GFiber Phone Service Outages and Battery Backup Options
Your GFiber Phone service relies on both an internet connection and electrical power. If either one goes out, your service will stop working. Certain conditions — such as a power outage or internet outage — can interrupt your GFiber Phone service.
Phone Battery Backup Overview
GFiber offers an optional phone battery backup solution that can power your GFiber Phone equipment for up to 24 hours during a power outage.
Important things to know:
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GFiber Phone requires electricity to operate. During a power outage, you won't be able to make or receive calls — including 911 calls — unless you have a phone battery backup or an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS).
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You are responsible for obtaining and maintaining your phone battery backup equipment.
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GFiber isn’t responsible for service interruptions caused by power outages or malfunctioning backup equipment.
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GFiber doesn’t provide support or ongoing maintenance for third-party battery backup devices.
Calling 911 During an Outage
Important 911 availability and emergency call information for Google Voice customers:
Standard calling for Google Fiber Phone is provided by the Google Voice Service, while our 911 service is through Bandwidth. If Google Voice is having a service outage, you still can dial 911 provided your handset has a dial-tone.
If the 911 service itself is down, you'll be presented with a three-beep tone and your call won't go through. In this case, you should immediately dial 911 from another handset, such as a cellular phone.
GFiber Phone is a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) service. That means it relies on both your internet connection and electrical power to place calls.
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If there is an internet outage: You won’t be able to make calls, including 911 calls, until your internet service is restored.
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If there is a power outage: Your phone service can still work if your equipment is connected to a battery backup or UPS and your internet service is still active. In this situation, you’ll be able to make regular calls and dial 911 while your equipment is powered by the backup battery.
Important Considerations
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Number transfers: If you’re currently porting your number to GFiber, emergency dispatchers may not receive your location information until the transfer is complete.
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Verify your emergency information: To confirm your registered emergency address and callback number, dial 933 from your GFiber Phone. An automated recording will read back the information currently associated with your account.
Get Phone Battery Backup
If GFiber Phone is available in your area, you can purchase an optional phone battery backup unit when you:
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Sign up for service, or
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Add GFiber Phone to your existing service.
This phone battery backup option provides up to 24 hours of backup power to maintain phone service during an outage and costs $1,230. If you choose to purchase it, a technician will deliver and install the unit during your GFiber installation appointment.
Phone battery backup units must be purchased when you order GFiber Phone service. They aren’t available for purchase later through GFiber. However, you can purchase compatible battery backup units from third-party retailers.
Important Information and Guidelines
For additional safety and regulatory details, view the important information and guidelines.
Automatic battery test
Your phone battery backup performs an automatic internal battery test when it is turned on.
FCC Compliance
This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
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This device may not cause harmful interference
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This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.
Warranty
Making changes or modifications could void the warranty and prevent the device from operating properly.
Storage guidelines
Follow these storage guidelines for your phone battery backup unit:
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Use the device indoors only.
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Avoid contact with liquids, direct sunlight, excessive dust, or humidity.
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Make sure the air vents are not blocked so the device can ventilate properly.
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The battery typically lasts three to five years. Environmental factors — such as high temperatures, power quality, and frequent discharges — may affect its lifespan.
Operational guidelines
Follow these operational guidelines when using your phone battery backup:
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Plug the battery backup directly into a wall outlet. Avoid surge protectors or extension cords.
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The 24-hour phone battery backup system includes three 8-hour battery packs, each containing a UPS and an external battery, for a total of 6 components.
To maintain service during outages longer than eight hours:
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Manually swap the power supplies for your Fiber Jack, Network Box, and GFiber Phone Box between the UPS units at approximately 8 and 16 hours.
A brief service interruption may occur while switching between battery packs.
FAQs
The service relies on both an internet connection and electrical power.
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During an internet outage, you will not be able to make calls, including 911 calls, until service is restored.
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During a power outage, service can still work if your equipment is connected to a battery backup or UPS and your internet service is still active.
Dial 933 from your GFiber Phone. An automated recording will read back the registered emergency address and callback number associated with your account.
GFiber Phone supports 211, 311, 511, 611, 711, 811, 911, and 988. Directory assistance (411) is not supported.
You can usually use a fax machine if it's physically connected to your GFiber Phone Box, either directly, through a wall jack, or using a standard RJ11 splitter. Note that some fax machines may not work reliably with VoIP services.