When the Internet Goes Down

We have two Amazon Echo devices, both of which need the internet in order for their services to work. There are also the security cameras, which work during an internet outage, but which can't be accessed through the camera app on the TV during an outage.

Fortunately, one doesn't need their internet service provider's wifi connection to get internet on their cell phones, assuming the person has 4G or 5G, but if they're trying to access their tablet or computer during an outage, the only things they can read/view are things they've previously downloaded.

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On Memorial Day, I had settled in for a full day of work and also getting some administrative stuff done online, and mom was heavily engrossed in one of her favorite TV shows, when, around 5:15 or so, our internet suddenly stopped working. I did the usual unplugging and plugging back in of the internet equipment we have, but it didn't help anything. A few minutes later, we found out our provider had experienced an outage due to a power outage in the area.

Fortunately, our power wasn't affected, but our internet was. On top of that, their estimated time of restoring service was by midnight. It was totally dependent on when Duke Energy could complete the work they needed to do. And while I do have the tethering/hotspot option on my phone, it can be spotty, and I don't like using it for long periods of time.

I try to keep things like this in perspective, but sometimes that can be a bit of a challenge when there are things you need to get done.

When your Internet is down and you have articles due. pic.twitter.com/295FTXyDB5

— Sister Toldjah 💙 (@sistertoldjah) June 23, 2019

Grinning and bearing it, for the first hour and a half, Mom and I grabbed some magazines we'd gotten behind on and began to get caught up on scanning through them. After that, she tinkered a bit on her phone for roughly an hour while I did some odd jobs around the kitchen.

We were a little bummed when 8 pm rolled around, and we still didn't have internet service, because we had wanted to watch the Carolina Hurricanes play the Montreal Canadiens in game three of the NHL's Eastern Conference finals on the big screen. We were able to watch some of it on the phone, but it wasn't the same, and we clicked off of it around 9:30 or so. Still, we kept things in perspective, grateful to have power (and AC, of course).

Fortunately, the Hurricanes won 3-2 in overtime and took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series:

The call you've all been waiting for 🚨 pic.twitter.com/mFf0FQwb9M

— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) May 26, 2026

After we switched the game off, that was when we got the most enjoyment. We just sat there talking about random stuff, and took a trip down memory lane to look back on my dad in happier times.  We went to bed around 10:30, with me beginning to reflect on how overly reliant we are on the internet in our daily lives. The service, meanwhile, came back up sometime in the overnight hours.

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I mean, mom and I have good conversations during the day, but sometimes they are what I would call "distracted" conversations. She might be watching TV or tinkering on her phone, and I might be looking at my laptop screen, writing, or researching a topic. 

There are instances where that can't be helped, but for the most part, short of unplugging - putting down the phone, turning down the TV, and pushing the laptop away for more focused conversations is the better way to do it, in an ideal world, of course. And that goes double for when you're at the kitchen table, where phones, tablets, etc., should definitely not be present. 

Just my .02, of course. :-)