This year, Americans have learned many things about working from home. We’ve set up our home offices, we can zoom like a boss, and many of us have even been juggling the job with kids. But what do we do if the power goes out? Weather-related power outages have doubled since 2003. Yet often electricity is something we take for granted.
Plan Ahead for Electrical Headaches
The best thing you can do to prepare is to have a backup generator. But this is often expensive and unnecessary. There are some more practical ways to be ready, though. For example, have a surge protector for expensive equipment such as laptops.
Turn off any devices that you aren’t using to conserve backup batteries and prevent problems when the power returns.
In the event of a power outage, don’t open refrigerators until power is restored to protect perishables. If the power is out for too long, throw away any food from the fridge.
Charge it!
Keep your devices fully charged, especially when the weather is expected to be foul. That way, if the power does go out, you will have enough battery to finish up what you are working on. In a pinch, you can charge your devices, including your laptop, from your car charger.
It is also a good idea to have an external cell phone battery charger and an extra laptop battery on hand for emergencies. It would be best if you kept them charged since they lose power over time. Plan one day each month when you will charge everything up. It is better than running out of power when you need it most.
Internet and Power Outages
Power outages are a separate event from an internet outage. Still, if you rely on wireless internet, you could be in trouble because routers and modems won’t work unless they have backup batteries. You can tether your laptop to your cell phone if you need the internet for a short amount of time. Keep in mind that tethering your devices will use your cell phone’s data plan, and this can add up quickly if your plan isn’t unlimited. You will also be using both your laptop or pc and your cell phone’s batteries. If you tether with Bluetooth, your cell phone battery will last longer.
Other ways to handle internet loss include purchasing a mobile broadband USB stick or visiting your local coffee shop or fast-food restaurants where you can buy a bite to eat and work from there.
Invest in cloud storage to back up any documents you are working on. Most companies with remote workers will provide this.
Go into the Office
If you live near your office and it hasn’t been affected by the outage, you may want to head into work. While you are there, you check the mail and water the plants!
The ability to work remotely is excellent but be prepared for hiccups. If you need any special wiring done to make working from home more comfortable, contact the experts at Landmark Electric.