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/
Trailblazer is pleased to announce that it is partnering with an independent company called MyBundle.tv to provide Trailblazer Broadband clients and Estes Park residents and with a free resource that recommends streaming services and packages based on your own unique TV-watching preferences.
You may already be streaming a few things on Netflix or with your Amazon Prime subscription, but what about Live TV, news, cooking shows, sports? Is it really possible to cut the cable TV cord altogether and stream everything? The answer is YES!
“From the beginning, Trailblazer made the conscious decision not to offer a TV bundle with our internet service because there are so many options out there,” says Kim Smith Trailblazer Customer Experience Manager. “We are not in the TV business, so we knew we would not be able to satisfy the unique preferences of all our internet clients at a competitive price in today’s ever-changing streaming market. That’s why we are letting people know about MyBundle, to make the streaming process easier.”
Here’s how it works.
Get Started With the Find My Bundle Tool
The best place to start on MyBundle is by using the Find My Bundle Tool. At its core, this tool is essentially a “quiz” leading you through simple questions about your existing streaming apps, channels, and services and your content needs and preferences. All it takes is a few minutes to find out how you can cut the cable cord and potentially save hundreds of dollars a year.
Once you’ve finished the quiz and picked the channels you still want to watch, the Find My Bundle Tool quickly configures packages and bundles to meet your needs and presents their price points.
It expedites and simplifies the research process so you won’t miss out on your favorite shows and movie apps or any of the sports and teams you follow. Be sure to check out the Great Value option for even more savings.
Building a bundle with the Find My Bundle Tool lays a strong foundation for all your streaming home entertainment.
Best of all, it is based on your preferences and viewing habits, including what you need for LiveTV and up-to-date news. No more cable packages or lineups with channels you don’t even watch. And with MyBundle’s tools and features, you can see the cost savings over cable with your own eyes.
Discover New Content and Receive Recommendations With a Personalized Streaming Guide
Once the Find MyBundle Tool has created your bundle and saved you money, it’s time to let MyBundle’s technology help you find new shows and movies you’ll love.
By creating your free MyBundle Profile and selecting your existing streaming subscriptions, MyBundle can offer recommendations from any of them, streamlining the search for your next great binge.
MyBundle’s intelligent algorithm searches for content based on your previously entered preferences and viewing habits. Then, it proposes specific shows and movies to fit those preferences, whether the show or film is on Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Peacock, or Paramount+.
Then, based on your viewing history and recommendations, MyBundle generates and displays a personalized streaming guide unique to you and your tastes. Unfortunately, your cable company and its locked-in channel lineup lack MyBundle’s sophisticated abilities.
Build Watchlists for Movies and Series Across All Your Streaming Apps
Now, it’s time to let MyBundle better organize your content into more efficient, accessible watchlists.
MyBundle lets you create a Watchlist for shows and movies that encompass all of your streaming apps, channels, and services into these universal watchlists. So, rather than switching between apps trying to find a new series or movie that piqued your curiosity, you can see content in your MyBundle Watchlists.
So check out your MyBundle Watchlists and choose what you’re in the mood for on a given night. Maybe it’s a suspenseful police show or a workplace comedy. MyBundle’s Watchlists present all your content across all your streaming apps in simple, well-organized lists so you can get right to watching.
Whether you’re trying to cut the cable cord completely or just adding to your entertainment options, using MyBundle’s tools, you’ll understand how to find the streaming apps and content you’ll actually use and enjoy—and save you money! With Trailblazer Broadband’s high-speed fiber internet, MyBundle can help you cut the cord for good!
MyBundle is independent of Trailblazer Broadband, and using the Find MyBundle tool to get a streaming recommendation is free. Anyone – whether they are a Trailblazer Broadband customer or not – can go to take the Find My Bundle quiz with no obligation.” To learn more about MyBundle and all the great entertainment it has to offer https://mybundle.tv/trailblazerbroadband.
Trailblazer Broadband is municipally owned and is Estes Park’s only locally supported high-speed broadband service provided over fiber optic lines. For more information, 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/.
We are continuing to roll out our fiber-optic one-gigabyte internet services to different areas of Estes Park. Two weeks ago, Wendy Koenig, Mayor of Estes Park, received Trailblazer Broadband services at her home. She has been a major part of this project since the start by advocating for options and ultimately bringing the dream of better internet in Estes Park to life with the creation of Trailblazer Broadband.
In her most recent article, she discusses how her installation process went. She says “Two weeks ago, the one-gigabyte Internet service that Trailblazer provides, arrives at Roger and my home. During the three hours James Webb and crew take to install the service, I can’t help but think about how, what presently is a town run broadband utility was set in motion during my time as trustee. The unique way the lines and dots of dreams connect to form boxes. How within the boxes, the needs of students, business and homeowners and tourist merge.”
With her installation finished, Wendy says “I know that now while video conferencing, there will be no notice of an unstable Internet connection. Nor will the video freeze on the computer screen. I possess the capacity for meeting the video demands that the pandemic is making on me, both as a mayor with obligations to fulfill and as a grandmother with grandkids I love in Lakewood and Slovakia. And, I am beyond thrilled about the way you, the townspeople of Estes Park stepped up to connect the dots so everyone wins.”
We are excited to continue bringing our services to the rest of Estes Park. Stay informed about when service will be available in your area here.
And read more from Mayor Wendy Koenig by clicking here.
Now that you have your new Trailblazer Broadband high-speed internet, you are ready to connect all of your wireless devices.
Although each device is somewhat different, these simple steps should get you connected. Due to the numerous WiFi devices and configurations available, Trailblazer Broadband provides this information for reference only. For full support, refer to the user manual for your unique device.
On your device:
- Go to Settings
- Select the option most closely related to one of the following: Network – Connectivity – Internet Connection
- Select the WiFi Connection option
- When prompted, enter the WiFi name and password that are listed in your Trailblazer Broadband account
- Wait for an indication prompt that the device is “connected”
You can perform these same steps in a physically connected configuration by connecting your device to the Nokia Gateway (this is your modem and router in one) with an ethernet cable. If you want to connect a device that does not have built-in WiFi connectivity, you can purchase a WiFi adapter that plugs into your device’s USB port. If you are having issues getting your device connected, refer to your device manufacturer’s website, manual or helpline for the next steps.
Please note that when testing wirelessly (over WiFi), upload and download speeds will always be slower than when being tested directly plugged into the Gateway or Beacon. Signal strength may be impacted by:
- Distance from the Nokia Gateway and/or additional Beacons
- Interference from other wireless devices or appliances such as microwaves, older appliances, baby monitors, other electrical devices, or even building materials in your walls and floors such as concrete
- Sharing bandwidth among users, multiple devices and/or processes
For more resources and helpful tips view our Help & Support page!
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