High winds, rain, lightning, ice, and wildfires are natural disasters that can instantly knock out power and kick you offline. When your power goes down, so does your access to the Internet.
After the lineworkers have braved the elements and restored services, what happens if your internet or connected devices don’t come back on?
Power surges from brownouts and blackouts, both when outages begin and when power is restored, can damage electronics. But taking a few protective measures now can shield your devices from damage and keep you connected. DFN has put together our top tips for preparing your devices before the next outage hits.
- Unplug Electronics Before Expected Outages and During Storms
Sudden shutdowns can stress sensitive devices. Similarly, lightning strikes on nearby power lines can send extreme voltage spikes through your home’s wiring. The first step to protecting your devices is to unplug them before any pre-announced outages or before forecasted storms.
- Use Surge Protectors Properly
When you’re not able to disconnect your devices, keep them plugged into quality surge protectors. A surge protector is designed to send extra power from surges into a ground wire rather than through the main line to your tech. (Note: Not all power strips are surge protectors; look for a joule rating on the label.)
Use surge protectors as directed. Make sure to only plug in devices that meet the electrical rating of the protector. Avoid “piggybacking” (or plugging one into another) multiple protectors. This can overload the circuits and create fire hazards or further damage devices.
Replace surge protectors every 2 to 3 years and after any significant surges.
- Use Battery Backups or Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS)
Many devices can be damaged by sudden shutdowns. Protect essential and expensive devices with temporary backup power to prevent any potential damage to equipment including routers, security systems, computers, medical devices, or gaming devices. A battery backup unit (BBU) or UPS can also give you a few hours of backup power, allowing you to continue using those devices uninterrupted for a short period of time. This is a great option for keeping your internet online in an outage.
DFN offers BBUs for lease/includes BBUs with every install, ensuring your connection is protected from the start. Contact our office for more information.
- Keep Mobile Devices Charged
In emergency weather events, your mobile device might be one of your most important tools to access emergency alerts, news, and family. Before a storm rolls in, ensure phones and tablets are fully charged so you can stay connected even if the power goes out. Keep portable power banks charged and ready so you can power your communication devices quickly and stay connected to resources following the outage. Consider a car charger as a backup option if power is out for an extended period.
- Protect Internet Equipment
Modems, routers, and other network devices are particularly vulnerable to damage from surges during brown and blackouts. Because they are on 24/7 and are always connected to power lines. Keep your connectivity equipment plugged into a surge protector or UPS to keep them safe as the electricity is restored.
Legacy coaxial and telephone lines (not just power lines) can also carry surges, so pay attention to devices that connect to those lines as well.
- Avoid Using Wired Electronics During Lightning
The age-old advice during thunderstorms includes staying away from windows and water. We’re reiterating another basic: avoid using devices plugged into electricity while lightning is striking. Devices plugged into electricity can carry a surge, so stick to wireless devices during storms to protect you and your devices.
- Check Hardwired Devices After a Surge
After electricity is restored (and it is safe to do so), inspect computers, smart home devices, and appliances before using them again. Don’t forget to check downstream devices plugged into an affected piece of tech, such as webcams plugged into a computer.
If your router is malfunctioning, pay special attention to any hardwired devices connected to it, even if they are powered by a different outlet or breaker. Electricity can travel through CAT5 cables that connect your hardwired devices to the internet via the router and could be damaged if your router was also impacted.
If a device seems damaged (it won’t turn on, smells burnt, or shows visible damage), leave it unplugged to avoid any potential fire hazards.
Consider contacting your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance if multiple devices were damaged as surge events are often covered by those policies.
- Restart Devices After Power Returns
Internet service doesn’t always resume automatically after power is restored. If your internet service is interrupted due to an outage and it doesn’t automatically start working when power is restored, restart your devices. Unplug your modem/router, wait about 60 seconds, and plug it back in to restore connection.
Restart the device you’re trying to connect with, even if it is wireless. This clears the network cache and can clear any remaining issues preventing a proper connection.
- Back Up Your Files
Your devices hold a ton of important information that could be lost in an instant from a tech failure. Run regular backups on all your data following the 3-2-1 rule (3 copies of your data on 2 different types of media with 1 copy on an external drive or in the cloud).
Save important files to the cloud or an external drive that doesn’t stay plugged into your computer, so a surge won’t result in permanent data loss.
- Contact Us if Problems Persist
If connectivity issues continue after taking precautions and restarting equipment, contact our local team. We can check your line remotely and provide support and troubleshooting for your internet connection. We’re here to make sure your connectivity equipment continues to operate at 100%.
A few simple steps now can make a big difference when the lights go out. Taking these precautions before expected outages and storms means you’re far less likely to lose important devices and data. And as always, DFN is committed to keeping you connected through whatever comes your way.