FIOS Battery Issue
nycdude88
Newbie

Hello, my FIOS service was installed roughly 1 year ago, and the ONT backup battery has already died.

How do i get a replacement battery for free from Verizon? The battery is over 6 years old and is a leftover from the previous owner, i believe Verizon should have updated the battery when service was installed with new owner.

Thank you

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Re: FIOS Battery Issue
CRobGauth
Community Leader
Community Leader

You are responsible. Just like buying a used car.

Even new, I believe they only replace for a year.

You can buy them for say 20 at a local battery store ( like battery warehouse)

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Re: FIOS Battery Issue
nycdude88
Newbie

Well, i am buying a service from Verizon, shouldnt Verizon be responsible that the service is running since technically Verizon is responsible for the ONT and battery is part of it.

Used car is a pretty bad analogy here, since the ONT device is technically rented as part of the FIOS service.

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Re: FIOS Battery Issue
tns2
Community Leader
Community Leader

Nope.  They are not responsible.  Just like the batteries in your remote.  In fact in most locations they no longer even give you this battery during installation.  Its not necessary for the service to run except for phone service during a power outage, and then only for something like 8 hours.

Re: FIOS Battery Issue
Airwolf1
Enthusiast - Level 3

The ONT is needed for service. The battery back up is an add on that isnt. You arent going to loose service without the battery. The battery does nothing but provide service for the phone during a power outage.

You dont need it for service so like it was said its like a battery in a remote. You are responsible for replacing it outside of the warranty period. Also as said they arent even installing backups anymore unless one pays for it.

If you must have battery for phone service you can easily get one on ebay or even amazon.

A lot of people have UPS backups that they use or dont even use the backup at all.

Re: FIOS Battery Issue
viafax999
Community Leader
Community Leader

@Airwolf wrote:

The ONT is needed for service. The battery back up is an add on that isnt. You arent going to loose service without the battery. The battery does nothing but provide service for the phone during a power outage.

You dont need it for service so like it was said its like a battery in a remote. You are responsible for replacing it outside of the warranty period. Also as said they arent even installing backups anymore unless one pays for it.

If you must have battery for phone service you can easily get one on ebay or even amazon.

A lot of people have UPS backups that they use or dont even use the backup at all.


In reality the battery only provides backup for an old style phone, i.e. a phone powered via the in house copper.  As most phones these days are actually plugged in to a wall socket for other services like wireless handsets etc the battery backup then does nothing at all.

Re: FIOS Battery Issue
tns2
Community Leader
Community Leader

@viafax999 wrote:

@Airwolf wrote:

The ONT is needed for service. The battery back up is an add on that isnt. You arent going to loose service without the battery. The battery does nothing but provide service for the phone during a power outage.

You dont need it for service so like it was said its like a battery in a remote. You are responsible for replacing it outside of the warranty period. Also as said they arent even installing backups anymore unless one pays for it.

If you must have battery for phone service you can easily get one on ebay or even amazon.

A lot of people have UPS backups that they use or dont even use the backup at all.


In reality the battery only provides backup for an old style phone, i.e. a phone powered via the in house copper.  As most phones these days are actually plugged in to a wall socket for other services like wireless handsets etc the battery backup then does nothing at all.


Don't understand your claim that it does nothing.  Your ONT still needs power to operate.

Re: FIOS Battery Issue
nycdude88
Newbie

The battery is required for ONT to operate in case there is a power outage, as obviously, there are a lot of electrical components in the ont that require power to operate.

The posts here about it only be required for phone is totally wrong and shows their total misunderstanding of the issue.

The battery is required for ONT to operate in case power goes out. The logic is if you have Verizon Phone service and need to make a call in case of an outage, the ONT needs to have power, end of story.(obviously the phone would need power if it is of the wireless type, but old style phone should operate with just RJ11 alone)

The question of WHY doesnt Verizon provide an SIP gateway for anyone who purchases their FIOS phone is beyond me, as this would allow for using any SIP enabled client or any SIP enabled IP phone DIRECTLY OVER IP, from anywhere in the house (or world (if you VPN into your VZ network at home)). Instead Verizon requires you to plug in to the old style RJ 11 jack on the ONT.

Finally, i resolved the issue using the technique someone posted here already - I simply unplugged the battery from the ONT, let it sit for 5 minutes, then reconnected it and viola, the light is green and the battery seems good (i tested by unplugging power).

My statement still stands - Verizon needs to replace these batteries if they are offered as part of the service, or clearly state that customer is responsible for servicing the battery. Not because I care about $20 that it costs to replace it ($36 actually) but because Verizon is well known for nickel and diming their customers and it is just a matter of principle.

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Re: FIOS Battery Issue
CRobGauth
Community Leader
Community Leader

Couple of comments:

1) How many customers have sip enabled phones? And backup power is what is offered with battery for phone use during a power outage. That's what people with pots service expect.

2) Don't think any there are any consumer services that offer sip. Verizon has to compete against most providers not niche ones?

3) I believe batteries are listed as customer supported. No different than tires, brakes, etc on a car that you lease. Battery is now an extra option using D cell batteries.

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Re: FIOS Battery Issue
Airwolf1
Enthusiast - Level 3

@nycdude98 wrote:

The battery is required for ONT to operate in case there is a power outage, as obviously, there are a lot of electrical components in the ont that require power to operate.

The posts here about it only be required for phone is totally wrong and shows their total misunderstanding of the issue.

The battery is required for ONT to operate in case power goes out. The logic is if you have Verizon Phone service and need to make a call in case of an outage, the ONT needs to have power, end of story.(obviously the phone would need power if it is of the wireless type, but old style phone should operate with just RJ11 alone)

The question of WHY doesnt Verizon provide an SIP gateway for anyone who purchases their FIOS phone is beyond me, as this would allow for using any SIP enabled client or any SIP enabled IP phone DIRECTLY OVER IP, from anywhere in the house (or world (if you VPN into your VZ network at home)). Instead Verizon requires you to plug in to the old style RJ 11 jack on the ONT.

Finally, i resolved the issue using the technique someone posted here already - I simply unplugged the battery from the ONT, let it sit for 5 minutes, then reconnected it and viola, the light is green and the battery seems good (i tested by unplugging power).

My statement still stands - Verizon needs to replace these batteries if they are offered as part of the service, or clearly state that customer is responsible for servicing the battery. Not because I care about $20 that it costs to replace it ($36 actually) but because Verizon is well known for nickel and diming their customers and it is just a matter of principle.


"The battery is required for ONT to operate in case power goes out." WRONG. Sorry, but you are.

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