Power flickers

I don’t know about you, but I lost count of how many power flickers we had last Tuesday during the storm. And every time it happened the cable modem and WiFi routers rebooted. Which means no internet or WiFi for a minute or two. That’s tolerable unless you’re on a Zoom, WebEx or another type of internet phone or video call.

While we can’t control power flickers, you can do something to fix the reboot issue: get a battery backup. The battery can power a modem and router devices for a few hours so it’s not a replacement for having a generator, but it does solve the power flicker issue. And it will only help if the Optimum network stays up when power goes down - which didn’t happen for most of us this time.

Here’s the ones I ordered from Amazon for $62.50 each. I’ve tested them and they work as promised: when the power flickers my cable modem and routers stayed on.

A few things to remember:

• You need one for your modem and router and another unit(s) for routers you have elsewhere in the home. My suggestion is to buy enough to power only vital routers like the one you connect to when on a work video call.

• This is not a replacement for a generator. The unit I bought powered my modem and router for 4 hours before the battery ran out. You can buy a unit with a bigger battery if you don’t have a generator, but the battery will eventually run out.

• If Optimum is down you still won’t have internet service. This storm was unusual in that the damage was so widespread the Optimum network went down. Which didn’t happen for most of us with previous storms.