Generator for Internet and Modem: Wattage Guide

Finding the wattage figure for your internet gear

A router, modem, Wi-Fi gateway or network switch is a small electronic load compared with the heating, cooling and refrigeration loads a generator listing may target. The figure that tells you how much power the device draws is printed on the device itself, usually on a small label near the power input, and it is repeated in the maker's manual and on the maker's web page. That label is the source for the wattage of the device, not the generator listing.

The EIA explains that a watt is a unit of power and that some devices need only a few watts to operate, while the average U.S. household uses about 10,500 kilowatthours (kWh) of electricity per year. That gap in scale is why a router or modem is usually discussed together with other essentials such as lights, a laptop and a phone charger rather than with whole-home loads.

Reading a generator listing for a small load

A generator listing leads with wattage figures. The first figure is often the starting, or surge, figure the seller states, and the continuous output for the same unit is normally a second figure or a figure on the maker's page. The article on starting and running watts explains the difference in plain words.

The words "Home Backup" and "Whole House" on a listing are the seller's own labels, not a promise about what the unit runs. The model name identifies the unit; the feature words describe it. If a listing does not state a running watts figure or the type of outlet for a small device, that detail is missing from the listing, and the maker's page is the place to check it.

This site does not size a home or tell you that a figure on a listing runs a router, a modem or any appliance. Compare the figure on your device label with the figures on the listing and ask the maker if the comparison is unclear.

Generator types that fit an internet backup

Inverter and open frame are listing words for two generator types. Inverter is the category this site compares for close neighborhoods, and a small inverter generator is the size tier many Texas shoppers pair with essentials like internet and lights. See the inverter generator guide.

Other listing words to read: electric start, push button start and recoil start, "RV ready" as the name of an outlet set, low oil shutdown, a fuel gauge, an hour meter and parallel capability. A listing may also state a CO sensor and shutoff; that is a listing feature, and the maker's manual governs where the unit is used.

A portable power station is an alternative category for the same small load. The power station article for internet and the home backup power station guide explain that option with stated details only.

Shopping for internet backup before a Texas outage

Texas shoppers usually buy this kind of equipment before winter storm season or before summer heat, when an outage is most disruptive to jobs and school that depend on internet. The Texas Division of Emergency Management, Texas Ready and the National Weather Service cold weather safety page in the sources below list preparedness steps to take before an event.

In a close neighborhood, the inverter-type category is the one this site compares for small essentials, and the inverter generator guide is the matching page. On a rural home, a large portable generator may be the tier for a home that also wants other essentials; a router is a small part of that decision, and the site gives no sizing.

If the home has a propane tank for cooking or heating, a dual fuel listing is a category to compare. Fuel handling and fuel line work are outside what this site covers; the maker and the home's fuel supplier answer those questions.

Carbon monoxide: what a listing says and what this site does not say

A generator listing may include "CO sensor" and "CO shutoff" as stated features. Those are listing words that describe the unit; they do not change where the unit may be placed. Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas produced when fuel is burned, as the CDC page in the sources describes.

Follow the maker's manual for where to run the unit and read the carbon monoxide pages of the CPSC, CDC and EPA listed in the sources below.

What to check before you buy

Before you compare listings, read the wattage figure on the router, modem and any Wi-Fi gear you plan to power, or find it on the maker's page for each device. That figure is the one to compare with the running watts figure on the generator listing; the site does not publish device wattage or runtime.

For anything that connects to the home's wiring, the decision belongs to a licensed electrician, the maker and the local permit office; this site does not explain connections. For the weather and preparedness side, the sources below list the Texas Division of Emergency Management, Texas Ready and the National Weather Service cold weather safety page.

• Check the device label or maker's page for the wattage of each device.
• Compare that figure with the running watts figure on the listing; if a detail is missing, check the maker's page.
• Read the product's owner's manual for where the maker says the unit may be run and how to maintain it.
• Ask a licensed electrician about any wiring connection.

What to pick for your situation

Questions

Where do I find the wattage my router and modem use?

On the device label or the power adapter label, and on the maker's page for each device. Compare that figure with the running watts figure on the generator listing; the site gives no figures of its own.

Can a portable power station power my internet instead of a generator?

Yes, a power station is an alternative for a small load. Read the power station article for internet and compare stated details with the home backup power station guide.

What does the first watts figure on a generator listing mean?

It is often the starting figure the seller states. Running watts is the continuous figure, usually on the maker's page; see starting and running watts.

Does this site tell me how long a generator runs the internet?

It does not. Running time depends on details the listing does not state, and the site gives no runtime figures. Read the maker's page for the unit and follow the manual for where to run it.

What should I read before buying a generator for internet backup?

The CPSC, CDC and EPA carbon monoxide pages in the sources below, the Texas Division of Emergency Management and Texas Ready pages for preparedness, and the owner's manual for the unit you compare.