your fans spinning, your gadgets charged, and your WiFi running. Here’s a roundup of tech tools and backup power solutions that can help you stay online and productive, even when the lights go out.
Backup Power Options: Generators vs. Power Stations
When it comes to backup electricity, two reliable options stand out: gasoline-powered generators and rechargeable power stations.
• Gasoline Generators
These time-tested solutions run on gas or diesel and come in various sizes. Larger models can power refrigerators and air conditioning units, while smaller versions (some under PHP 10K) are perfect for essentials like lights, fans, and WiFi routers. Just keep in mind—they’re noisy, emit fumes, and must be placed in a well-ventilated outdoor space.
• Rechargeable Power Stations
These are modern, indoor-friendly alternatives that offer silent, emission-free power. Think of them as supercharged power banks capable of running fans, modems, lights, and even laptops. Prices range from PHP 5K to PHP 70K depending on capacity. Once charged, they’re ready to power your home at a moment’s notice.
Solar Panels: Tap Into Clean, Free Energy
Why rely on fuel or stored energy when you can harness the power of the sun for free? Well, technically, it’s not free since you need to purchase solar panels. There are several ways to approach this. You can start with cheap solar panels with built-in chargers available online. These are small panels, usually only good for powering LED light bulbs or slow-charging smartphones. You can also opt for higher-quality ones that can charge rechargeable power stations. If you have a much higher budget, you can have a professional install a solar power system in your home. This kind of setup requires solar panels to be installed on your rooftop and connected to your home’s electrical system. Depending on your setup, your home might be able to run essential appliances on solar power alone, including your modem and gadgets.
Power Banks: A Must-Have for Every Household
Power banks are the most basic backup power option but remain highly recommended, especially during brownouts, thanks to their affordability, variety of capacities, and portability. Traditionally, they’re ideal for powering small gadgets like smartphones, USB lights, and fans. However, newer high-capacity models can even charge laptops. These are larger but more versatile. Prices vary based on power output and storage—basic ones start at just a few hundred pesos for phone charging, while laptop-compatible versions with larger capacities might cost a few thousand.
Compared to gasoline generators and power stations, power banks are more compact and easier to carry. They’re a must-have for staying connected on the go, though their limited energy storage means they’re best suited for shorter outages or as a supplement to other power solutions.
You can also make all these power sources work together. If you have fuel and space for a gasoline-powered generator, just run it and plug in an extension outlet for all your devices at home. A solar-powered power station is a good alternative this summer to keep your basic electronics working. For smaller devices such as modems, mobile phones and tablets, you may opt to invest in good quality power banks.
Stay Connected with PLDT Home Always On
Even during a power outage, staying online and connected is still important—whether for work, outside communication, or peace of mind. During a scheduled brownout, if your Fiber line remains intact, you can still enjoy full-speed internet—as long as your modem is powered. A rechargeable power station or a high-capacity power bank with 12V output can keep your home network running smoothly. In this scenario, backup power is all you need to stay online using your regular Fiber connection.
But what if the power outage happens alongside a fiber line cut—a situation that backup power alone can’t fix—PLDT Home Always On has you covered. This hybrid modem includes an Always On service that provides an LTE backup connection when your Fiber goes offline due to damaged or cut Fiber cables. All it needs is a small, steady power source like a power station or power bank to stay online. For best results, use a power bank with at least 20,000mAh and a USB-to-DC converter to support 12V output. With the right setup, you don’t just stay powered—you stay connected, too.
Check out Next Upgrade PH for Ecoflow and Promate portable power supplies that meet these specs. Also, make sure to invest in a USB-to-DC cable converter (which you can easily find in local e-commerce sites) to make this work.
As you can see, brownouts don’t have to mean downtime. Mix and match these solutions based on your needs, pair them with a good internet backup, and you’re not just surviving the outage—you’re staying cool, connected, and in control.
