Tech essentials for when the power goes out

Last night the power went out for about six hours. Now, it was late, so I could have done what most people would have done and gone to sleep.

But I didn’t.

Instead, I started looking at the tech that I had to take me through the power going out. I could easily go for a few days powering my essentials and even have the capability to recharge devices using solar or the 12V outlet in my car.

OK, so let’s go through the tech essentials for when the power goes out.

Phone

Pretty obvious this, and I’m pretty sure we all have one.

The flashlight feature came in useful, and then I used it to contact the power company. It also became my connection to the outside world until I got my router running on backup power.

One of the reasons I like to keep my phone charged up at all times is that I don’t know when I’ll need it in an emergency or for how long I’ll need it.

Power banks

I have loads of power banks, ranging from small ones that can fit into a pocket to huge ones that definitely won’t.

And all are fully charged and ready to go.

While I don’t think any normal person needs as many power banks as I have, I have a small one that you can take with you and a bigger one that you can use at home.

Remember to keep your charging cables nearby too. They’re so cheap these days that buying a spare set to keep for an emergency might not be a bad idea.

Rechargeable lights

I have a lot of rechargeable lights that I use for photography and videography, and they serve me well when the power goes out. These have magnets to allow them to be stuck to stuff and can be brightened and dimmed to suit.

Having a rechargeable flashlight or two at home is a good idea for most people. Power outages really aren’t the time to be messing about with candles and naked flames, no matter how nice and atmospheric they are.

I find that keychain lights are the best. They’re small and unobtrusive most of the time and not going to be blinding when you’re waving around the house at night.

Power stations

Most people can now ride a multi-hour power outage with a phone, a power bank, and a flashlight.

But there are some people who want more power.

Maybe to run a CPAP machine, some other health device, or something needed for work.

Some power stations even come with built-in lighting, which is pretty cool.

This is where a power station comes into its own.

What differentiates a power station from a power bank is that a power station can output mains AC power, and they come in all sorts of sizes, power capacities, and prices.

Some you recharge from the mains, and others you can recharge using other means, such as by using a solar panel or the 12V outlet in a car.

It’s really a case of how much do you want to spend! The more power you need, the more output power you need, the bigger the power station, and the more it will cost.

And if you need solar panels, then the hardware requirements increase, as well as the costs increase substantially.