Extend Cell Phone Battery Life During Storms

When a storm approaches that threatens to cut off power for a significant period of time, it’s important to extend your cell phone battery life. This is especially important if you rely on a smart phone as your primary phone. Even more so as it looks like extreme weather is not going away.

Here's what you can do.

Before the Power Goes

Before the power goes out, make sure you charge your cell phone battery completely. If you have a spare battery or backup battery, charge that, too. If you have one of those instant chargers, make sure it's fairly new so that it's likely wot work.

After the Power Goes

After the power goes out, turn off unnecessary features on your phone that use power.

Turn off the Wi-Fi Radio

Turn off your phone’s Wi-Fi radio. Since your local Wi-Fi network is probably down anyway, there’s no sense wasting power looking for a network.

Turn off Bluetooth

Turn off Bluetooth radio. That's a another power drain. You'll have to bear the inconvenience of actually using your phone to talk.

Turn off GPS

Turn off your phone’s GPS radio. You probably know where you are.

Turn off Unnecessary Apps

Shut down any apps that sync or check for updates.

Additional Steps

Other options you may have include using another source to charge your phone. There are instant cell phone battery chargers and piggyback batteries such as the Philips Mobile Phone Battery. Also, if you have access to a car and a car charger, you can (inefficiently) convert gasoline into electricity.

Stay Safe

I hope these simple steps helps you stay in touch and stay safe during a storm that knocks out power.

Hurricane Sandy Update

Over a million people were without power for an extended period of time after Hurricane Sandy. Some of the coverage focused on New Yorkers looking for a way charge their cellphones on the very day after the storm hit.

Please follow the above advice if you read this, and help out your friends by passing it along to them.