2024 Houston Derecho and Hurricane Beryl are two recent instances in which I regretted not having backup power and had to rely on the hospital for electricity and water. Living in an apartment, it’s not feasible to install something like a Powerwall with solar panels. Instead, I purchased the Anker SOLIX F3800 to serve as an uninterrupted power supply (UPS) in my office. In the event the power goes out, it would then charge my essential electronics, provide fan-based cooling in my bedroom with Vornado fans, etc.
The SOLIX F3800 has a massive 3840Wh battery capacity, making it ideal for powering multiple devices for extended periods when the power grid fails. As a UPS, it monitors the power consumption of my connected devices and instantly switches to battery power in case of a power loss, ensuring zero downtime. This is crucial for my main workstation and network attached storage, which serves as a DNS and runs my entire homelab.
I did learn the hard way that updating the device means power will transiently get cut to all attached devices, so next time, I’ll power off everything appropriately before updating the firmware. With that said, the Anker app offers a simple yet thorough overview of the SOLIX via WiFi.
Although this was a pricey purchase, it’s meant to be long-term (5-10 years) and if I ever get a house, it’ll still be a part of the larger power storage system I intend to have.
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