Backup Battery and WiFi

Konnected

What if the power or internet goes out?

Without power or internet access, the Konnected device will not be able to communicate with SmartThings. Since SmartThings acts as the brains of the security system, without communication your alarm system will not work. As with any security solution, there are weaknesses and ways to mitigate them. This article will cover the best ways to ensure your smart home continues to work when there is a temporary power or internet outage.

Backup Batteries

If you are powering your Konnected device(s) from an existing alarm panel 12VDC AUX output, and the alarm panel has a working backup battery, then the Konnected device will receive backup power in an outage.

When powering the Konnected device directly with a 12VDC power adapter, protect from a power outage by installing a 12V backup battery UPS device. It’s also important to have a battery backup for your wireless router and modem. If these are installed in a different location than your Konnected devices, you will need multiple backup batteries.

Konnected recommends the following battery backup products for both your Konnected device(s) and routers, modems and networking equipment:

2017 Kitbox GM312 Mini UPS Uninterruptible Power System/Supply 11-13V Input Voltage 5V 1A USB Output 7800MAH DC Power Bank Portable Power For 12V 2A Applications Protection

APC Back-UPS Connect UPS Battery Backup for Echo and Network Routers (BGE70)

iHomepack Uninterrupted Power Bank Supply for Wireless Router Built-in 7800mah M312 11-13V DC UPS

APC Back-UPS Connect Lithium Ion UPS with Mobile Power Pack, USB Charging Ports for Echo and Network Routers (BGE50ML)

Backup Internet

Your smart home depends on the SmartThings cloud for many things to function. Konnected recommends that you have a backup internet service connected at your home WiFi router in case your primary ISP goes down. One economical way of doing this is with the following 4G LTE modem from Netgear:

NETGEAR 4G LTE Modem with Two Gigabit Ethernet Ports – Instant Broadband Connection and Automatic 4G LTE/3G Backup (LB2120)

You can connect this device between your broadband modem and router for automatic internet outage failover protection. You can often add a data-only plan for this device on to your mobile phone bill for a small additional monthly charge.