Does a router use more power during a VOIP call?

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Does making a VOIP call make any substantial change to the rate at which a router would draw power from a Battery Backup Unit?

With the retirement of POTS, BT (and other "providers") are required to provide Battery Backup Units for those without a mobile signal.

BT say:
"We advise that you limit your usage to essential calls only to preserve battery life during any outage"

I suspect that VOIP calling will make no measurable difference to power consumption - but could I check this with others?

If the power consumption is essentially the same with or without VOIP calls then perhaps the BT text is written by someone who doesn't understand (I seem to remember seeing at least one site, which I can't now track down, talking wrongly of a BBU providing "an hour of calls" rather than the correct "an hour in which you can make calls").

Or perhaps this has been deliberately written to lull users into a false sense of security - without actually deceiving people by saying that the unit will last a good long time if you don't make calls, might the wording be designed to give that (wrong) impression?

[[e-mail]]

Post by ***@gmail.com
Does making a VOIP call make any substantial change to the rate at which a router would draw power from a Battery Backup Unit?
With the retirement of POTS, BT (and other "providers") are required to provide Battery Backup Units for those without a mobile signal.
"We advise that you limit your usage to essential calls only to preserve battery life during any outage"
I suspect that VOIP calling will make no measurable difference to power consumption - but could I check this with others?
If the power consumption is essentially the same with or without VOIP calls then perhaps the BT text is written by someone who doesn't understand (I seem to remember seeing at least one site, which I can't now track down, talking wrongly of a BBU providing "an hour of calls" rather than the correct "an hour in which you can make calls").
Or perhaps this has been deliberately written to lull users into a false sense of security - without actually deceiving people by saying that the unit will last a good long time if you don't make calls, might the wording be designed to give that (wrong) impression?

Very little more unless the router includes an ATA, which will use power when the phone is connected, more in use and a fair bit more when ringing (~90VAC).

[David Wade]

Post by ***@gmail.com

Post by ***@gmail.com
Does making a VOIP call make any substantial change to the rate at which a router would draw power from a Battery Backup Unit?
With the retirement of POTS, BT (and other "providers") are required to provide Battery Backup Units for those without a mobile signal.
"We advise that you limit your usage to essential calls only to preserve battery life during any outage"
I suspect that VOIP calling will make no measurable difference to power consumption - but could I check this with others?
If the power consumption is essentially the same with or without VOIP calls then perhaps the BT text is written by someone who doesn't understand (I seem to remember seeing at least one site, which I can't now track down, talking wrongly of a BBU providing "an hour of calls" rather than the correct "an hour in which you can make calls").
Or perhaps this has been deliberately written to lull users into a false sense of security - without actually deceiving people by saying that the unit will last a good long time if you don't make calls, might the wording be designed to give that (wrong) impression?

Very little more unless the router includes an ATA, which will use power when the phone is connected, more in use and a fair bit more when ringing (~90VAC).

Surely power consumption only rises as power is consumed, and I am sure
most modern phones only take a few mA of ring current....
... it can be a huge amount as the PSU supplied with mine is only 2amp @ 12V

Dave

[Woody]

Post by David Wade

Post by ***@gmail.com

Post by ***@gmail.com
Does making a VOIP call make any substantial change to the rate at
which a router would draw power from a Battery Backup Unit?
With the retirement of POTS, BT (and other "providers") are required
to provide Battery Backup Units for those without a mobile signal.
"We advise that you limit your usage to essential calls only to
preserve battery life during any outage"
I suspect that VOIP calling will make no measurable difference to
power consumption - but could I check this with others?
If the power consumption is essentially the same with or without VOIP
calls then perhaps the BT text is written by someone who doesn't
understand (I seem to remember seeing at least one site, which I
can't now track down, talking wrongly of a BBU providing "an hour of
calls" rather than the correct "an hour in which you can make calls").
Or perhaps this has been deliberately written to lull users into a
false sense of security - without actually deceiving people by saying
that the unit will last a good long time if you don't make calls,
might the wording be designed to give that (wrong) impression?

Very little more unless the router includes an ATA, which will use
power when the phone is connected, more in use and a fair bit more
when ringing (~90VAC).

Surely power consumption only rises as power is consumed, and I am sure
most modern phones only take a few mA of ring current....

A phone with an REN of 1 would have a resistance of 2400 ohms, which at
50Vac (not 90Vac) would draw around 20mA. Ringing volts at the exchange
used to be 70Vac or thereabouts delivering at least 25V at the phone,
but with most phones now having electronic ringers the REN is often much
less than 1 so the current draw when ringing would also be significantly
less.
As for speech, the average speech level and duration is much less than
you might expect so I wouldn't worry about that.

Come on Mark, tell me I'm wrong!

[[e-mail]]

Post by Woody

Post by David Wade

Post by ***@gmail.com

Post by ***@gmail.com
Does making a VOIP call make any substantial change to the rate at
which a router would draw power from a Battery Backup Unit?
With the retirement of POTS, BT (and other "providers") are required
to provide Battery Backup Units for those without a mobile signal.
"We advise that you limit your usage to essential calls only to
preserve battery life during any outage"
I suspect that VOIP calling will make no measurable difference to
power consumption - but could I check this with others?
If the power consumption is essentially the same with or without VOIP
calls then perhaps the BT text is written by someone who doesn't
understand (I seem to remember seeing at least one site, which I
can't now track down, talking wrongly of a BBU providing "an hour of
calls" rather than the correct "an hour in which you can make calls").
Or perhaps this has been deliberately written to lull users into a
false sense of security - without actually deceiving people by saying
that the unit will last a good long time if you don't make calls,
might the wording be designed to give that (wrong) impression?

Very little more unless the router includes an ATA, which will use
power when the phone is connected, more in use and a fair bit more
when ringing (~90VAC).

Surely power consumption only rises as power is consumed, and I am sure
most modern phones only take a few mA of ring current....

A phone with an REN of 1 would have a resistance of 2400 ohms, which at
50Vac (not 90Vac) would draw around 20mA. Ringing volts at the exchange
used to be 70Vac or thereabouts delivering at least 25V at the phone,
but with most phones now having electronic ringers the REN is often much
less than 1 so the current draw when ringing would also be significantly
less.
As for speech, the average speech level and duration is much less than
you might expect so I wouldn't worry about that.
Come on Mark, tell me I'm wrong!

Nah! I remembered ring voltage as 90V AC, back in the days of whir and bang exchanges, but if you say 70V then OK.

OTOH perhaps it was higher: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ringing_(telephony)#Specifications

[Graham J]

***@gmail.com wrote:

[snip]

Post by ***@gmail.com
Nah! I remembered ring voltage as 90V AC, back in the days of whir and bang exchanges, but if you say 70V then OK.
OTOH perhaps it was higher: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ringing_(telephony)#Specifications

That article was probably written for the USA market. Best I can find
for UK is:

<https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/showthread.php?t=62>

[[e-mail]]

Post by Graham J
[snip]

Post by ***@gmail.com
Nah! I remembered ring voltage as 90V AC, back in the days of whir and bang exchanges, but if you say 70V then OK.
OTOH perhaps it was higher: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ringing_(telephony)#Specifications

That article was probably written for the USA market. Best I can find
<https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/showthread.php?t=62>
--
Graham J

That says 75V AC. However that may be peak.

[Ken]

Post by ***@gmail.com

Post by Woody
Come on Mark, tell me I'm wrong!

Nah! I remembered ring voltage as 90V AC, back in the days of whir and bang exchanges, but if you say 70V then OK.

SIN 351 says that the across the pair in the on hook state is no
greater than 70v. But ringing between 100v and 40v RMS.

ISTR that Telex used 90v, which may be what you're remembering.

Post by ***@gmail.com
OTOH perhaps it was higher: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ringing_(telephony)#Specifications

[Mark Carver]

Post by Woody

Post by David Wade

Post by ***@gmail.com

Post by ***@gmail.com
Does making a VOIP call make any substantial change to the rate at
which a router would draw power from a Battery Backup Unit?
With the retirement of POTS, BT (and other "providers") are required
to provide Battery Backup Units for those without a mobile signal.
"We advise that you limit your usage to essential calls only to
preserve battery life during any outage"
I suspect that VOIP calling will make no measurable difference to
power consumption - but could I check this with others?
If the power consumption is essentially the same with or without
VOIP calls then perhaps the BT text is written by someone who
doesn't understand (I seem to remember seeing at least one site,
which I can't now track down, talking wrongly of a BBU providing "an
hour of calls" rather than the correct "an hour in which you can
make calls").
Or perhaps this has been deliberately written to lull users into a
false sense of security - without actually deceiving people by
saying that the unit will last a good long time if you don't make
calls, might the wording be designed to give that (wrong) impression?

Very little more unless the router includes an ATA, which will use
power when the phone is connected, more in use and a fair bit more
when ringing (~90VAC).

Surely power consumption only rises as power is consumed, and I am
sure most modern phones only take a few mA of ring current....

A phone with an REN of 1 would have a resistance of 2400 ohms, which at
50Vac (not 90Vac) would draw around 20mA. Ringing volts at the exchange
used to be 70Vac or thereabouts delivering at least 25V at the phone,
but with most phones now having electronic ringers the REN is often much
less than 1 so the current draw when ringing would also be significantly
less.
As for speech, the average speech level and duration is much less than
you might expect so I wouldn't worry about that.
Come on Mark, tell me I'm wrong!

I don't think you are are wrong.

Remember back in the day of real bells etc, it had to work, over up to a
few miles worth of poxy old twisted pair, so Mr Ohm would have had
plenty to say about things !