These days, it’s hard to imagine a world without internet access. We spend so much of our work and personal lives online that having a constant internet connection has become second nature. When something stops you from accessing the internet, such as your ISP going down, it can feel like a real shock. If this happens to you, there are a few ways to get online until your internet connection comes back.
Use your mobile network
If your ISP is down, one of the simplest options is to use your mobile network instead. For many of us, our mobile network is from a different provider, so if your ISP has an issue, your mobile network should still be up and running. Even if you use the same provider for both, you may find that the mobile network is still unaffected.
The easiest test is to turn off Wi-Fi on your phone and see if you can open any page in your mobile’s browser. If you can, then you should be able to use your phone as a mobile hotspot. This lets you connect your computer to the internet via your phone’s mobile network, so you can keep using your desktop or laptop even when your Wi-Fi is down.
One thing that you should keep in mind is that you are likely to have data limits on your mobile network, which can quickly be eaten up if you’re using it as your main internet connection. There may also be speed restrictions when tethered, so it may not be ideal for streaming 4K movies.
Connect to a backup cellular connection
You may find that you’re unable to connect to your mobile network, either due to a weak signal or because you use the same provider as your ISP and all its services are down. If so, you’ll need to try another option.
Some routers offer a “failover” mode, meaning that they automatically connect to a cellular backup if your broadband goes down. This is only possible if you have a failover router that supports the feature, however. If you do have one of these routers, you might not even notice that your ISP is down, since the switch to the cellular connection should happen automatically.
Use a mobile hotspot
A failover router is essentially a standard router with a cellular router built into it. The downside is that you can’t take the cellular part with you. The good news is that you can buy portable, standalone devices that can do the same job.
Mobile hotspots allow you to create a local Wi-Fi network anywhere you can get a cellular signal. The chances are that you’re unlikely to want to use this on a regular basis if you spend most of your time at home or at work, where you can already access the internet. However, with a prepaid data plan, a mobile hotspot can make an excellent backup option if the internet does go down, without having to worry about paying a fixed monthly fee.
Mobile hotspots are also a good option for when you’re on vacation or on a road trip, so that you don’t have to worry about trying to find somewhere that offers free Wi-Fi all the time. They can also offer some other benefits over phone tethering, such as preserving your phone battery.
Connect to satellite internet
Cellular networks aren’t the only way to access the internet from almost anywhere. Satellite internet is the new kid on the block, with your internet access literally beamed to you from space. Satellite internet services such as Elon Musk’s Starlink have several benefits over cellular, not least that they can work almost anywhere where you have a clear view of the sky, so you don’t need to worry about whether you have a cellular signal in the backwater you’re currently visiting.
Satellite internet isn’t the cheapest option, as you’ll need to buy the kit to connect to the satellites, and there’s usually a significant monthly fee. If you already have a satellite internet subscription, however, then it’s a great fallback when your ISP goes down.
Find free Wi-Fi
If all else fails, there are some other options for finding a free Wi-Fi network you can connect to. If you have a friend nearby, you can drop in and see if they will let you jump on their Wi-Fi for a while. You might also consider sharing Wi-Fi passwords with your neighbor for exactly this circumstance.
If all else fails, a visit to your local coffee shop should do the trick. Most coffee shops will offer free Wi-Fi, although, as with all public networks, you should take steps to protect yourself from bad actors, such as connecting through a VPN. Your local library may also offer free Wi-Fi or give you access to a computer with internet access.
It’s only when you lose access to an internet connection that you come to realize just how much you rely on it. If your ISP goes down, it can be frustrating, but there are ways to get online until it’s back up and running. Alternatively, you could take the outage as a sign and go out and touch grass for a change.