Forum Discussion

segask's avatar
segask
New Contributor
6 years ago

Does Cox Internet stay up as long as Cox Phone during a power outage?

I've been thinking of switching from Cox phone to another voip service like OOMA or Obi with Google Voice.  But in order for OOMA or Obi to work during a power outage the Cox internet signal has to be there.  Even if my cable modem and router and OOMA or Obi box is plugged into a UPS backup power supply, the Cox internet signal has to still be active.  From what I've read, there are regulations that require phone companies to have backup power for their phone system if there is a power outage.  

Does the Cox phone modem lock on to a different signal from the regular internet signal?  And does that phone only signal have a Cox backup power system while the regular Cox internet signal does not?  Or, does the Cox backup power system keep the regular internet up as long as phone?  If I switch to an internet phone service like OOMA or Obi with google voice would my phones work as long as they would as if I were still on Cox phone? 

7 Replies

  • Bruce's avatar
    Bruce
    Honored Contributor III

    Yes, Cox telephone uses a different signal than Internet as well as TV.  All three services use the same cable albeit on different frequencies.

    Yes, Cox telephone modems (eMTA) have internal and replaceable battery back-up capabilities.  As far as I know, Internet modems do not have this capability.

    As long as you have a serviceable battery inside your Cox eMTA, you'll have telephone service until the battery depletes.  If you have an all-in-one device (eMTA & modem), the battery will only power the eMTA...not the modem.  Therefore, if your only power source during an outage is the battery inside your eMTA, you will not have Internet service.

    To use telephone service during a power outage, you'll need to connect a corded telephone...that does not require power...directly to the telephone jack on the eMTA.

    If you have another phone service and your telephone and modem are connected to an UPS, you should have service.

    The new Cox telephone service with an aMTA is called Cox Voice.  Cox Voice is an Internet service...VOIP...a packet-switched voice connection.  It's the same technology as OOMA, Obi and Google.

    www.cox.com/.../phone-modem-battery-policy.html

    • segask's avatar
      segask
      New Contributor

      So lets say you have two next door neighbors who both have Cox internet.  One neighbor also has Cox Voice with a backup battery installed in their phone modem and a corded phone.  The other neighbor has OOMA with their cable modem, router, and OOMA unit plugged into a UPS backup power supply, and a corded phone. The neighbor with OOMA would have their phones working for the same length of time as the neighbor with Cox Voice?

      • Bruce's avatar
        Bruce
        Honored Contributor III

        Connect OOMA to the modem and you may get 4-8 hours on the UPS.

  • Just so that you are aware, if the power goes out during a call it will be disconnected as the interruption forces the phone modem to reboot.

    • Bruce's avatar
      Bruce
      Honored Contributor III

      I don't think a lot of people directly connect one telephone to the modem.  If power goes out, the wireless base-unit would stop broadcasting anyway.

      • stinkfoot63's avatar
        stinkfoot63
        Contributor II

        Plug it into a UPS unit and that problem should be addressed.