FYI Belkin Battery Backup REV A is recalled due to defects....

[cleftstone]

...according to tech supervisor at Belkin.  They are defective due to failures (just quit working) and Belkin is sending out new REV b, causing a shortage in the REV b.  My Rev b just went into fault and smelled like it was burning after being installed just 3 weeks ago.  Unfortunately tech did not leave the RG power cord. 

I think these things are dangerous and don't plan to use it, I have a cell phone in case of power outage.

[agilesaluki]

My Rev A just quit today.  Replacement was supposed to be here on 12/28.  AT&T Techs, while nice, tell me they have no knowledge of this problem.   I am so frustrated right now.  4 hours on phone calls, and no solution.

Email I received from ATT on 12/15 states "If your current unit needs to be replaced, you will be shipped a new one. If you receive a UPS shipment with a new unit, please follow the installation instructions and the simple instructions on how to return your old unit. Of course these actions are being conducted by us at no cost to you, and we truly apologize for any inconvenience you may experience."

Do I just unplug, return everything and cancel service?  Is it safe to leave the BBU plugged in?

So very, very disappointed.

[CorporateIndiff…]

Happened to me middle of last night.  Thank God for smoke alarms!  Filled room with foul electronic smell (caps. bruning?)

How freaking scary is this?!!!

So today they send a tech out with a replacement - but I'm scared of the replacement!

Questions:

1.  What should I look for in the new one (version, color, etc?)

2.  Are there any other powersupply options available?

(There is no power wart for the 2wire router/modem - it's integrated with the belkin firebomb.)

At this point, I'm ready to scrap the whole uverse debacle and find some other solutions.  At least I'll be able to sleep at night.

[Computer-Joe ACE - Guru]

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CorporateIndifference wrote:

Happened to me middle of last night.  Thank God for smoke alarms!  Filled room with foul electronic smell (caps. bruning?)

How freaking scary is this?!!!

So today they send a tech out with a replacement - but I'm scared of the replacement!

Questions:

1.  What should I look for in the new one (version, color, etc?)

2.  Are there any other powersupply options available?

(There is no power wart for the 2wire router/modem - it's integrated with the belkin firebomb.)

At this point, I'm ready to scrap the whole uverse debacle and find some other solutions.  At least I'll be able to sleep at night.

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If you change from VOIP to POTS phone service you don't need the BBU. That's the only reason they install them.

Otherwise this should work.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-TWO-2Wire-12V-3A-PSM36W-120TW-DC-Power-Supply-AC-Adapter-/200705258625?_tr... 

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How can you be in two places at once, when your not anywhere at all?
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I really want to become a procrastinator, but I keep putting it off.
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There are three kinds of people, those that can count, and those that can't.
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“Our great democracies still tend to think that a stupid man is more likely to be honest than a clever man, and our politicians take advantage of this prejudice by pretending to be even more stupid than nature has made them." :Bertrand Russell

[jfw ACE - Czar]

I've had my Rev A BBU since my service was installed 5/09 and so far have had no problems with it. It's possible only certain production runs or serial numbers of the Rev A are causing problems. Since I have the AC adapter for the RG, I will most certainly use it should the BBU fail and I do not intend to buy a replacement battery @ $55 either. In the event of a power outage I'll use my cell phone if needed.

[Computer-Joe ACE - Guru]

Yup, my 8.25KW generator means I don't need any BBUs.

__________________________________________________________
How can you be in two places at once, when your not anywhere at all?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I really want to become a procrastinator, but I keep putting it off.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are three kinds of people, those that can count, and those that can't.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Our great democracies still tend to think that a stupid man is more likely to be honest than a clever man, and our politicians take advantage of this prejudice by pretending to be even more stupid than nature has made them." :Bertrand Russell

[RCSMG ACE - Master]

Very nice C. J.

[Bernie157]

I don't see in this thread any description of a Rev A or Rev B BBU.  I have had U-Verse "triple play" service in January of 2010 with the same flawlessly-working BBU, Gateway, DVR, boxes, et al.  The BBU is black or dark gray, about 3 inches thick.  I haven't lifted it enough to see what Rev. might be printed on it.

This may be moot as I am planning to leave U-Verse soon, due to the ever-increasing prices, for our local cable company.  I believe the cable company provides only a modem without any BBU or router/wireless capability so I would love to be able to keep this BBU.

P.S. Our house power went out for about an hour this morning (a rare occurrence) and I just kept perking along on my laptop and my wife on her tablet, working wirelessly and powerlessly.

Bernie

[jfw ACE - Czar]

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Bernie157 wrote:

I don't see in this thread any description of a Rev A or Rev B BBU.  I have had U-Verse "triple play" service in January of 2010 with the same flawlessly-working BBU, Gateway, DVR, boxes, et al.  The BBU is black or dark gray, about 3 inches thick.  I haven't lifted it enough to see what Rev. might be printed on it.

This may be moot as I am planning to leave U-Verse soon, due to the ever-increasing prices, for our local cable company.  I believe the cable company provides only a modem without any BBU or router/wireless capability so I would love to be able to keep this BBU.

P.S. Our house power went out for about an hour this morning (a rare occurrence) and I just kept perking along on my laptop and my wife on her tablet, working wirelessly and powerlessly.

Bernie

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Rev A (the one I have) is the earlier one, all black in color, Rev B looks to be off white or light gray. Here's a link with pictures of the various BBU's.  http://www.att.com/u-verse/explore/battery-specifications.jsp

[Bernie157]

So I have a Rev A.  In over 2 years it has worked flawlessly.  In 2 weeks I will likely be off of U-Verse (sorry but it was getting too expensive).

Bernie

[jfw ACE - Czar]

Yep, my Rev A will be 3 years old in May and so far, so good.

[spd2demun ACE - Master]

With constant power outages here (like now), another reason to keep landline. I would be spending a lot to replace batteries.

[Shyster951]

Are all the Rev A's recalled?  I have one but never got any email from AT&T.

[Bernie157]

If you read all the posts about the REV A, you'll find that many have not had any problems with it, including me.

Bernie

[Shyster951]

I called AT&T & their Tier 1 tech support knew 'nothing' about any recall!  They gave me Belkin's phone number.  Called Belkin and they referred me back to AT&T!

From posts read subsequent to my initial posting, I gather that not ALL Rev A's were recalled, so my lack of a recall notification I put down to my unit's serial # not being a part of the 'problem' units.

[aprilglow]

NOBODY AT ATT OR BELKIN said there was a recall on this battery.
My good friend just went to ATT phone and internet I month ago. The battery was smoking and we lost our phone service and internet service. Plus the power surge to out his TV, stereo, alarm clock, TV box and phone. Nobody has helped us and we have to pay ship for a new battery to get to the house. He is fuming. Treating to pull everything ATT out of the house.

[jfw ACE - Czar]

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aprilglow wrote:
NOBODY AT ATT OR BELKIN said there was a recall on this battery.
My good friend just went to ATT phone and internet I month ago. The battery was smoking and we lost our phone service and internet service. Plus the power surge to out his TV, stereo, alarm clock, TV box and phone. Nobody has helped us and we have to pay ship for a new battery to get to the house. He is fuming. Treating to pull everything ATT out of the house.

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If you'd like to follow up, contact Alex, one of the AT&T Community Managers via PM. But I have a feeling that isn't going to happen.
Alex

[tavara6]

I never got a recall notice but Belkin no longer sells the replacement battery. You have to buy the complete unit for $130

[jfw ACE - Czar]

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tavara6 wrote:

I never got a recall notice but Belkin no longer sells the replacement battery. You have to buy the complete unit for $130

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There are sources other than Belkin that sell replacement batteries and they're cheaper too.

http://www.atbatt.com/ups-backup-batteries/b/belkin/m/f6c127-bat.asp

[ScottMac]

If you have a BLACK BBU of any generation, you should be able to call Support for a replacement unit (which will be grey in color).

It's my understanding that they are not dangerous, just flakey.

[skeeterintexas]

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ScottMac wrote:

If you have a BLACK BBU of any generation, you should be able to call Support for a replacement unit (which will be grey in color).

It's my understanding that they are not dangerous, just flakey.

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Had a tech here a while back and thought I'd ask about a new BBU since I had the original (black one) from 4 years ago. 

He HAPPILY gave me a new one and it's the gray one.  Makes sense now.

[Darknessrise]

We have our black REV A sitting in a closet since we got the new one a couple months ago with a RG change. What can we do with it lol?

[skeeterintexas]

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Darknessrise wrote:

We have our black REV A sitting in a closet since we got the new one a couple months ago with a RG change. What can we do with it lol?

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Door stop?

Paper weight?

Self-defense mechanism?

[ScottMac]

There's a 12V 7.2 Amp-Hour battery in it.

Get a small solar panel and keep it topped off and use if to run small devices, charge your phone ...

They're gel cells, so you don't have to worry about them leaking or outgassing, and the emergency power might come in handy someday.

Otherwise, they can usually dropped off at one of the garages and they can dispose / recycle it for you.