Appliances › Outage Essentials

What size power station runs a wifi router + modem?

Tiny, always-on load — keeps you online to track the storm.

20 Wrunning watts

—startup surge

100%duty cycle

267 Whfor 12 h

Need to run it alongside other things? Add it to the full sizing tool with the rest of your load.

What size you need for 12 h

You need about 267 Wh — and 31 units fit. The smallest sufficient is the Bluetti EB3A; we never push more capacity than your load can use. Surge to clear: 20 W.

The math
Running watts (everything on at once) = 20 W
Surge watts (worst single startup + the rest running) = 20 W
Average draw (cyclic loads counted by their duty cycle) = 20 W
Watt-hours = 20 W × 12 h ÷ 90% usable reserve = 267 Wh

Bluetti EB3Asmallest that fits

268 Wh 600 W cont · 1,200 W surge ~12 h on this load $

Punches above its size — a 600 W inverter in a tiny 268 Wh body for surgey small loads.

LiFePO4 · ~30 min to 80% AC; up to 200 W solar · 10 lb

Check price at Bluetti → Full specs

Anker SOLIX C300

288 Wh 300 W cont · 600 W surge ~13 h on this load $

A compact LiFePO4 unit for CPAP and electronics with a long cycle life.

LiFePO4 · ~1.8 h AC; up to 300 W solar · 9 lb

Check price at Anker SOLIX → Full specs

Jackery Explorer 300 Plus

288 Wh 300 W cont · 600 W surge ~13 h on this load $

Compact LiFePO4 unit for small electronics and overnight CPAP.

LiFePO4 · ~2 h AC; up to 200 W solar · 8 lb

Check price at Jackery → Full specs

Goal Zero Yeti 500Xstep-up

505 Wh 300 W cont · 1,200 W surge ~23 h on this load $$

A half-kWh unit for electronics and overnight medical loads.

NMC · ~9 h AC; up to 240 W solar · 13 lb

Check price at Goal Zero → Full specs

EcoFlow RIVER 2 Max

512 Wh 500 W cont · 1,000 W surge ~23 h on this load $$

A half-kWh unit for CPAP, electronics, and a mini-fridge overnight.

LiFePO4 · ~1 h AC; up to 220 W solar · 13 lb

Check price at EcoFlow → Full specs

Jackery Explorer 500

518 Wh 500 W cont · 1,000 W surge ~23 h on this load $$

A long-running mid-small unit; NMC chemistry, so store it partly charged.

NMC · ~7.5 h AC; up to 100 W solar · 13 lb

Check price at Jackery → Full specs

🔗 The "Check price" buttons are brand-direct affiliate links. Once our brand affiliate programs are approved these will earn a commission — at no extra cost to you, and it never changes which unit we recommend. Disclosure.

Can a specific unit run a wifi router + modem?

34 of the units we track deliver enough watts to run a wifi router + modem. Check a specific one for the runtime and the full verdict:

Goal Zero Yeti 200X

187 Wh · 120 W cont

runs it

Jackery Explorer 240 v2

Jackery Explorer 300 Plus

677 Wh · 1,000 W cont

Common questions

What size power station do I need to run a wifi router + modem?

A wifi router + modem draws about 20 W running (a resistive load, so no real startup surge). So you want a unit with at least 20 W continuous output. For 12 h of runtime that's roughly 267 Wh of capacity — the Bluetti EB3A is the smallest unit that clears all of it.

How many watts does a wifi router + modem use?

About 20 W while running.

Sources: WiFi Router + Modem wattage — Standard appliance-wattage / generator-sizing charts (representative values; verify your nameplate); station specs — manufacturer published specifications (compiled 2026-06-15; approximate). Informational only — a computed sizing estimate from published appliance-wattage charts and manufacturer station specs. It is not an electrical guarantee. For hardwired or whole-home backup, transfer switches, or any permanent install, consult a licensed electrician.