How To Stay Online During Power Outages

Power outages or blackouts, however, you prefer to name the unfortunate event of power being absent for a while, is quite daunting and can be a nuisance if you work from home.

When the power goes out due to any reason, any internet-powered devices can be offline for the period of the power outage. This could mean your home office or business can be out of business for particular periods. Chances are, if the power is gone for more than 15 minutes at one period, it could be gone for hours before anything can be done.

Staying online is crucial in the year 2021, which does require some careful planning in case of these unfortunate mishaps, but luckily in this article, we will discuss exactly how to stay online during power outages.

Let’s discuss the solutions for home & office users. Home users of the internet are anyone using the internet for leisure, research, or just streaming/gaming purposes while in the vicinity of their home. In 2021, we see more businesses and workplaces functioning from home as well.

Office users are often workers in corporate businesses with a booth or workstation that have their necessities covered to perform their expected tasks. We recommend four solutions that often help both users at home & work stay connected during power outages:

• Mobile Phone Tethering Via Cellular Data: Did you know you could use your mobile phone’s cellular network to hotspot your devices. Simply turn on the tethering option on your mobile and use either Bluetooth, USB or Wi-Fi to connect your mobile as a modem to any devices supporting it. Now keep in mind that some mobile phone carriers can charge a fee to use the mobile as a modem to tether the network you are using. For this, contact your service provider to get in-depth information about how tethering is done, the charges, and requirements.
• Use A Mobile Portable Hotspot Device: These devices are essentially mobile network tethering devices; however, they are only used for accessing the internet. Often, many consumers who are outdoors, camping, or live a corporate lifestyle constantly moving from one station to another use these devices to stay connected to the internet with no dependence on power, external connections, or wiring needs. These devices are sold at mobile carrier stores and are often quite affordable, allowing you to either pay as you go plans or monthly subscriptions. For that sort of information and pricing, check out your local mobile carrier stores for more accurate guidance.
• Purchase A Power Bank: Power banks provide power for when the electricity goes out entirely with no signs of it coming back soon. Often sold in different milliamps (mAh), the power output and length of the power supply will depend but generally can last a few hours depending on the power consumption from the device being used.
• UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supplies): are batteries that provide power similar to power banks but are much more powerful. These batteries plug into the wall like a normal power socket and send power throughout that particular surge board it is connected to. In return, this will charge up devices that are connected to the surge board the UPS battery is connected to. Like power banks, UPS batteries are sold in different milliamps, translating to exactly how much power they can hold & can be used. Depending on the device and its power consumption will depend on how long the UPS battery can last.
• Purchase A Power Generator: A little more oriented for home but this method can help provide power for long-term power outages. Power Generators often run off petrol, natural gas or propane to keep it running thus as a product generating electricity. These generators are usually found at homes where electricity often has outages or in construction sites where electricity can be scarce. A generator must be gassed or filled up with fuel to burn before usage but will last for hours before needing another refill. This method may require a licensed electrician to install in homes.
• Place Data Centers In Off–Site Secure Center & Inform Team How To Function During Outage: A mouthful yes but this method is crucial for any business or company owners that function with servers and internet connectivity. Placing your central data servers in a secure off-site location that has no electricity outages can help prevent data redundancy and loss of data. Your company must also have plans or policies that the team must practice if power outages occur. This can be quickly saving work before shutting down or shutting apps and devices which aren’t being used during a power-saving period if devices are portable. Any possible way to reduce damages, loss of data, and preserve energy in portable devices must be put in place immediately.
• Lastly, your team must work during outages by having locations found around the workplace that have internet connectivity. This can be anywhere ranging from a library to a community center or even a local Starbucks corner coffee shop.

Whatever the situation may be, while experiencing a total power outage, remember to keep devices plugged into the power so they can power on or charge immediately once the power is back.

Keep portable battery charges (power banks) laying around fully charged in preparation for the blackout, or keep a charger in your transport method in case your device runs out of charge.

Wrap Up

Experiencing a total power outage may feel like a daunting and dreadful experience, but the tips listed above will ease the effects it may have. With the tips listed above, you will be able to get the most out of your workspace or home space with minimal power needed.

Big Kitty Labs is one of the leading software development companies in Columbus Ohio that has been developing applications, websites, and software for over 10 years. Contact us for free discovery and consultation on your next project!