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Migrated from ADR-0006 on 2026-05-02 per ADR-0047. Source file retained with deprecation banner at docs/adr/0006-power-outage-strategy.md.

PLAT-0007 — Power Outage Strategy: Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen 2, No 5G Backup

Field Value
Status Accepted
Date 2026-03-31
Author Ben Peries
Sources ADR-0006

Context

The homelab operates in a basement in Ville St-Laurent, QC. The region has experienced multi-day power outages causing basement flooding. The target outage scenario is 4-6 hours — typical regional grid outage duration, not multi-day events.

A 5G backup dongle was evaluated as a resilience addition.

Decision

No 5G backup dongle at this build stage. The Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen 2 (1,024Wh LiFePO4, 2,000W) covers the 4-6 hour scenario.

  • Estimated draw: 180-250W continuous (all nodes)
  • Runtime at full draw: ~4-6 hours
  • ISP modem on same UPS — internet stays live during outage
  • No recurring mobile plan cost justified

Revisit in Phase 3+ if: platform is used for live client demos, or multi-WAN testing is required.

Alternatives Considered

Cellular LTE/5G backup — evaluated multiple providers and plans: - Canadian carriers (Public Mobile, Bell, Virgin Mobile, others at Staples): ~$27-50/month (~$324-600/year CAD) - 3HK Global 365-Day eSIM Pass: ~$50 CAD/year (HK$268), 13GB data, covers 130+ countries across Asia, Europe, Americas, Middle East, Africa, Oceania

All options rejected: ISP modem stays live on UPS during outages anyway, making cellular redundancy cost not justified for current threat model. Would reconsider if threat model changes (extended outages, ISP-level failures).

Starlink Residential (~$49 CAD/month, up to 100 Mbps) — Satellite internet backup independent of terrestrial cell networks. Relevant if both ISP and cellular networks fail simultaneously (e.g. regional infrastructure outage, natural disaster). Also available as Starlink Mobile for portable deployment. Rejected for now: adds monthly cost, requires dish installation, and current threat model does not justify satellite redundancy. Would reconsider if cae2/cae3 remote sites (cottage, secondary locations) are added where terrestrial internet is unavailable or unreliable.

Consequences

  • No out-of-band management path if ISP modem fails during an outage (acceptable risk at this stage)
  • Multi-WAN testing needs a different approach

References

  • PLAT-0008 — standalone flood sensor
  • Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen 2: 1,024Wh, 2,000W, LiFePO4