What to do when the power goes out – popular Internet myths

South Africa has experienced unprecedented power outages and load shedding the last year and, if the forecasters are correct, unexpected rolling blackouts will remain until Eskom’s supply has stabilised. Every home depends on electricity to power lighting, the Internet, appliances, and other modern conveniences and devices. Members of your family probably have some combination of laptops, tablets, smartphones, Smart TVs, media players and gaming consoles connected to a home network. Since the average home has approximately 10 devices connected to the Internet, staying connected during a power outage is important to your family. Your digital life doesn’t need to wait for the power to come back on. Three common misconceptions and solutions for an Internet connection during an electricity loss are discussed below.

Myth #1 – I don’t need a UPS because my laptop and mobile devices have batteries

An Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS), in computer and server terms, is an electrical apparatus designed to supply power in the event of a sudden disruption in the supply. Because most devices we use for personal and professional products such as laptops, tablets, and smartphones are mobile, they all run on battery power. A good example is how a laptop stays on and switches seamlessly to the internal battery when you pull the power cord out of a laptop. However, most of these devices connect to a network using a Wi-Fi connection reliant on power because the modem and router that enable our home network requires electricity. The more dependent you are on connecting to the Web, the more thorough your plan should be and a fail proof way is to get a UPS.

Once that Wi-Fi connection is lost, the functionality and productivity of battery-powered devices are dramatically reduced and interrupted. This wouldn’t be a problem if you had a properly integrated UPS backup battery. It activates as soon as the power is disrupted and ensures you have continuity in energy supply. Additionally, a UPS will protect against voltage spikes and reduction in input voltage. Instability of a mains frequency and harmonic distortion are all problems that can be addressed with a UPS. Specifically, a UPS is designed to keep your modem and router running for several hours during a power outage allowing you to continue working on your laptop or using social media on your smartphone.

Myth #2 – People only connect computers to the Internet

With increased connectedness, most electronic devices in your home can connect to the Internet. A loss of electricity could potentially disrupt a family’s daily routine in terms of, for example, homework that needs to be done online or deadlines that need to be met in a more global work environment with several time zones to be considered. To get the most out of your network connection during a power outage, you need a UPS to support the devices you use the most. UPS’s are available in a variety of sizes depending upon how many devices you need to connect. They all have different VA ratings – which is a measure of how much power you need. The more devices you need to connect, the higher the VA needed.

Myth #3 – One type of Power Protection is enough

With the promotion of Cloud Computing, being productive with no electricity to access the Web and to power the devices we depend on can be very problematic. It is crucial to have a plan for how you will get online if the power goes out and stays out for several hours. A single small UPS to power a single desktop may be all we need to stay connected when the power goes out, However, we are more dependent than ever on our home network connection and the devices we use online, and a small UPS may not be sufficient. Although, many devices operate on battery, your modem and router, TV, DSTV receiver and Blu-ray player, or gaming console all need electricity. Using a couple of small UPSs allows you to maintain your home Internet connection when the electricity goes out and also provides back-up power for the electronics you use the most.

To weather a long-term disruption, a generator may be the safest option for continuous power. However, with a generator, there can be a delay as the reserve power initiates and with certain technology, a sudden disruption in power can lead to significant damage. A UPS can help by activating when the power is disrupted and ensuring continuity in energy supply. There are roughly three types of UPSs including offline, online and line interactive. An offline UPS (sometimes called a Standby UPS) provides surge protection and battery back-up. In contrast to an offline UPS, in an online (or Double Conversion UPS), the inverter is always connected so there’s no power transfer switch and when the mains supply cuts out, the batteries continue to supply stored power. An online UPS is equipment fit for a heavier duty or mission-critical environment and is mostly used by businesses.

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