Backup for internet access.

[Boaz Bezborodko]

On 11/2/2012 12:12 PM, Richard Kreiss wrote:
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: filepro-list-bounces+rkreiss=verizon.net at lists.celestial.com
>> [mailto:filepro-list-bounces+rkreiss=verizon.net at lists.celestial.com] On
>> Behalf Of Boaz Bezborodko
>> Sent: Friday, November 02, 2012 11:23 AM
>> To: Filepro-List at Lists. Celestial. Com
>> Subject: Backup for internet access.
>>
>> I hope everyone in the path of the storm is recovering well.
>>
>> Yesterday I tried to get our systems online with a generator.  That was no
>> problem.  But I was hampered by not being able to get internet access.
> Our
>> previous plans included using a cell phone for internet access.  This
> worked in
>> the past, but this time the service during the outage was horrible.  Turns
> out
>> that AT&T's old 3G and 4G service just isn't keeping up.  I didn't have a
> 4G-LTE
>> phone which is supposed to be better, but I did have a T-Mobile Samsung
> unit.
>> Thing is this will not tether to an XP machine without certain drivers and
> I
>> couldn't download them through the AT&T phones I had.  I was able to
>> connect to a laptop with Windows 7, but I couldn't get the LAN to be able
> to
>> access this service.
>>
>> What do other people use and what should I be looking at for internet
> access
>> during such a situation?
>>
>> --
>> Mirrotek International, LLC
>> 90 Dayton Avenue
>> Building 1-F
>> Passaic, NJ  07055
>>
>> Tel:  973-472-1400 x.112
>> Fax:  973-472-5170
> Let's see, your located in Passaic New Jersey, there are quite a number of
> power issues within your area and within the New York City area.
>
> You are having problems connecting to the Internet through your AT&T
> service. Yesterday I received a text message from AT&T (I am in Maryland)
> advising that they were having problems with their network due to hurricane
> Sandy.
>
> I would assume that all of the cellular networks are having similar
> problems. A number of my friends called and advised me that the cellular
> service in their area was not working as the towers had no power or had been
> blown down (they has driven to areas where there was cell service). I was
> aware that they were having problems with both their land lines and cellular
> service as I couldn't reach them when I called.
>
> I would surmise that your problem would not be limited to just AT&T.
>
> In my own case, to maintain my Internet access, I placed a large battery
> backup in line with my FIOS system which had its own eight hour backup
> battery. In addition, I placed the cable modem, router and switch on their
> own large UPS. This enabled me to keep my systems up for almost 18 hours
> after the power went off.  This did not include keeping my server and
> workstations up but allowed me to connect with my laptop.
>
> My suggestion, if we're going to see more storms like this, would be to
> consider a portable backup generator. If you are in an area that has natural
> gas, there are portable generators available which run on natural gas. These
> generators cost about $1,200. The only thing that I would suggest in
> addition to the generator would be a voltage regulator. These types of
> generators put out notoriously dirty power. These are not good for running
> computers and other electronic devices without some sort of protection for
> the device. The reason I am suggesting natural gas as a fuel is that it
> should be available even if the electric power goes off or is disrupted and
> gasoline is not available.  Also, the run time on gasoline is about 8 hours.
> Refilling a hot generator is dangerous. If gas were to spill onto the hot
> portions of the generator, a fire can start. This is the last thing that you
> need if your power is out. The advice I have seen strongly suggest keeping a
> fire extinguisher nearby when refueling a hot generator.
>
> As an aside, when I did go out, I left my wife use my AT&T wireless to
> connect to the Internet while I was driving. I have a power inverter in the
> car and she was able to charge her laptop and get some work done.
>
> The problem with using battery backups, is the batteries run down and need
> to be recharged. These are good for short-term power outages. They are
> designed to shut your computers down when the power fails not to keep them
> running. Connecting to the Internet is a function of keeping your equipment
> powered and having your ISP online also. It doesn't matter whether you
> connect through wires or cellular, if they are down, nothing at your end
> will help you connect.
>
> My best suggestion, if you don't have the ability to install a generator,
> would be to get the wireless card for a laptop from whichever cellular
> supplier you feel will have service. You might even consider purchasing a
> plan from two cellular suppliers using an external USB card and I have. This
> has allowed me to share my card with my wife. Note that my phones and
> Internet service I are Verizon's FIOS services and my cellular is through
> AT&T.
>
>
>
>
>
>

Thanks for the feedback.  I had a gas generator which on low load will 
work for 12-16 hours on a tank.  The AT&T service sucked, but the 
T-mobile service was quite good at about 3Mb/s.

I just read about one suggestion which was to set up the phone as a 
hotspot and use a laptop with both an ethernet connection and WiFi. Then 
bridge the two networks in the laptop.  My only concern is that the 
computers would need to get their IP addresses from the DHCP on the 
phone and that this would screw up the network configuration.

If the server is on 192.168.1.10 and the other computers get IP 
addresses of 192.168.42.xxx (this was the IP the phone gave the laptop) 
then would they still be able to see the server?  (It's a Linux box so 
it can probably be configured for this, but I haven't a clue how.)