A UPS for wifi router backup is a small DC battery box that sits between the router's adapter and the router, and keeps the internet running when the power fails. It is the cheapest piece of backup power most homes buy, and often the one used most. This page covers the voltage and plug to check, the fibre box (ONT) that also needs power, what mAh means in hours, PoE gear and when a small power station is the better buy. One request brings free quotes from local suppliers, with no obligation.
Check the voltage and the plug first
Most routers run on 12 V DC, some on 9 V, and the fibre box or ONT is often 12 V too. Read the small print on each adapter: it gives the voltage, the current in amps and the plug polarity. A router mini UPS has one or more DC outputs, often 5 V USB, 9 V and 12 V, and comes with short leads in common barrel plug sizes.
Match each device to the right output. Feeding a 9 V router from a 12 V port can damage it. If the plug does not fit, ask the supplier for the right lead rather than forcing it. The adapter also tells you the most the device can draw: a 12 V 1 A adapter means up to 12 W.
Fibre needs two boxes backed up
On fibre, the wifi router is only half the link. The fibre box on the wall, the ONT, must also have power, or the wifi stays on with no internet behind it. Many mini UPS units have two outputs for exactly this: one for the ONT and one for the router. Check that the line works on battery: some fibre networks rely on street equipment that can go down in a long outage, which no home UPS can fix.
With a fixed LTE or 5G router, only that one box needs backing up, which makes the job simpler.
mAh, watts and hours
Mini UPS capacity is usually given in mAh, which only means something at the cell voltage. The more useful figure is watt hours (Wh). To work out hours roughly:
- Add the watts of the router and ONT together, for example 12 W.
- Divide the battery's Wh by that load, then allow for conversion losses.
- A unit with about 90 Wh on a 12 W load gives several hours, not the full 7.5 the sum suggests.
- Ask the supplier for a tested runtime on your two devices.
PoE gear, mesh points and bigger options
Mesh wifi points in other rooms each need their own small UPS. Access points and cameras powered over Ethernet (PoE) take their power from a PoE switch or injector, so that switch must go on backup; many need 24 V or 48 V, which a basic router UPS cannot supply. In a home office with a PC, a computer UPS can carry the router too. For long outages, or the router plus a laptop and lights, a portable power station gives far more hours.
What to include in your request
- Router and fibre box voltages from the adapters
- The plug size, if you know it
- Hours of backup you want
- How many mesh points or extra devices
- How many units, for a home or a complex
WiFi Router UPS for different clients
- Homeowners: a mini UPS on the bookshelf keeping the router and fibre box online
- Complexes, estates and body corporates: router UPS units for each unit's fibre box and the guard hut internet link
- Offices and home offices: a mini UPS for the router so VoIP phones and email stay connected
- Shops, restaurants and salons: a small DC UPS for the shop router so card machines keep working online
- Farms and smallholdings: a router UPS for the farmhouse LTE router and the wireless link to the shed
- Clinics, surgeries and care homes: a mini UPS for the practice router so bookings and medical aid claims stay online
- Factories, warehouses, schools and churches: small DC UPS units for site routers, access points and remote telemetry modems
- Electricians, installers and security companies: installers and IT shops buying mini UPS units and plug leads by the box
Frequently asked questions
How long will a mini UPS run my wifi router?
Will a router UPS work with my fibre box?
What does a UPS for a wifi router cost?
Can I get quotes for router UPS units for a whole complex?
WiFi Router UPS by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg