No power? No problem. Here’s how to use the internet during a power outage

When the power goes out — whether it’s severe weather, a transformer malfunction or even a wayward squirrel — your internet-connected devices can be out of business for the outage duration.

Power companies always strive to keep their customers’ electricity on using technology to automatically switch paths to reroute the power if a problem crops up. Still, some outages can result in homes and businesses being in the dark for hours.

How much trouble it causes you depends on how much of your life is tied to the internet and online services.

Possible impacts of power loss

At home, a disruption in the power supply used to mean lighting candles (no longer recommended due to the risk of fire), turning on flashlights, opening or closing windows and waiting it out. In our interconnected world, however, we demand more than light.

If you have a battery or generator backup to your home’s electrical system, you may still be able to remain online. 

If cable or fiber ISPs are in the path of an electrical outage, most of them will have some sort of auxiliary power for a temporary wait until the main power comes back online. If it’s a large enough outage lasting a day or more, you will most likely lose that connection eventually. Satellite internet will not be affected, nor will dial-up connections.

How to get internet during a blackout

The viable solutions depend on the length of the service disruption.

Fixes for a short-term power outage

A smart solution for anyone on their computer for work or school would be to invest in an uninterruptible power supply, commonly called a UPS. Basically, it is a battery backup that can give your device power for up to 15 minutes or so and can cost anywhere from $50 to $250. Businesses may invest in heavier-use UPS units that can power computers for much longer.

For your home use, a UPS can keep you from losing your work or forcing a hard shutdown due to a sudden power outage. If the power is out longer than the battery life of the UPS, you have time to properly save your work and shut down your device. UPS units also protect your equipment from power surges, often absorbing any voltage irregularities without you even realizing it. You do need to have your computer or laptop plugged into the UPS unit and maintain its battery. There is a warning light to tell you when the battery needs to be replaced.

Another option to get power to your devices is to use a hotspot, which tethers your computer to your phone. You need a cellphone plan that comes with hotspot coverage to use it to power your computer or laptop during a short power outage. This option can be used long-term, but it will drain your phone’s battery with constant use. And you’re using data, not Wi-Fi, so if your plan isn’t unlimited, you could face an enormous bill. You can always leave your home and go to a cafe or library that offers public Wi-Fi in order to stay online.

Fixes for a long-term power outage

Extended blackouts may mean you’ll need a generator, which, if you have enough fuel, could, theoretically, keep you going indefinitely. A major consideration here is the output of the generator, which may also have to supply other household appliances, such as a refrigerator or hot water heater.

Use a mobile hotspot device. This works like tethering, but instead of using your phone, a dedicated device gives you a connection via a mobile signal. You can buy a prepaid plan with Verizon, for example, for its 4G LTE Jetpack. Other wireless services, like AT&T, also offer them. You can also purchase a mobile hotspot on Amazon or at Walmart. The device itself will cost about $100 to buy outright or can be billed monthly.

Setting up a portable hotspot

Step 1: Go to your computer’s internet settings. Most have a shortcut at the bottom- or top-right corner with the Wi-Fi icon. Click on that.

Step 2: Find the device name on the available Wi-Fi networks, then enter the passcode.

Step 3: If you’ve entered the information correctly and activated the device, your computer should connect.

Phone hotspot

Step 1: Under your phone’s settings tab, turn on Hotspot.

Step 2: Open your device’s list of Wi-Fi options and pick your phone.

How to prepare for a power outage

When the lights go out, it’s not the time to consider your options. Instead:

1. Have on hand, and have charged and ready, outboard batteries for your smartphone. These are relatively inexpensive, so you can have two or three, and they will restore your phone to a 100% charge via a USB cable in a fairly short time. Amazon is a good source for many varieties of these.
2. Have your laptop charged, and if you absolutely must have it working, invest in — and keep charged — extra batteries for it as well.
3. Consider purchasing a UPS if your work is critical; it can also help in cases of brownouts which may cause a loss of data.
4. Give some thought to buying a mobile broadband device if you’re concerned that you may need to use tethered laptops during a power outage.
5. A home generator can be a smart investment if you live in areas with high winds and frequent power outages. Depending on the size and power, they can run from $500 to over $6,500. You can keep your electronic devices running, as well as power important appliances like your refrigerator.

What if the cable company fails?

If the cause of the internet outage is not a lack of power but damage to the cable companies’ fiber lines, you’ll have to rely on tethering. Cable companies experience light outages frequently across their wide coverage areas. These are generally temporary, but weather-related outages can last longer if the infrastructure is damaged in high winds, floods or storms. For example, 2024’s Hurricane Beryl caused damage and flooding across Texas, but also cut off internet access for millions, lasting a full day or more for some.

A final note about tethering: it only works if the cell towers you access have power. That’s normally not a problem, but if the outage is caused by severe weather (for example, a hurricane or blizzard), the towers’ generators could run out of fuel. Until they are replenished, those towers will be out of business — and so will you.

Power outage FAQs