Battery-based backup systems are extremely expensive and require constant maintenance
. It is estimated
that for every 1M home-passed the yearly maintenance cost is $1.7M US. That includes the periodic replacement of 
batteries and UPS, periodic technician visits for testing and maintenance, special storage and recycling processes, and more. DPS on the other hand is maintenance free and has a lifetime guarantee. By installing batteries, operators are looking to increase network reliability, especially when faced with increasing competition from Telcos. However, batteries, even if they are properly installed and maintained, cannot guarantee more than 4 hours of energy at best before you have to send the generator team (assuming the road is free). DPS & SYNEGY units can guarantee unlimited backup time without the need for generators.
Advantages of DPS4 /SYNERGY over Battery-UPS / Generator Backup
|
|
DPSV5 /SYNERGY System
|
Batteries & UPS.
|
Generators
|
|
Backup
|
Unlimited
|
2-4 hours
|
Long
|
|
Cost
|
Low
|
High
|
High
|
|
Energy Cost
|
Reduced
|
High
|
|
|
Maintenance
|
None
|
On-going
|
On-going
|
|
Monitoring
|
Integrated Monitor Interface
|
Expensive and Complicated integration
|
Expensive and complicated
|
|
Environmentally Friendly
|
No Power Consumption, No Acid
|
Air Polluting & hazardous Acids
|
Air Polluting
|
|
Sync loss during power outage
|
No sync loss
|
Remote Devices Suffer sync loss
|
Not online
|
|
Power Booster integration
|
O.K
|
None
|
None
|
An inherent disadvantage of battery-based systems is its sensitivity to voltage interruption. When switching to alternative power, some of the remote, cascaded amplifiers may suffer from lost signal lost during switching (See diagram). The DPS is completely "online" and suffers no transfer effects or service interruption or signal loses. Operating batteries at temperatures over 25°C, can cause them to lose approximately half their life for every 5°C average rise in operating temperature, assuming they are properly temperature-compensated, properly installed and maintained, and that the chargers are well thought out. On the other hand, operating batteries atlow temperature reduces batteries capacity (Amp/Hr). To prevent this phenomenon, some operator uses heated cabinets, but these units in-turn, consume even more energy.
Another issue of concern is monitoring ( or the lack of it) of the power backup system. There are some battery monitoring systems, but these are expensive, complex, and carry even greater costs. DPS can be smoothly integrated into any monitoring system and can send an indication of the voltage and current online.
