FAQ
Your telecommunications services are powered by electricity. If your main power source goes out, all fiber customers have a backup power supply box provided by DRN in your home, apartment complex, or office building.
The battery backup powers telephone service for approximately eight hours. This means the backup will provide eight hours of in use time or talk time. If the power is out for an extended period of time, telephone service will continue to work as long as the battery backup has not been depleted of its eight hours of in use time. During a power outage, Internet and television service disconnects immediately.
In order to keep you and your family connected during an extended power outage, DRN recommends connecting your home or business to a backup generator or emergency backup battery. DRN offers a 24-hour extended battery for purchase. For details on buying an extended battery or any other questions regarding the battery backup, contact a customer care specialist at 701-344-5000.
Your home phone service is provided with our state-of-the-art fiber optic network and requires electric power to operate. To avoid a disruption of home voice service during a power outage – and to maintain the ability to connect to 911 emergency services — we at Dickey Rural Telephone Cooperative (“DRN”) offer you battery backup power option(s).
Where to Obtain Your Battery Backup
DRN would like to ensure that our customers are provided reliable backup batteries that allow you to continue to use your home voice services during a power outage. When you connect service with us, we offer a backup battery for free.
You can also purchase an additional backup battery directly from DRN if you want to extend your protection further. If you have any questions or simply want to purchase a backup battery through us, please call 1-877-559-4692 or visit our business office. Our 14-hour backup batteries cost $135. If you purchase your battery backup from DRN, you can guarantee that the battery will be compatible with your equipment, and we will provide helpful information about how to self-monitor and self-test the backup battery. Battery installation is easy, but if you do not feel comfortable installing your own battery, we would be happy to assist you. Please note, however, that there may be a charge for installation.
What Your Backup Battery Can – and Can’t – Do for You
The battery offered by DRN is approximately eight pounds and has a unit dimension of 5.25”H x 6.25”W x 3”D. Our backup batteries are expected to last at least 14 hours on standby power. That means the backup battery should give you approximately 8 hours of talk time.
Our backup battery does not provide power to any services other than voice. Home security systems, medical monitoring devices, routers and other equipment will not run on a home phone backup battery.
Instructions for Proper Care and Use of Your Battery
Please follow the more detailed instructions included with your battery for proper use, storage and care of your battery to ensure that it will function as needed during a power outage. If you do not store your battery correctly, it may shorten its useful life. Environmental factors such as temperature can shorten your battery’s useful life. We recommend that you store your battery above 32°F and below 122°F. These batteries are rechargeable. They will not last forever and should be replaced every 2-4 years, or when your device starts to make a loud beeping sound. That sound means that the battery is depleted and must be replaced. See the instructions above for purchase and replacement options. You should also periodically, as described in the instructions included with your battery, remove and test your battery to verify both the operation of the backup battery and its condition. DRN does not provide a maintenance plan for the battery backup.