Brownout Gadgets

The recent typhoons brought with it hours of no electricity. Everytime we experience a power outage we always wish we had some gadgets to get us by. We'll check out three items that can be really helpful during emergencies.

First item on the list is a USB power adapter converting 5volts to 12volts DC. With this item, you can now power any 12-volt device such as your wifi modem using your powerbank. I tried using the usb power cord on the PLDT Prepaid Wifi Green Packet D2K modem and it works! Aside from being connected to the internet even with power interruptions, this usb power cord also makes your prepaid wifi modems portable, becoming a bulkier pocket wifi that wont fit your pocket. You can also use this cord to power dsl and fiber modems such as those of converge, pldt, sky, and globe.  I got this item from lazada for less than 100 pesos during the 11.11 sale but it should not cost you more than 200 pesos on regular price.

Next item on my list is a rechargeable electric fan. There are a lot of small, desk fans selling for less than Php1,000 but what we bought was the Firefly 16-inch rechargeable fan to cater to our family. Size of the fan is the same with regular stand fans that we have. We got the fan for Php2,665 again during the 11.11 sale with regular price at Php4,100. Full charge takes 24 hours and published duration is 6 hours if the fan is on High setting. We tested the duration time and surprisingly got 6.5hours out of a full 24 hour charge. The fan also have other features such as a night light and a usb port. And with our first item, the usb power adapter, you can plug as well your prepiad wifis on the fan.

Last on this list is a 200watt car power inverter converting the 12volts coming from your car's lighter socket to 220 volts. I bought mine way back in 2017 for 800 pesos as a way to charge my laptop while on the road. During the onslaught of typhoon Ulysses, I used this device to power my wifi inside the car, which helped me keep track of what's going on with the typhoon at that time. The socket is useful in powering other small appliances and I tried plugging in an extension cord and tried to power an electric fan inside the house. The fan works but the extension cord set-up is of course not advisable when it's raining. This device is available in lazada and shopee in different wattage ranging from 400 to more than 1,000 pesos.

It's always important to be prepared during the typhoon season and I hope this video helped you in preparing for any unexpected power outage in the future.