Agent Derek Meister-Geek Squad spoke to Bill about The Difference Between Power Banks, Power Stations, and Whole-Home Backups - You probably have a phone, laptop, game system, or other gadgets you never want to run out of power.
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Tue 5/21/2024 12:19 AM
The Difference Between Power Banks, Power Stations, and Whole-Home Backups
https://lifehacker.com/tech/difference-between-power-banks-stations-and-whole-home-backups
You probably have a phone, laptop, game system, or other gadgets you never want to run out of power.
That's why many of us have bought portable battery chargers, sometimes called "power banks" to charge them on the go.
But your needs may vary, and for you might want to charge more devices during a summer storm's power outage or even while "glamping" at a campsite. That's where power stations come in.
Power banks vs. power stations
All power stations are also power banks, in that they are just a battery that “banks” energy you can then use to power up devices. However, when people mention power banks, they are usually talking about very small, portable batteries. These are only meant to power your mobile devices like phones and tablets, and can be easily slipped in a purse or briefcase.
While power stations are also still “portable," you’re not tossing them in your purse. Their size is often more comparable to a toaster, but much heavier.
They vary in size and weight with how much energy they store. So a small 240wH power station will be quite light, and a 2,000wH power station will be much heavier and larger. Still, most power stations are designed to be portable since people want to use them for camping and going off grid.
These power stations will have USB ports in addition to A/C ports, and in most cases, a few of those ports act as UPS, or uninterruptible power supply.
This just means that you can use the power station as an interstitial between your devices and wall power. The wall power will consistently power the battery, and thus the devices. However, if you lose wall power, meaning there’s a power outage or even a surge, the power station will continue to deliver stable power until the battery runs out.
Solar generators vs. portable power stations
Most companies that sell power stations also sell “solar generators," which might lead you to believe they are different products. Rather, these are usually power stations that also come with a solar panel. The solar panel is one way to generate energy for the power station, but these stations also generally have input for standard A/C power and power from your car charger, so if you don’t have access to solar, it’s not a problem.
Power stations vs. whole home backup
What if you want more power? What if it's always having power to your home appliances and tech? If portability isn't important to you, but more power is, look at a whole home backup solution.
Most people may be familiar with older whole-home backup solutions that use a fuel generator in a large box in the back of their house like those from Generac. However, if you don't want to have to check on fuel, like propane, in these generators, there is another solution:
Modern Electric Vehicle development has led to hi-tech batteries adapted to home use. An example is Powerwall, available through Best Buy, that stores energy from the regular power grid or can be set up alongside any home solar panels you may have to back up your home during an outage automatically.
If you want to learn more, visit BestBuy.com and search for "Powerwall" or "Whole Home Backup".