Buying guide
Storm-Ready Home Technology: A Southwest Florida Checklist
Most storm-season tech problems come from three things: short power outages, power surges when the grid comes back, and not being able to check on the house when you're not there. A few inexpensive steps fix most of them.
Keep the internet up through short outages
A battery backup (UPS) on your modem, router and network switch keeps Wi-Fi, cameras and smart-home devices running through brief blips and gives you time to shut down safely during longer outages. Runtime depends on what's plugged in.
Your provider's neighborhood equipment can lose power too. A second internet connection, such as 5G home internet, with automatic failover keeps a home office online when the main provider is down.
Protect against surges
Plug TVs, soundbars and network equipment into surge protection or a UPS. When power returns after a storm, surges are a common cause of failed modems and TVs.
See and know what's happening
Indoor cameras and water and temperature sensors let you check on a seasonal home and get alerts about leaks or a failed AC before small problems become big ones.
Before and after the storm
Before: charge phones and battery packs, photograph your equipment for insurance, and write down your Wi-Fi name and password. After: power up the modem first, then the router or gateway, then everything else.
Products mentioned
Common questions
How long will a UPS keep my internet running?
It depends on the load. A modem, gateway and one switch draw far less than a computer, so runtimes are much longer than the box's headline rating suggests. We test yours during installation.
Will internet failover work if the power is out?
Only if the second connection's equipment is also on battery backup. We plan both together.