Backup power buying guides

Plain-English guides to sizing batteries, backing up your internet, and buying once — each one linked to a free calculator so you can check the math yourself.

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Beginner basics

Start here if watt-hours, inverters, and capacity classes are new — these guides build the foundation the rest of the site uses.

Generator vs Battery Power Station: An Honest Decision Framework

An honest comparison of gas generators and battery power stations: CO safety, noise, cost per kWh both ways, maintenance, and which one fits your outage.

How to Choose a Portable Power Station Without Overspending

Size a portable power station from your real loads, learn which specs actually matter, and use a price-per-watt-hour check to avoid overspending.

Power Station vs UPS vs Power Bank: Which One Do You Need?

Compare UPS vs power bank vs power station by switchover, runtime, output, portability, and cost—then choose the right backup power for your devices.

What Is a Watt-Hour? Watts vs Watt-Hours Explained

What is a watt-hour? Learn how watts and watt-hours differ, how to calculate runtime, and which battery specs actually matter before you buy.

Why Battery Runtime Estimates Are Often Wrong (and How to Estimate Better)

Real-world battery runtime is usually shorter than the box suggests. See where the losses come from and how to make estimates you can actually rely on.

Calculators & sizing

Worked math for specific loads: how big a battery you actually need, and how to sanity-check the number before spending.

How Many Watts Does a Refrigerator Use? Sizing Battery Backup for Your Fridge

A fridge has three wattage numbers: running, surge, and average. Learn what yours really draws, how to measure it, and what battery capacity keeps food safe overnight or for 24 hours.

Laptop Battery Backup for a Full Workday: What It Really Takes

How much battery a full laptop workday really needs: realistic wattage ranges, 8-hour sizing math, power banks vs power stations, and charging strategy.

What Size Battery Do You Need for a Wi-Fi Router?

Size Wi-Fi router battery backup for 4, 12, or 24 hours using a realistic 10–25W load, with exact Wh targets and UPS vs DC-direct tradeoffs.

Backup internet

Keeping your connection alive is the cheapest backup power win — routers, modems, hotspots, and satellite internet terminals.

Backup Internet Power Planning: A Complete Walkthrough

A step-by-step plan for backup internet power: inventory your gear, budget watts for primary and fallback paths, and build tiered 2-hour to multi-day plans.

Router & Modem Backup Power During an Outage

Keep your router and modem online during an outage: see whether your internet will survive, choose UPS or battery backup, size it, and test it.

Satellite Internet Backup Power: Keep Starlink Online During an Outage

Plan backup power for Starlink and other satellite internet: measure the full load, size a battery for your runtime, and keep the rest of your network online.

Home outage setups

Apartment- and house-scale outage planning: what to power, what to skip, and how to stage the kit so it works when needed.

Hurricane Season Power Prep: Buy Calm, Not in the Cone

What hurricane outages actually look like, a realistic power priority list, honest sizing math before the storm, and a day-by-day countdown once a storm is named.

Keeping Food Safe During a Power Outage

How long is food good without power? The FDA and USDA windows (4 hours fridge, 24-48 hours freezer), what to do the moment power drops, and honest cooler vs battery math.

Small Fridge Backup Power: The Basics Before You Buy

What to know before buying a battery for a fridge: duty cycle, surge watts, honest runtime math for mini and full-size fridges, and when to skip it.

The Apartment Emergency Power Checklist

A practical emergency power checklist for apartments: battery-only options, what to power in a 12–48 hour outage, and habits that keep you ready.

Travel & remote work

Power planning that leaves the house: full remote workdays, camping trips, and gear that flies in carry-on.

Camping Power Setup for Beginners

Size a camping power setup for phones, camera batteries, lights, a fan, or laptop: weekend watt-hours, power-bank vs station picks, and honest solar math.

Portable Power for Remote Work: Working From Anywhere Without an Outlet

Plan a realistic remote-work power budget: laptop, phone, and hotspot watt-hours, power bank vs small power station, and recharging between sessions.

Solar charging

What solar panels realistically recharge, and how to match a panel to a battery without lab-condition wishful thinking.

Solar Panel Sizing for Portable Power Stations

How to size a solar panel for a portable power station: peak sun hours, real-world losses, input limits, and recharge times by panel wattage.

Budget setups

Real outage coverage on a small budget — where inexpensive gear genuinely works and where cutting corners costs you twice.

Budget Backup Power: A Sensible Setup When Money Is Tight

A sensible order for building backup power when money is tight: phones first, then internet, then comfort — plus the red flags to avoid on cheap gear.