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Light & Power
Best Portable Power Stations for Families
Battery backup that keeps the fridge cold and the phones alive — and is safe to run indoors.
Battery backup that keeps the fridge cold and the phones alive — and is safe to run indoors.
Below are the options we would actually put in our own home — what to get, what to skip, and who each one is for. Especially worth it if your area faces this regularly.
Our picks
What we'd actually buy
Common questions
- What size power station should I buy for my home?
- For phones, laptops, and lights, 500 to 1,000Wh is plenty. To run a fridge or a medical device through a longer outage, choose 1,500Wh or more and add a solar panel to recharge.
- Can I recharge a power station with solar panels?
- Yes. Most stations accept a compatible solar panel and recharge in a few hours of good sun, which is what turns one into a true off-grid backup.
- What can a 1,000Wh power station run?
- Roughly a phone 50 or more times, a laptop 8 to 10 times, or a full-size fridge for 8 to 12 hours, depending on the appliance. Lights and routers sip power and last much longer.
Where it matters