Springtime in the Rockies is always full of surprises, which recently included a system-wide power outage for the Estes Park Power and Communications service area during the evening of March 30th. Estes Park Power and Communications line workers worked to restore power quickly and safely in less than three hours. During the outage, a number of questions came into Trailblazer Broadband’s 24-hour customer service line about the impact of a power outage on broadband service, and the Trailblazer team thought it was important to share the answers to those questions publicly.
First, in the event of a power outage such as the one on March 30th, Trailblazer Broadband internet service is available and accessible, thanks to backup resources that power the broadband network combined with redundant fiber paths out of Estes Park. If one fiber path is compromised, another one is instantly and automatically used to reroute internet traffic. If an outage is caused by fiber damage rather than a power interruption, the internet connection may be lost until a repair can be made. In that case, Trailblazer clients can go to www.trailblazerbroadband.com and click on “Status” for updates.
The second part of the connectivity answer depends on the internal workings of your home or office. Assuming your home is still connected to the internet, the next link is your Trailblazer Nokia Gateway modem/router which requires power to operate the same way your TV, monitors, and gaming devices do.
Of course, anything with a charged battery will work – a computer, laptop, tablet, smartphone, etc. For that reason, anyone who depends on the internet for work or school may want to consider investing in an Uninterruptible Power Supply, commonly called a UPS. Basically, a “battery in a box,” a UPS is a backup power supply for your Gateway and other essential devices, which can provide power for periods of time ranging from minutes to hours during a power outage.
If your Gateway has power from a UPS and the batteries are charged on your other devices, those devices can connect to the internet via WiFi or a hard-wired connection during a power outage. Many UPS products have multiple outlets and/or USB ports, much like a power strip, so you can power other essential devices as well as your Gateway modem/router as needed. Costs and capabilities of UPS backups range greatly across a variety of potential purchase options.
For home use, a UPS can keep you from losing your work or forcing a hard shutdown due to a sudden power outage. If the power is out longer than the battery life of the UPS, you have time to properly save your work and shut down your device. It is also necessary to have battery backup if you use a computer-based or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone. Some UPS units protect your equipment from power surges, often absorbing any voltage irregularities without you even realizing it.
When considering a UPS purchase, first determine which devices besides your modem that you may want to power during an outage, keeping in mind that some devices such as TVs take a great deal of power and will drain your UPS more quickly. Some devices may already have battery backups of their own. For example, Medical Device Uninterruptible Power Supply Systems (Medical Device UPS Systems) are designed to provide uninterrupted power precisely for your particular medical device. Most home security systems are programmed to switch to backup battery power during a power outage. In both of those examples, it is important to double-check your system’s unique requirements.
Beyond purchasing a UPS, you may consider other long-term back options such as generators, cellular hotspots (assuming that the cell towers are operational), and heavier-use UPS units for businesses. To be prepared, assess your own situation and what is critical to you, your family and your business in the event of a future outage. As with fire and other weather dangers, it is advisable to have an emergency contingency plan for your technology as well!
Trailblazer Broadband is municipally owned and is Estes Park’s only locally supported high-speed broadband service provided over fiber optic lines. The Town of Estes Park provides information only and does not endorse any of the listed companies, the views they express or the products/services they offer. For more information about internet service, contact Trailblazer Broadband at info@trailblazerbroadband.com or (970)577-3770. More Trailblazer news is available at www.trailblazerbroadband.com and https://www.facebook.com/TrailblazerBroadband/
Whether you love your landline, a.k.a. home phone, or want to say goodbye to it, with high-speed fiber internet you have the speed, bandwidth and reliability to choose from a number of options and likely save money too.
Some people are choosing to use their cell phones or a free internet service such as Skype, FaceTime or Google Hangouts which doesn’t require any additional hardware or setup. You simply use an app on your phone or download the software to your computer, laptop or tablet, and use it for voice and/or video calling.
If you prefer to keep your home phone, VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) is a phone technology that allows you to make and receive phone calls using the internet instead of traditional phone lines. It is economical and just as easy to set up as the landline phone service that you have right now. The only difference is it works over the internet instead of a traditional phone line. You probably have already used VoIP before without knowing it, through an app like Skype or Google Voice.
Trailblazer Broadband, Estes Park’s community-owned and operated fiber broadband company, has looked into offering phone service along with internet connectivity. After much research, Trailblazer determined that in light of existing options on the market and our relatively small customer base in Estes Park, it would not be able to offer VoIP phone service at a competitive price to our community.
While Trailblazer doesn’t endorse any specific VoIP phone provider, there are several great options to choose from including Vonage for Home and a provider called Ooma, which is a personal favorite of some associates here at Town Hall and some of our customers because of it’s low cost and ease of use. VoIP phones also provide 911 service, provided they have the internet and electricity to operate. This is easily accomplished in a power outage with battery backup so you don’t lose your phone and 911 service during a power outage. A UPS battery back can be found online or in stores like Best Buy, Walmart, Target, or wherever electronics are sold.
According to a recent AARP article, “At the moment, … Sunnyvale, California-based Ooma appears to be alone in offering something new that addresses reliability in an emergency. For several years, it has delivered very inexpensive VoIP service that competes with the likes of Vonage…In addition to the cost savings, the Ooma Telo 4G automatically gives first responders your home address in a 911 emergency. If you have a power outage, the backup battery will keep the phone running for up to 10 hours.” Read more of what AARP has to say about VoIP service in general and Ooma in particular.
Other advantages of VoIP phone service include:
- Most services work with many existing phones, so you likely won’t need a new phone.
- You will be able to keep your existing phone number or get a new one.
- Set up is pretty simple…You’ll just plug the phone into the back of your Gateway and go.
- Most services come with standard features such as caller ID, call forward, call screening and blocking, etc.
Finally, many people ask about 911 and emergency services since traditionally in an emergency, a good old-fashioned landline phone has been regarded as the most reliable method of communication. However, according to Chief Executive Michael Martin of RapidSOS, which works with thousands of 911 call centers across the U.S., “We are now entering an era where it is actually safer to call 911 from a cellphone because of all of the additional information that you are able to share.” For example, Apple iOS users can choose to share critical health information via the Apple Medical ID feature, a potentially lifesaving function.
As recently as 2004, over 90 percent of households in the U.S. had an operational landline phone, according to data provided by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. In 2020, that figure has plummeted drastically to about 40 percent. As landlines become more expensive and less widely supported, it may be time to think about a change. Learn more about how VoIP works in this helpful Beginner’s Guide.
If you’re like most people, you commonly use the terms “Wi-Fi” and “Internet” interchangeably. Actually, Wi-Fi and the internet are two separate things that work together.
Think of it this way…The Internet is the data, or the vehicle. Wi-Fi is a wireless network technology that sends this data via internet connections – the highway – through the air to wide area networks and on to non-wired computers.
Wi-Fi allows devices such as your mobile phone, tablets, TVs and other wireless devices to connect to communicate the same way as when network cables are used, just without the actual cables. A Wi-Fi network is basically a wireless local network.
Slower speed on Wi-Fi doesn’t mean there is something wrong with your internet. In fact, slower Wi-Fi speed is pretty much inevitable, since wireless technology uses Radio Frequency or RF waves to send data, and these waves ALWAYS degrade over distance – it’s just a matter of physics.
Wi-Fi connections are more prone to interference, signal loss and degradation, which all increase over distance. These factors can reduce the speeds you can extract out of your internet service when using Wi-Fi.
So what can you do to optimize your Wi-Fi?
- Try a quick reset of your router and devices.
- If possible, move around to reduce interference from devices (microwaves) and obstacles (concrete floors and walls) and to be closer to your Nokia Gateway.
- Reduce network traffic (the number of users and/or devices) to increase Wi-Fi speeds.
- Ensure that your devices are capable of the desired speeds and that the operating systems on those devices are up to date.
- Consider switching to a wired connection for maximum speed. You’ll be able to extract the maximum possible out of your internet package if you plug into your router; it’s much harder to do that on wireless, especially the further you move from your router.
- Call Trailblazer’s 24 x 7 Tech Support at 970-577-3770 to diagnose any issues that could be impacting your Wi-Fi speeds.
Fiber optic lines are not only necessary to provide Trailblazer Broadband high-speed internet to homes and businesses in Estes Park, but they also serve as the foundational backbone of Estes Park Power & Communications’ Advance Metering Infrastructure (AMI). The AMI is comprised of smart meters and infrastructure devices to transmit the meter reading data. According to Reuben Bergsten, Utilities Director for Power & Communications, “Our AMI data is analyzed to reveal potential problems, and we use that information to initiate preventative maintenance that in turn reduces the risk of wildfire from our electric infrastructure.” Forbes Magazine mentioned Estes Park’s own AMI Coordinator Sarah Clark in the following article on Wildfire mitigation: Wildfire Season Is Year-Round. How To Keep The Lights On And Businesses Running
Learn more about Estes Park’s AMIs and Smart Meters.
Summer is here and so are our seasonal neighbors, friends and visitors. More people means more events, more business, and yes, more traffic – even on the internet. Now that Trailblazer Broadband has completed the build-out of more than half of its fiber infrastructure, Trailblazer clients will have significantly better summer experience than in the past.
Here’s how:
Better bandwidth in the fiber optic network means less slowing when more people are using the internet simultaneously.
Trailblazer’s three – yes 3! – redundant fiber paths out of town mean service continuity with far less chance of service interruptions.
Trailblazer is the only local option for internet with symmetrical speed of up to 1 GIG (1,000 Mbps) for downloads AND uploads with no data caps. Most alternatives only offer around 20 Mbps for uploads as part of “1 GIG” service.
Why does it matter? Upload speeds are critical to anything where you are SENDING rather than RECEIVING information over the internet, such as
- Video calls (FaceTime with the grandkids, anyone?),
- Backing up files to the Cloud
- Uploading vacation and wedding photos to social media for friends and family
Yes, we’re tooting our own horn a bit, but we know that when you’re in Estes Park, you want to spend as much time enjoying the beauty and fun of the outdoors, not sitting behind a computer screen. We’re here to make that happen!
Cooperation is the key to any successful endeavor, and it is particularly important where the construction of the Trailblazer Fiber Network is concerned. Before running fiber to a neighborhood, one of the first steps is to work with the area Homeowners and Condo Associations, property managers, and business complex owners to communicate the construction plans and ensure that appropriate permissions are obtained.
“Because we are part of the Town infrastructure and this is our community, we want to get things right from the start,” says Kim Smith, Trailblazer’s Customer Experience Manager.
Most of Trailblazer’s fiber runs are contained within existing utility easements; however, in running new lines through a neighborhood, there are often additional considerations for roads, driveways, sidewalks, and landscaping.
“It’s important to have strong communication as we move forward to ensure that we coordinate with associations in the area. Whatever the situation, it is always our goal to run fiber with minimal disruption to the surroundings and to the residents and businesses in the area,” Kim adds.
The Trailblazer team begins to contact HOAs and COAs in upcoming construction areas as quickly as possible to avoid delays in providing service to residents and businesses. If your area is receiving service in the next few months, Trailblazer would be happy to give a brief presentation at your next association meeting to prepare for the construction process. HOA board members are encouraged to contact the Trailblazer Customer Support Team at 970-577-3770 for more information.
Recent Comments