In a crisis, information is vital. Here’s why I added Starlink as a redundant satellite internet backup—to stay online during blackouts.
Nassim Nicholas Taleb used the term “invest in preparedness, not in prediction” in his famous book, The Black Swan.
Next winter could become one of those black swans. War in Europe, and a shortage of Russian natural gas. As a consequence, a pan-European shortage of electricity. Coupled with an acute food shortage due to missing wheat exports from Ukraine and Russia. And don’t forget that COVID-19 is not over yet.
I have been investing in preparedness heavily over the past 10 years — despite often being laughed at for my “power anxiety”, my “Armageddon fantasies” and my apparent stupidity to spend extra money on building technology.
Looking at things from today’s perspective, what do you need in a crisis? In my humble view, you need three things:
- Food and water
- Energy
- Information
Food and water can be covered with good-old stocks at home. Yes, it might seem old-fashioned, but don’t forget that stocking foods at home has served society well for centuries.
Energy is best covered using solar panels and house batteries. There are elaborate systems available to cover both high degrees of self-sufficiency and operate your home in island mode in case of power outages.
But what about information?
That Infamous Call
Like most people, I use a broadband internet line at home. As the Co-Founder & CEO of a B2B SaaS company, I depend heavily on a reliable internet connection for my work.
During the COVID-19 lockdowns, this dependence on an internet connection was even higher than in normal times. My wife was teaching remotely through Microsoft Teams, and our kids received their homework through the internet, too.
So, on a sunny summer morning in July 2022, I felt it was time to call my internet service provider to check on their preparations for the upcoming energy crisis.
Me:
“Hi, I wanted to ask about your redundancies in the fiber internet network. “
Them:
“How do you mean, redundancies?”
Me:
“Well, can you tell me what happens to your internet network in case of power rationing, or even a power outage?”
Them:
“Hm, I guess we have preparation plans. But I don’t know exactly to be honest.”
I stopped asking any further questions. I understood from that call that I would have to look for options myself.
The Options
What options do I realistically have to back up my internet connection at home?
Option 1: Rely on mobile hotspot
In normal times, when my internet connection occasionally breaks off, I just switch to the mobile hotspot for a while, and all is good. But given that my mobile subscription is from the same provider as my broadband internet connection and that this provider doesn’t know much about its redundancies, I’d rather not rely on the mobile hotspot for extended periods during an energy crisis.
Option 2: More of the same
I am using a Ubiquiti UDMpro Firewall with two WAN ports, so I can easily connect two routers from two different internet providers. So it would be easy to order a second broadband internet subscription from a different provider.
There are two problems with that.
First, the fiber network in Switzerland is shared by competing providers. This is the result of political meddling, going back to the beginnings of the privatization of the state telephone company back in the 1990s. Specifically, it means that the entire internet traffic uses that single, non-redundant fiber network. So adding a second internet subscription would just add cost, but not increase redundancy.
Second, besides the fiber network, there is also a widely available cable TV network in Switzerland. This network can also be used to patch a broadband internet connection. But given the fact that this network is way older than that non-redundant fiber network, I don’t even dare call them to ask about redundancy.
Option 3: Break free of the cable
With all the limitations of cable-bound internet, the best option is to break free of the cable.
Enter Starlink.
Even though it is a rather pricey backup connection, at least it is completely redundant from those non-redundant cable networks provided above. And since it can be connected to that second WAN port on the Ubiquiti UDMpro Firewall, failover between the cable-bound internet connection and Starlink is seamless.
The Result
Having a satellite-based backup internet connection and sufficient energy supply in the house significantly increases internet availability, even during power shortages or even power cuts.
Why do I bother?
First, for my job and my company. How shall I do Zoom calls with my team and my customers all over the continent in times when power shortages affect different regions at different times?
Second, for the learning of my kids. How shall they receive homework without the internet, in case we’ll see another lockdown due to COVID-19, happening at the same time as power shortages and power outages?
Last but not least: For ages, in times of shortage, one good was traded against another, since nobody had all the required goods available at any time.
Given that you need food and water, energy, and information to get through that upcoming crisis, you’re increasing your bargaining position if you have a redundant internet connection at all times.
