It’s cold outside! Winter is here, so follow these steps to protect your Internet from the elements

We are at that time of year when winter weather in the form of snow, ice, rain, and even heavy cloud cover can interfere with… Internet service. The chances of this happening depend on where you live and where you live Type of Internet connection You have.

Satellite Internet They are most vulnerable to service interruptions due to weather. Those who have a fixed wireless network or 5G home internet Your connection may also experience weather-related internet issues.

cable, DSL and Fiber Internet Communications are more reliable in the face of winter weather, but a particularly bad storm may affect the network Internet in your area And in your home.

Before your internet goes out during your show, it’s important to know what to expect from your service before impending bad weather and what preventative measures you can take to reduce your chances of experiencing problems.

Satellite Internet is most vulnerable to bad weather

Perhaps not surprisingly, satellite Internet users are more likely to experience service outages due to snow, ice, heavy rain, and heavy cloud coverage.

Geostationary satellite signals, such as those from husnet and Viasattravel a significant distance, about 22,000 miles, to and from your home. Any obstruction along the way, such as rainfall or heavy cloud cover (and the signal-dispersing water droplets that come with it), can knock out your internet service.

The dish itself can get stuck in snow and ice, which is less likely to cause problems than heavy rain or cloud coverage, but it can still affect your service.

What to do about snow and ice

The rain and clouds will eventually pass, but snow and ice could persist for days or weeks in some areas. A light dusting of snow or a thin layer of ice will likely have little to no effect on your internet service, but a large accumulation of an inch or more (where I’m in the South, inches actually matter) can cause a problem.

When snow or ice builds up on your satellite dish and affects your internet service, you may be able to remove it yourself – as long as you can do it safely. It is not uncommon for satellite dishes to sit atop a deck, deck railing, or other inaccessible location, which can make accessing and cleaning difficult and dangerous, especially in icy conditions. Do not attempt to remove snow or ice from your dish if you cannot reach it safely.

If you can reach your plate safely, try removing the snow by hand or using a soft brush, such as a hand broom. Be gentle and try to avoid pushing or moving the dish, as doing so, even by a few centimetres, may cause the dish to be dislodged from its position and the quality of the connection will decrease or the signal will be lost completely. Avoid using anything that might scratch the surface, such as a windshield scraper, to avoid damaging the dish.

If ice builds up, using a little warm water usually fixes the problem. For best results, and to keep the dish from moving or damaging any internal components, use a spray bottle to apply a gentle stream of warm water until the ice disappears or internet service returns. Again, you should avoid using anything that could damage or move the plate, such as an ice scraper.

Will satellite dish heaters or covers keep my dish clean?

It is often said that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. I don’t know if this is exactly the case with satellite dish heaters and covers, but it’s worth a try.

Starlink works great until cats discover that the dish emits little heat on cold days. pic.twitter.com/uyH3Kbqrie

– Aaron Taylor (@Tippen22) December 31, 2021

You’ll probably get the best results with a dish warmer. The Starlink dishes come with a built-in heater, which will delight the cold-weather kitties pictured above, but you can also buy one online for Hughesnet or Viasat for a few hundred dollars.

Keep in mind that they will also add a little to your taste Electricity billbut most appliances have a temperature gauge and turn on automatically when needed to prevent snow and ice buildup, which helps keep power consumption low.

Satellite dish covers are a cheaper option, but are usually less effective. You’ll have no problem finding a dish cover for under $50 online, but the results may be short-lived. Dish covers can accumulate dirt, dust, and pollen, creating a basic surface for snow and ice, so you may still clean your dish by hand, even with a dish cover on.

You will just have to wait for cloud coverage and heavy rain

Installing a rain guard to protect your satellite dish may seem like a simple solution to prevent temporary power outages, but unfortunately it is unlikely to help.

Because satellite signals have to travel miles to reach your home, they can encounter service disruption conditions anywhere along the way, not just near your dish. This is why you may experience weather-related internet outages even if it’s not raining or cloudy directly above your home. This is also why a rain guard won’t help prevent connection issues. If anything, installing a hard surface above or around the dish may block the signal as well, which could lead to further service interruptions.

If your internet goes out due to rain or cloud cover, there’s not much you can do but wait it out and resume service. It’s not all bad news, as satellite providers have made improvements in recent years to reduce the impact of bad weather on your internet connection.

Design and technology improvements from before Houston and Viasatsuch as smaller, sleeker dishes and stronger Internet signals, have helped reduce the exposure of satellite Internet to rain and cloud coverage. You’ll also find innovative satellite technology Starlinkwhich is distinguished Improved dish design Combined with low-orbit satellite technology to help minimize weather interruptions. This doesn’t mean weather-related outages won’t happen with satellite internet; It is not as common as it was in the past.

Fixed wireless Internet and 5G Internet are not so clear cut

Over-the-air Internet services like fixed wireless Internet and 5G home Internet are vulnerable to many of the same service outages as satellite Internet but on a smaller scale.

With both services, internet signals travel much shorter distances, usually only 5 to 10 miles at most, so there’s less chance of encountering bad weather along the way. Additionally, the fixed wireless and cellular towers used for 5G aren’t located miles above the ground, meaning heavy cloud coverage shouldn’t impact service.

Heavy rain, on the other hand, can be another matter. Fixed wireless Internet works by broadcasting Internet signals in a straight line of sight between the tower and your home. Anything that interferes with that signal, such as monsoon rain, can disrupt the signal and thus your Internet connection.

Rain is less of a problem with 5G home internet services such as AT&T Internet Air, T-Mobile home internet or Verizon 5G Home Internet Because, unlike fixed wireless Internet, 5G works by sending signals in all directions. Even if some signals are blocked or diverted due to rain or snowfall, others are still bound to reach your devices and keep your Internet connection going, even though the signal may not be as strong.

Snow and ice are also less important for 5G since there is no external receiver. Fixed wireless service may require the installation of a dish or receiver (although often much smaller than a satellite dish) which may result in the accumulation of freezing precipitation. Heaters and covers for fixed wireless equipment are difficult to come by, so you may need to manually remove any build-ups if they are interfering with your Internet connection.

What about cable, DSL, and fiber?

Cable, DSL and fiber lines run directly into your home, so they’re not as vulnerable to weather disruptions as over-the-air delivery methods like satellite, fixed wireless and 5G. Rain, snow, and cloud cover will have no effect on your Internet service, except in extreme cases where the line becomes damaged over time due to exposure.

The biggest threat to cable, DSL, or fiber Internet during bad weather is… power failure. Losing power in your home will likely render your modem and router inoperable, meaning that even if the internet signal is still working in your home, you won’t be able to use it unless your devices have a battery backup.

If your service provider loses power, you may be out of luck. Severe weather can disrupt the service provider’s servers or systems that provide the Internet, resulting in widespread outages. So, even if your home doesn’t lose power, bad weather could affect your Internet connection. Worse still, there won’t be anything you can do about it except wait until service is restored.

There is also a small possibility of electrical interference with cable or DSL Internet signals carried by highly conductive copper cables. The chances of this happening are higher on older DSL networks than on newer cable Internet systems, but the risk is still relatively low across both types of service.

How does the weather affect your online FAQ?