Whole-home backup to outlast any power outage

We often overlook how essential power is — until it suddenly disappears. That’s when the panic sets in, when you realize you’ve forgotten to keep your phone and laptop charged, while wondering how long the food in your fridge will last. Whether from expected, but still annoying, rolling power outages, or from far more severe natural disasters like extreme rain, snow, high winds, earthquakes, cyclones, tornados, or forest fires, it’s never great to be literally left in the dark.

I live in the mountains in California, and I’m used to regular power outages due to high winds and extreme temperature changes, but the recent spate of wildfires took things a step further and left me without electricity for days. I was unable to work, preserve food, or reliably keep my phone powered up to keep in touch with friends and family.

That’s when I realized I needed a dependable backup solution, and the Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus has become exactly that.

Anker has been a long-time player in the game, and while many of us may be more familiar with their excellent chargers, power banks, and mobile accessories, the SOLIX F3800 Plus isn’t about just charging your tech but your entire house!

While there are many home emergency power backup options, not many offer nearly as much capacity as the Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus with a massive 3,840 watt-hours capacity, making it ideal for the kind of extended or unpredictable outages I’ve become accustomed to. That’s been more than enough to run my home appliances like my fridge, and also provide reliable power for my Wi-Fi router and modem, while also keeping all my devices charged for a long time.

If the extreme weather outage lasts longer than expected and the power station runs out of juice, Anker provides a couple of key options to quickly recharge it. The first is solar panels. The power station can take two 165V solar inputs and can fully recharge in just 1.5 hours, capturing a maximum of 3,200W. This solar compatibility means continuous recharging, even during prolonged outages, so you can stay online even when the grid is down.

Of course, in extreme weather situations like the kind of heavy snowfall I can get in the Californian mountains, you may not have the luxury of clear skies and sunny days. In that case, the SOLIX F3800 Plus offers compatibility with 240V gas generators as a fallback option which can recharge the F3800 Plus in 1.5 hours. Even when attached to a generator, the Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus can bypass power up to its full 6,000W output, enabling simultaneous power delivery to your devices while recharging the battery. Instead of running the generator all day, you can save plenty of fuel charges by charging up the F3800 Plus instead.

The flexibility of the Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus doesn’t end there as one of the F3800 Plus’ biggest selling points is its modular nature. Anker sent me some additional expansion battery packs, each adding an extra 3,840Wh and you can stack up to six additional battery expansion packs, each providing the same capacity as the base unit, for a potential total of 26.88kWh! These allow me to comfortably survive three days or more without the grid or any other fallback to recharge the station itself. For those with greater backup needs, two main F3800 Plus units can be chained together to hit 12,000W output, and with a combined twelve expansion packs it’s possible to store up to an extraordinary 53,800Wh — sufficient power for weeks of uninterrupted usage.

The Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus is an excellent backup during extreme weather conditions, and is equally useful during planned rolling outages. While these outages aren’t indefinite, it’s still not great to lose power at all, especially during a busy day.

Thankfully, this power station isn’t just a home emergency backup, it can also be integrated into a complete home power system through the optional Anker SOLIX Home Power Panel. This system provides seamless transition from your regular setup to the Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus’ battery power within milliseconds of an outage.

It can even lower your electricity bills by optimizing when you draw power from the grid. For example, you can set it to charge only during off-peak hours, and even solely use the battery during peak hours to avoid high electricity charges. Combined with the availability of solar charging, you can enjoy a significant amount of savings in the long run.

Worried about forgetting to charge the Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus before severe weather hits? Don’t be! When the device is plugged into your home power panel, you can use the app to set up extreme weather alerts to automatically start charging the F3800 Plus before the weather sets in.

Taken purely as a power station, the 3,840Wh unit has enough capacity to charge a smartphone approximately 460 times. While I haven’t spent the days it would take to test that claim, I can confidently state that the Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus effortlessly powered all my essential appliances, including my refrigerator, laptop, modem, and router, for more than 24 hours just on its own.

Recharging the Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus is swift, taking approximately 1.5 hours with permanent solar installations, or about 2.7 hours via a standard wall outlet—still incredibly efficient for emergency scenarios.

One of the standout features of the SOLIX F3800 Plus is its extensive array of charging ports. It has a car socket port, two USB-A ports, and three USB-C ports. The USB-C ports provide up to 100W charging, which is plenty to fast-charge phones, tablets, and laptops. The USB-A ports, with 12W charging, can handle other gadgets and accessories. These ports ensure continuous operation of laptops, smartphones, tablets, and other USB-powered devices during outages.

However, the real strength of this power station lies in its six AC outlets, which can output up to 2,400W combined. Additionally, specialized 30-amp and 50-amp outlets can deliver up to 6,000W. If you’re wondering what that output can power, most central air conditioning units require around 4,000W. A fully capable microwave won’t need more than 1,200W, while most refrigerators need 400W.

Similar requirements apply to kettles, coffee makers, and washing machines. You might have to turn off the dryer if you have a single unit, or not if you get a pair. And yes, the F3800 Plus supports 120/240V dual-voltage output to ensure there won’t be any problems with large appliances.

The full 6,000W is also sufficient to directly power an RV or even recharge an electric vehicle, and all of this is done with just a single Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus unit. With the option to boost that output to 12,000W if paired with another F3800 Plus or Anker’s older generation F3800, there isn’t a home appliance I haven’t been able to run.

Despite its 132-pound weight, the SOLIX F3800 Plus remains portable enough for camping or RV use, too. The robust construction, stable wheels, and sturdy handle assure durability and ease of transport.

And of course, the F3800 Plus is powerful enough to comfortably power an electric grill. You can even set up projectors, mini-fridges, TVs, gaming consoles, and some lighting to add a truly luxurious touch to your camping experience. Plus, with the 30A and 50A ports, campers with electric cars can charge their vehicles on the go.

Ultimately, the Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus is invaluable for anyone facing frequent power disruptions like I do, whether that’s due to natural disasters or grid instability.

But whether you’re looking for disruption-free power at home during rolling outages or extreme weather conditions, an RV owner looking for a reliable power solution, or want to spruce up your camping trip to luxury glamping levels, the Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus can do it all. Whether planned or unforeseen, this is an excellent backup power station to ensure you aren’t without power for long.

The Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus is priced at $3,199, but for a limited time, you can get access to free 400W Solar Panel worth at $899 and benefits when you buy the product directly from Anker or via Amazon.