Once again South Africans are having to face the dark reality of ongoing load shedding and, considering we’ve already escalated to Stage 4, it doesn’t look like it’s going away anytime soon. There are many disadvantages to the intermittent energy supply, one of which is the electrical surges and resultant damage to appliances. Unfortunately, these electrical surges can affect your internet connection. Here’s what to expect and what you can do to protect your devices.
How does load shedding affect fibre?
Loss of connection
One of the biggest problems for many businesses is the loss of internet connectivity when load shedding occurs. Then, when the power is eventually restored, the internet equipment needs to re-establish a connection. Because thousands of people are re-connecting at the same time, the network can become inundated which leads to further delays in connectivity. Just be aware that you could face a delay of up to two hours after re-connection.
Check your load shedding schedule
One of the best ways to survive load shedding is to keep monitoring the load shedding schedule and planning your work around these. If you can schedule business meetings and non-internet-related activities during this time, you can try remain productive despite load shedding. There are a few load shedding apps available that can assist you in monitoring your particular area’s load shedding timeframes.
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UPS device
If you are able to invest in a generator, then you should have little problem with load shedding. However, the expense often makes these unattainable for many internet-users. A UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) device can power your CPE (Customer Premises Device which connects fibre to router) and WiFi router during load shedding, keeping you connected regardless. This also means you’re avoiding the rush to re-connect! Investing in a generator is definitely worth it.
Surge protector
Electrical surges will not affect the fibre cables as such, however they can affect the CPE and router when the electricity is re-connected. It is worth investing in a surge protector to protect all your devices from power surges related to load shedding. These will also protect devices from any electrical surges – such as lightning strikes – so are worth the investment either way.
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Resetting your connection
If you haven’t invested in a UPS and you’re finding there’s a massive delay in re-connecting to the internet when the power returns, try re-booting your CPE and router. Failing this, you might need to reset your router back to its factory default settings – just remember this will also reset your WiFi network and other customised settings. This is done by pressing the reset button behind or below the router.
While load shedding is, undoubtedly, a frustrating reality that will impact productivity, taking the above-mentioned steps will minimise the internet disruption where possible. If all else fails, check the load shedding schedule and visit free WiFi spots in areas that are still powered up!
ECN is a leading telecommunications partner in South Africa. ECN offers a broad set of cost effective voice, data and hosted services to meet our customers ever growing technological needs. Our market leading fibre solutions provide our customers with the option of replacing their existing voice service provider to substantially reduce their monthly telecommunications bill. Contact ECN today for leading telecommunications solutions.