Geneverse HomePower ONE PRO and SolarPower 2 Review

The HomePower ONE PRO portable backup battery and SolarPower 2 200W solar panels keep you charged.

The Geneverse HomePower ONE PRO is a portable 1,209.6Wh backup battery with a clean design and sufficient ports for casual home or off-grid use. It lacks advanced features like UPS or support for 240V. On the upside, you can control it remotely using the Geneverse mobile app. You can charge the ONE PRO with up to 800W input. This would require four SolarPower 2 200W solar panels and two 2-to-1 converters (not included), as you can only hook up a maximum of two panels. The portable 200W panels are IP67-rated, use magnetically secured kickstands for easy setup, and fold up for convenient carrying. Most Geneverse HomePower and SolarPower products come with a generous warranty, and you can get US-based support for all of them.

Even if you don't deal with frequent power outages, it's good to have a backup battery. Not only can it charge your phone during an off-grid adventure, but in a pinch, a large enough battery can run your freezer and fridge for days and keep your food from spoiling.

The Geneverse HomePower ONE PRO is a portable backup battery with sufficient power to cover you for multiple days. Whether you want to run your coffee machine, laptop, or air conditioner, the unit's roughly 1,200Wh will keep you in business. Paired with one or more of Geneverse's SolarPower 2 200W solar panels, you might be able to make the battery last indefinitely.

We tested a HomePower ONE PRO bundled with two SolarPower 2 200W solar panels to help you decide whether this power backup system is the right pick for your energy needs.

Geneverse is a US-based emergency backup power company, formerly known as Generark. Founder Anson Liang experienced multi-day power outages first-hand during wildfires in California, which inspired him to step onto the scene. Founded in the Bay Area in 2019, the company rebranded as Geneverse in 2022 to avoid confusion with Generac, a competitor in the gas generator niche.

Geneverse products are widely available at US retail stores like Home Depot, Lowe's, and occasionally Costco. You'll also find them on Amazon and Geneverse's own online shop. Geneverse offers free shipping, 30-day full refund warranty (for purchases made on their web shop), and a 5-year limited warranty. Most notably, Geneverse offers US-based support under a toll-free number (1-800-210-8665) with a callback option. When we made a test call, we reached a competent staff member.

Geneverse works with manufacturers in Asia and says it uses its own designs. Its SolarPower panels, however, look deceptively similar to the Jackery SolarSaga panels, down to the protective sleeve.

We didn't find a similar (external) design look-a-like for the power station.

For this review, we received the Geneverse HomePower ONE PRO backup battery in a bundle with two SolarPower 2 200W solar panels.

The generator itself comes with one AC and one car charging cable included. You'll also find a user manual in your box.

Each of the solar panels comes with a protective cover (not needed for carrying them), a 10 feet (3m) output cable that plugs into an 8mm 8020 DC port on the battery, and a user manual. The protective sleeve has an inside zippered pocket that holds the cable and manual.

Geneverse's user manuals don't waste space to any language other than English. All specs are given in imperial and metric units, as well as degrees Fahrenheit and Celsius. All instructions are clearly laid out with easy-to-follow visuals and markings in plain English.

The ONE PRO is a portable solar generator with a simple but functional design.

All input ports are on the back and all output ports are on the front, along with the display and an LED light. The LED light has three modes: two brightness levels and an emergency blinking mode. On the inside, the generator is packed with long-lasting Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) cells, which have a life of about 3,000 cycles.

On each side, you'll find recessed ergonomic handles, which are deep and wide enough for large hands and make it easy to carry the 38.36 lbs (17.4kg) unit. Ventilation grills sit underneath each handle.

The top is nearly flat with a low rim around the edges, so you can either stack multiple batteries on top of each other or use the surface for something else. Since the battery and the four screw holes that sit on its top aren't waterproof, avoid exposing the surface to moisture or liquid spills. Don't let it sit in the rain or use it as a coffee table.

The ONE PRO rests on two broad rubber feet. Most of its weight is towards the bottom of the generator, which gives it some added protection from being tipped over.

The ONE PRO has two sets of output ports: DC and AC. Each set has its own on/off button.

On the DC side (left) you'll find two 18W USB-A ports, each supporting Quick Charge 3.0, and two 100W USB-C ports.

The three AC ports on the right support 120V~60Hz pure sine wave output with 1,200W of continuous power and a surge power limit of 2,400W.

To charge the ONE PRO, you have three ports and three options:

The three input ports are covered by a rubber plug, which keeps it save from dust and light sprinkles when not in use. That said, the battery isn't waterproof at all.

The battery life of every backup battery depends on how much net power you draw. Fully charged, the ONE PRO generator stores up to 1,209.6Wh. Theoretically, with the battery fully charged, you can run a 60W home appliance for over 20 hours. With 17 hours, Geneverse offers a more realistic maximum, which takes into account power surges or fluctuations, and possibly the thought that you should never run your battery completely dry. Charging the generator at the same time, for example with solar power, extends its battery life.

You can charge the ONE PRO with up to 800W using solar panels or an AC wall outlet. Charging from empty to 80% will take about 1.5 hours, while charging to 100% will add an hour, i.e. 2.5 hours total. When you charge with less power, for example if you only connect one or two 200W solar panels, it will of course take longer to top up the battery.

The backup battery carries several safety features that protect it from catastrophic failures: over-charge and discharge protection, short circuit protection, over-current protection, over-voltage protection, and over-temperature protection. For example, the over-discharge protection kicks in when you hook up an appliance that draws too much surge or continuous power.

We tested the ONE PRO with a 1,500W space heater, which exceeds the unit's capacity by 300W. This won't break the unit; it will simply cut power to the affected output ports. The same happens if you exceed the surge power limit. You'll see a red warning icon on the display, indicating that the output ports were shut down. To reset the ports, press the respective button to turn them off and back on again.

We also used a combination of household appliances, including one rated at 1,000W, to reach the ONE PRO's 1,200W output limit. It didn't skip a beat.

When we hooked up a third-party backup battery, however, which drew no more than 940W, it caused the Geneverse battery to shut off the AC ports and display the same error we saw while pushing above its capacity in the initial test.

According to Geneverse, the F6 error indicates an issue with the inverter. We used a Kill-a-Watt meter to ensure everything remained within the rated specs (Voltage, Wattage, and Amperage), but didn't find anything unusual. The issue persisted, even when we limited the third-party battery's power draw to as little as 650W. So far, Geneverse wasn't able to explain this behavior, but this is also fringe case; you shouldn't charge a battery off another battery because it wastes energy each time the voltage is converted.

What's important is that The ONE PRO works well in typical use cases, i.e. powering appliances.

One thing you definitely shouldn't do is overcharge the battery, for example by hooking up a much larger solar panel that puts out more than 800W or 21A. This might put the batteries in a fail-state mode that you can't recover from. Always double-check that what you hook up is within the battery's rated specs.

Our bundle came with two SolarPower 2 200W solar panels.

Each panel consists of four sections that fold up into a compact package with a carrying handle. A protective sleeve keeps dirt out, but although the zippers look like they might be waterproof, the sleeve is open to the top, so not designed to entirely seal the panel.

The Geneverse logo glued onto the outside of the cover looks like an afterthought, but Geneverse told us that this is due to the rebranding they went through, recently.

On the inside, the sleeve contains a zippered pocket to hold the charging cable and other necessities.

The solar panel itself has an IP67 waterproof rating, which makes it dust-tight and protected against immersion in water of up to 3 feet (1m) for 30 minutes. This is one of the highest waterproof ratings you'll find on solar panels, with only IP68 offering more protection against water.

In terms of water ingress, the weak point of the SolarPower 2 panel is the output port. It sits at the top of the handle bar on its left side. When the cable is plugged in, water may enter the panel through that port. When the panel is not in use, you can seal the port with the attached rubber plug.

Three kickstands hold the panel upright and let you adjust the angle to achieve optimum sun exposure. The kickstand design works well enough, though you might have to fiddle with it for a bit until everything is perfectly straight and at the most efficient angle.

Overall, the SolarPower 2 panels are well-designed, easy to handle, and feature good build quality. They also charged our HomePower ONE PRO as expected, though we didn't have enough sunny days to achieve a full charge.

You can pair your HomePower ONE PRO with the Geneverse app (Android, iOS) to track its charging status. Creating an account is optional, but recommended. Pairing the ONE PRO with the app is straightforward.

After tapping Add Device and choosing your model, press and hold the battery's Display button for 3 to 10 seconds and follow the in-app instructions.

Once you've paired the app with the generator, you can remotely check on its battery status, control output and input ports, turn the LED light on or off (though you can't switch modes), check usage statistics, set output and input/charge timers, change charge settings, and review device information, including a FAQ.

Under My Account, you can see notifications and change their settings, change display settings, e.g. to switch from degrees Fahrenheit to Celsius, and add additional Geneverse devices.

While the app is packed with useful features, it loads slowly, and not all features work as expected. We also experienced lag while using the app. During our testing phase, the usage statistics were unreliable. Even on days when the power station was discharging, then recharging throughout the day, the app only tracked the recharge event, not the slower discharge/usage. That said, the remote controls, notifications, and timer settings worked well.

The Geneverse HomePower ONE PRO is a portable backup battery with sufficient input and output ports for casual use. Since it's not meant to be a stationary unit, it lacks advanced features like UPS, which you'll find in a more permanent home power backup system like the Zendure SuperBase V6400.

For a portable unit, it packs a decent amount of power. With its 1,200Wh you can run appliances, electronics, and medical devices with up to 1,200W, making it great for a temporary backup electricity source during a power outage or for your off-grid day trip. Paired with solar panels, you can stretch your off-grid usage to many more days, depending on how much sun you get or how much power you need.

On the downside, the HomePower ONE PRO and the SolarPower 2 panels are quite heavy. At 38.36lbs (17.4kg) and 7.64lbs (8kg) each, respectively, you better have a vehicle to transport them. Otherwise, look into even more portable units, like the Fanttik EVO 300 power station and solar panel bundle. Of course, smaller units will provide less power.

While we ran into issues in the fringe case of charging another battery, we tested a range of appliances and couldn't reproduce the error with any other device. However, if you do choose to purchase this unit, be sure to test all your intended uses within the initial return period.

If the Geneverse HomePower ONE PRO does look like the right fit for you, consider getting a bundle that includes the solar panels. At $3.25 per watt, a single panel is quite expensive, and the price doesn't go down if you buy multiple. If you buy a bundle of solar panels with a ONE PRO and/or TWO PRO battery, however, you might benefit from a sale price. Of course, you can pair the backup battery with third-party panels, but double-check whether their output is compatible and whether you'll need adapters.

Where Geneverse shines compared to more affordable competitors is its ultra-clear and detailed documentation, US-based support, and wide availability at North American retail stores.

While completing a PhD, Tina started writing about consumer technology in 2006 and never stopped. Now also an editor and SEO expert, you can find her on Twitter or hiking a nearby trail.