I always keep 3 devices connected to a power station — here's why

Power stations are often treated as emergency gear, pulled out only when the lights go off or for a weekend away. I prefer leaving a few permanently connected as uninterruptible power supplies. That always-on setup avoids the usual surprises: a dead battery when you need it, missing cables, or suddenly losing network access.

The first things I back up are the modem and router. Losing Wi‑Fi is the biggest interruption to our work-from-home routine, and a modest portable battery can keep the connection alive for a full workday. I use an EcoFlow River 3 Plus for that role, and a larger unit such as an Anker Solix C1000 would run the modem and router roughly three times longer.

On one trip I remotely cut the circuit to the modem and couldn’t monitor my dog; a UPS would have let me restore access without driving back. The refrigerator is next on my list because modern fridges typically use about 1–2 kWh per day and draw 100–300W while the compressor cycles, with start-up surges up to 600–1,500W.

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