Most of us feel cut off and unable to function socially or in business when we have no internet access. We can’t send or receive emails or access any of the other services that can only be accessed via the internet.

Most of us rely on a cheap (or free) internet service and we expect it to work all the time. This is unrealistic, but very few of us give any thought to making provision for a fallback solution.

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Internet connectivity problems happen from time to time and will continue to do so.

Fortunately most problems are resolved within a few hours without too much inconvenience.

However, on those occasions when there is no internet connection for several hours or days the inconvenience and disruption have a significant effect on the many individuals and businesses that have come to rely on their internet connection for email and a wide variety of other internet based services such as shopping, booking flights or even playing games.

What can individuals and businesses do to mitigate the effects of a failure in the broadband network?

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The initial reaction of many internet customers is to blame the service provider and resolves to switch to a different provider. However, this is unlikely to solve the problem since most providers use the same BT backbone network.

Even if it is possible to switch to an Internet Service Provider that doesn’t use the BT backbone network (eg Virgin Media) there would be a similar risk of network failure.

In order to get a broadband service that has guaranteed  service levels it is necessary to pay several hundred pounds per month for a dedicated connection. This is in fact what large businesses do.

Even with a service level agreement the largest businesses often have a second internet connection that can share the load and also provide a fallback option if the other connection fails completely. To give maximum fallback protection the second internet connection would typically be with a different provider with a different building entry point for their cables and and would use a different backbone network.

It is surprisingly cost effective for smaller businesses and individuals to take the same approach by having a fallback internet connection that is ready to take-over if the main connection fails.

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The simplest and cheapest fallback internet connection is one that uses the 3G mobile data networks from Vodafone, Orange, O2 and 3. These bypass completely the landline based broadband networks of BT, Virgin and others.

In order to use one of the 3G data networks it is usually necessary to buy a 3G mobile dongle that would typically plug into the USB connection of a PC or laptop.

There are also some internet routers that can use a 3G connection either via a USB dongle or a sim card that can be inserted in the router. The 3G router could be a stand-alone device or it could be one that is used with the main internet connection and that can automatically activate the 3G internet connection when the main connection fails.

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However, there are a few things to be aware of when using a 3G internet connection.

The first is that (despite misleadingly high advertised speeds) a 3G internet connection is much slower than a regular internet connection. This means that the 3G connection may only be good enough for sending and receiving emails.

This could be particularly significant during a widespread internet connectivity failure when congestion on the 3G network would be expected to increase.

The second point to note is that it may be necessary to use the 3G network’s mail servers for sending emails. This would require a separate fallback email account to be configured.

The final point to be aware of is cost.

A 3G mobile dongle would cost about £30 on a pay as you go package, but you would have to pay for data usage. The same dongle is likely to be free on a mobile contract, but there would be monthly data allowances.

Data use is not likely to be significant if the 3G network is going to be used only as a fallback, but if you forget to unplug the dongle, or your router doesn’t automatically switch back to the main internet connection, then there is the danger of a large bill.

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A better, but higher cost, internet access resilience solution would be to have 2 x landline connections from Internet Service Providers that use different exchange equipment and different backbone networks.

This is only an option for customers that are in the fortunate position of being served by a telephone exchange where there are at least 2 x Internet Service Providers that have installed their own equipment that use different backbone networks.

Alternatively customers would need to be in an area served by Virgin Media cable.

This solution would not be an option for customers in rural areas that are served by smaller local telephone exchanges where BT is the only provider. In these exchanges it is not economic for other Internet Service Providers to install their own equipment and backbone network connection.

The best way of implementing this solution is to have a router that can support a second internet connection for fallback purposes.

It is even better if the router supports load sharing across the two internet connections as this improves overall broadband performance.

With this solution there is of course the possibility that both internet connections could fail in the event that the cables serving the premises are cut or if the router fails.

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There is one final internet fallback solution to consider and that is a satellite based connection.

This would be the only resilience option for rural customers that don’t have 3G network access or the choice of a non-BT Internet Service Provider.

It is also the only option for those who are concerned about the possibility of their landline cables being cut.

Satellite internet access is now available for less than £50 per month and its performance is approaching that of landline internet.

It can even be installed on a satellite dish that can be used for both TV and internet.

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Please get in touch using our Contact Form if you want more information on the internet resilience solutions described above or if you have any other related query.