Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ is tailored for United States and Puerto Rico for the new Plug-and-Go iSocket since 2021.

1. Which models support the power outage notification feature?

Any iSocket will send power outages alerts by text or voice messages or emails. Since 2021 we offer hassle-free Plug-and-Go iSocket with integrated connectivity that works out of the box. You can order your awesome iSocket and start receive power loss alerts immediately.
2. Can the iSocket alert me when power comes back on?

Yes, iSocket sends alerts about both power outage and power restore, to any amount of numbers or emails.
3. Can iSocket call me about power outages and when power is restored?

Yes! Notifications about a power outage or power restore by call are possible for iSocket.
4. Will iSocket text more than one number if there's a power outage?

It will text any amount of numbers. We use a top quality li-ion battery that is sufficient to power a mobile module even after a break in the mobile network. We avoid using super-capacitors (as cheaper products do), because these are not reliable enough for the above process.
5. How long after a power outage will the unit operate from its built-in battery?

Please note, that iSocket only needs a battery for the purpose of informing you about a power outage in your electric network (AC network). If power has failed, you do not have electricity in your house and therefore you cannot do anything with electric appliances. So there is no reason for iSocket to continue to work from the battery. As soon as iSocket has sent a message about a power loss, it goes to shut-down. After the power is restored it will send a power restore message. All iSockets that support the iSocket^® Power Notifier feature have a top quality re-chargeable li-ion battery that is sufficient to power a module and send a power interruption alert to your cell phone even if there was a break in the network. iSocket will wait for a signal and will then send a message. We do not use super-capacitors as the cheap products of our competitors do, because super-capacitors may not provide enough power and manage a situation when the mobile network has been lost. We invented this technology and we know better how to use it. We use only high quality batteries and that is why our power outage alert feature is reliable. Watch video on our YouTube channel about power failure features of iSocket.
6. Is there a delay between power failure and sending a message to a phone?

iSocket will send a power failure message immediately after it detects that supply to it has been lost. There could be some latency but in most cases power outages longer than 1 second will be reported. Professional iSocket^® Smart Software is designed to send both power outage and power restore messages no matter what the delay was between these two events. It means that even if power has been restored in the same second that it failed and the unit had not even shut down yet, you will receive both messages. This helps to understand that there has been a short power interruption, but now there is power in your network again.

7. Will iSocket text in the event of a power blink / flicker / glitch / surge (brown outs), not necessarily an outage for several seconds / minutes?

iSocket can detect flickers/glitches (by fact, outages) of at least 100ms duration when the setting of power failure delay is set to "0" (it is set to 1 second from the factory). Of course, different factors should be taken into consideration, such as capacitance, length of wires, etc. It is important to understand what exactly means the outage for iSocket. The outage is a drop of the mains power (input power provided to iSocket) below ~90 VAC for ~100ms, while your equipment will be, and most probably must be, connected to the mains separately from iSocket. When you consider using any external glitches detection device which is not a part of the monitored equipment itself, you should understand that regardless of parameters of glitches/flickers an outage for a one equipment not necessarily will be the same for another. Generally, no one external device can guarantee 100% correct detection of glitches for another device, because characteristics of two devices connected to the mains separately will be different. You will either have false alarms or no alarms from time to time. Only a built-in facility of the monitored equipment itself can be considered as 100% guarantee if your concern are brown outs (glitches). The recommended option if your concern are power glitches will be to use a small UPS or even a surge protector for your equipment so that it can survive short outages and keep iSocket for notifications about longer outages as there will be no any external device that can help you to detect such short outages. Worth mentioning, if you don’t receive a power glitch alarm with the setting of the power failure delay to zero but your equipment is switching off then your equipment really needs some frontend protection first - a protection that allows you to delay the outage. Or vice versa, you can create an intentional permanent power cut of the network that powers the iSocket when there is a power outage on the network that powers your equipment. You can do this with a specific hardware. Thus, in the event of a glitch, the power to iSocket will be turned off until it is manually turned on and iSocket will certainly detect this.
8. May I only be reported about power outages longer than 30 minutes and not the short ones?

The whole idea of iSocket is to report any outages without manipulating over them except a tiny setting that allows to eliminate flickers (see previous question), otherwise it's the way to add a huge amount of confuses in settings and the way lost alerts. There simply can't be a simple (in fact, any) reasonable logic to implement big delays in the reporting without adding confuses and precedents of the lost alerts. Yes, we can configure your iSocket to behave this way, but you have a huge risk to be confused. However, you will get a power restore message too, so you always know the duration of the outage and you decide whether to go to the location to fix a problem (if power is not restored) or not (if power is restored in acceptable for your use case time).
9. I have a pump outdoors and I want to detect when the power supply to the pump is switched off due to a fuse in a cabinet. How can I do this?

If your outdoor pump is wired directly to the indoor fuse cabinet through a breaker, we would recommend that you install an indoor outlet after the same breaker and plug the iSocket into this outlet. Thus when the breaker switches off, iSocket will detect it, because power in the parallel outlet will also switch off. You may even have an indoor outlet in your house – please ask your local electrician. Check some other questions in this FAQ that cover similar subject.
10. I want to detect a power failure outdoors (fish pond, weather metering station, irrigation system). How do I install iSocket outdoors?

Please note, iSocket can only be used indoors, however ways can be found to get around this. In most cases an outdoor appliance is powered from an indoor electric supply and in some cases you may even have an indoor outlet connected to the same network. If you only need to detect a power failure and do not need to switch your outdoor equipment remotely, then you could plug the iSocket to the indoor outlet. Since the electric network is the same and connected in parallel, when the power fails it will fail on this indoor outlet as well. iSocket will detect this and you will get a power failure notification. You may consult with a local electrician about how your system is wired and he could probably help you with the installation. If your outdoor equipment has a plug that can be routed from inside the premises then you may consider doing that and move the iSocket indoors.

Another option is to use special insulated boxes which allow indoor equipment to be used outside, but please note that temperature and humidity conditions must be kept in mind - to merely protect against rain/snow is not enough.

Read useful article about using electronics in a cold environment.
11. How many texts will the product send out in the event of a power outage - would 5 be possible? Do I or my friends need a smartphone to receive these messages or will any telephone be ok?

With the new Plug-and-Go iSocket you are not limited about how many numbers for power outages notifications you can use. Any phone that can accept and display messages may be used for text messages (SMS) about power outages. Voice message about power interruptions can be configured to any phone, even landline.
12. I want to know if shore power is interrupted so I can investigate before my boat batteries go flat. Where do I plug iSocket?

It depends if your boat has a power point that is not backed up by the inverter. If you have one, you can plug iSocket to it, and that way you will know that shore power is lost because that power outlet will lose power. If you plug the iSocket into an outlet after the inverter (backup power), you will probably also be notified of both a power outage and a power restoration, depending on how quickly your inverter reacts to a shore power loss (if not faster than 1 sec. then it should be fine to receive both messages). In this way, you will be in control of both shore power failure and inverter operation.