What kind of internet access is most reliable in natural disaster?

[vela]

What is the trick for that price? The suppliers here in Southern california want $30 per month!

The last time I checked, phone service is only a $10 add-on with Spectrum. I thought it was the same with AT&T, but I might be misremembering.

I recommend looking into Ooma for phone service. At the cheapest level, all you have to do is pay taxes and government-required fees each month for phone service.

 

[Vanadium 50]

This thread suffers from ill-specified requirements. (Will the grandkids be playing Resident Evil while there is an actual zombie apocalypse outside?)

Two important factors are "how long will this go on?" and "how widespread is it?" If the reason you lose internet is because you've lost power, and the POP has lost power, and indeed everything for a hundred miles around has lost power that's a different kettle of fish than cable going out for your block.

 

[PAllen]

The kind that still works. (answer to OP question)

 

[yungman]

Just follow up of what I've done. I went with Dish Network and already installed and working. I go with Xfinity 75Mbps(cheapest) internet. They are coming to install it tomorrow. I settled with OOMA VOIP phone to replace the landline.

Next step for me is looking into Solar panel with battery backup. That is a big ticket item. I am not going to even looking at satellite internet until the solar panel is done. I am also waiting Elon Must low orbit satellite internet available later this year. That should reduce the latency time. Not sure whether it's fast enough for grand kids video games, will see. Might find the cheapest satellite internet and keep the Xfinity internet also.

Believe it or not, I cut the cost from $285/mo with Directv, AT&T internet and landline to about $150/mo going to Dish, Xfinity and OOMA VOIP. I'll be totally getting rid of AT&T by the end of the week.

Good thing about Dish is the price is fixed for 3yrs, not like Directv that we have to keep calling to get better deals.

 

[Rive]

Next step for me is looking into Solar panel with battery backup.

Do not overly rely on solar panels (and battery). You can't stock up spare sunshine.
Generators and spare fuel tanks might feel outdated but they still kicking where reliability is important.

 

[glappkaeft]

Do not overly rely on solar panels (and battery). You can't stock up spare sunshine.
Generators and spare fuel tanks might feel outdated but they still kicking where reliability is important.

Agree, as long as the generator is tested regularly and the fuel is replaced before it gets old.

 

[Tom.G]

Agree, as long as the generator is tested regularly and the fuel is replaced before it gets old.

There are fuel additives that are used when storing cars for long periods. If I recall correctly, they slow down/prevent the gasoline from turning to a gel when the volatiles evaporate and it absorbs moisture.

It was (is still?) recommended to start the engine monthly if you can. That is to get fresher gas into the carburetor and also freshens the oil layer on the engine internals.

Cheers,
Tom

 

[Vanadium 50]

Do these generators use has as in gasoline or has as in natural gas? I thought they were mostly natural gas, at least around here.

As for whether solar is appropriate, I think that again ghoes back to the unspecified parameters of the disaster. It's one thing to keep your refrigerator going for a day. Its another thing to keep your whole house going for a month.

 

[Tom.G]

Do these generators use has as in gasoline or has as in natural gas? I thought they were mostly natural gas, at least around here.

As you noted, the fuel varies by region, climate, availability, and cost; also there are tradeoffs about reliability.

edit:
For instance propane does not work in cold weather, its boilng point is too high.
/edit:

For instance if natural gas is used, is it stored on site or would you be counting on underground gas pipelines for delivery? (hopefully not near an Earthquake fault)

For on site storage consider what disaster(s) the storage device would have to withstand.

If storing on site, maybe consider energy density of the fuel versus higher equipment costs. For instance diesel fuel has about 10% higher energy than gasoline, but a diesel engine purchase price is higher than its gasoline counterpart, it also tends to have a longer operating life.

When a disaster hits, which fuel is likely to be more available in your area?

Anyhow, those are my stream-of-consciousness thoughts on the subject.

As my momma used to say:
"Get all the advice you can, then do as you d*mn please!"

 

[harborsparrow]

After Hurricane Sandy in 2012, here in suburban central New Jersey, many people (including me) lost cell signal for several days. Some people were able to get AT&T signals by driving a bit. The point is, do not assume your cell signal will work after a disaster--it might, or it might not, depending on many factors. Thankfully, our local library had a generator and some kind of internet working and, with a long wait in a queue, we were able to message out to family not to worry. We were without power for 4 days, and it was cold but thankfully just above freezing, so the pipes didn't freeze.

I think a generator and satellite service would be the way to go if you can afford it and really mean not to be out of touch, because the satellite itself is least likely to be affected by most ground-based disasters.

Unfortunately, because I live in a condominium, a generator is not an option for me. However, there are some pretty hefty batteries these days that might drive a satellite link for many hours. I think, too, the cell companies did some major upgrades after Sandy to try and do better next time, but disasters are, by definition, unpredictable in their effects.

 

[Vanadium 50]

Unfortunately, we never got clarification on what scale of disaster the OP was trying to address. People tried to ask. A solution that mitigates a half-day power outage over a small area is not the same as one that mitigates against a many-day outage over a large area.

 

[gmax137]

If storing on site, maybe consider energy density of the fuel versus higher equipment costs. For instance diesel fuel has about 10% higher energy than gasoline, but a diesel engine purchase price is higher than its gasoline counterpart, it also tends to have a longer operating life.

Diesel is also much safer to store, it is not nearly as volatile as gasoline.

 

[Rive]

Diesel ... gasoline.

I would chose based on my car.
Whichever you have, you need to replace it regularly.
And the best way to get rid of the old is to properly use it.

 

[gmax137]

I would chose based on my car.
Whichever you have, you need to replace it regularly.
And the best way to get rid of the old is to properly use it.

That is a good point. Still, I would not want to have half a dozen jerry cans of gasoline in my basement or garage. Diesel (aka #2 fuel oil) is routinely stored in basement tanks and in boats. Safe As Milk.