Working from home has its perks, like flexibility, no commuting and the comfort of your own space. Unfortunately, all the conveniences of working from home get upended when outages hit.
No Wi-Fi, no battery, no lights—it’s a problem. Most jobs rely on electricity in some form or another. If you need to charge your devices or connect to the internet, unexpected outages can bring your workday to a screeching halt. Assuming you can’t count on a neighbor or move your work to a coffee shop, you’re in a bind. That’s where backup power solutions come in.
Portable power stations are high-capacity, rechargeable batteries—different from most generators. Why does it matter? Well, it makes them a great backup option for home offices. Portable generators that run on gas or propane can be a good temporary fix during an outage, but they have their limitations. Portable power stations, on the other hand, are safe, silent and relatively hands-off. Lightweight and storable, they’re zero-emission home office heroes that you can run indoors without any issues. They’re particularly well-suited for people in apartments or condos that can’t accommodate typical generators.
As for the best portable power station, it all depends on the type of work you’re doing. Laptops can run smoothly off a 120V battery, but higher-power devices like design tools or CAD software will need an extra boost. Plus, the more power you have, the more you can dedicate to home comforts like your lights, fans or refrigerator. Generac offers powerful GB1000 and GB2000 power stations.
Here are some key factors to consider when choosing a portable power station:
If you’re lucky, you’ll enter an outage with a full battery and plenty of charge for all your devices. In that case, Wi-Fi will be your main hurdle. You can activate your phone hotspot, but even that’s not a completely fail-safe solution unless you get satellite service. Larger cities tend to keep their cellular towers fully backed up and protected—often, by Generac Industrial Generators. In more remote areas, on the other hand, telecoms could be down for the foreseeable future. Fortunately, if you use a router or modem, you can power it directly with a power station and get back to work immediately.
It’s all about your priorities. If you absolutely need your laptop to get work done, consider unplugging your phone and any other devices from your backup power solution. No charging options? Don’t panic. Even if your battery is getting low, there are ways to make it last. First, head to the Power or Battery section in your Settings to enable any power-saving features. Then, lower your brightness and shut down any applications you’re not using. Try to address you most critical or urgent tasks first, like looming deadlines or delegating responsibilities to teammates unaffected by the outage. You can also make the most of natural light while it lasts or adjust your work schedule to reserve what power you have.
If your work is sensitive—or if outages become a reoccurring issue—it might be time to invest in a backup that will bring permanent peace of mind. A home standby generator can provide uninterrupted power to keep your home office in business through any storm.
