Meet the hardware startup solving work-from-home challenges and seeing 20X growth amid lockdown

Working from home is the new normal and has emerged as one of the biggest pillars for business continuity in the times of coronavirus. In fact, a recent survey conducted between March 23 and 25 showed that 96 percent of organisations in India have rolled out working from home – a significant rise from 19 percent just two weeks before. 

In such a scenario, the need to stay connected online is more important than ever to make working from home a seamless and hassle free experience. However, in India, electricity disruptions and load-shedding are not unfamiliar occurrences, which means your router becomes useless in providing you internet service in case of a power-cut. 

This is where the RouterUPS comes into play. Designed and manufactured by Bengaluru-based startup Resonate, the demand for this low-power UPS has witnessed a huge surge since the lockdown was announced and companies mandated work from home, Sudhir Sathiyamoorthy, Founder and CEO of RESONATE, told YourStory Founder and CEO Shradha Sharma in an interview. 

Watch the full interview here:

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“The router is probably the only device in our homes that does not have a battery. For people living in big societies/gated communities, their homes are power-backed-up. However, at times when the backup fails, you are cut off from the internet,” said Sudhir, adding that demand for the product has gone up 20X. 

RouterUPS is small, light-weight and easy to install and has been adopted quickly in the market, catering to both B2B and B2C Segments. While working from home, RouterUPS ensures VPN, Web-Ex, Zoom and all online tools are uninterrupted during micro power-failures or longer power-failures. 

The founder says, “Our customers also include internet service providers like ACT and Airtel, since they want to make sure that their last-mile devices are powered to meet the high demand of internet usage from home.” 

The government has listed telecom products as an essential commodity amid this lockdown, making delivery of these RouterUPS possible, said Sudhir. RouterUPS is also sold through its own online store as well as ecommerce companies.

He adds, “Large companies have also reached out to us for supplying the RouterUPS to their employees working from home as it improves productivity and peace of mind.” 

Sudhir said the startup ended up creating a brand new category in the market. 

“The world has changed and internet is a bridge that connects all of us for work, play and entertainment. We keep this entire experience un-interrupted through RouterUPS" said Sudhir.