What do you do when you lose your Internet connection at home? And what if you need that Internet connection for work, study or to carry out crucial tasks such as updating your Facebook status?
Well, you could:
- Decamp to a friend’s house and ‘borrow’ their Internet for the foreseeable future
- Go public in a Wi-Fi hotspot
- Grab yourself a cheap dongle deal and pray that Internet connectivity is restored ASAP
- Take an enforced holiday with lashings of sunshine far, far away...
These are all credible options, but maybe not ideal. So what do you do when you’re up against it and need your connection restored, like yesterday?
Calm down, Dear
Fortunately, our trusty smartphones keep us connected to the digital world when our home pc has been ‘sent to Coventry’. They may not be the ideal platform to work or study on, but they do allow us to access the Internet, email, text and stay connected.
Please hold, your call is important to us
In the ‘no Internet access at home’ scenario smartphones really do come into their own. We’re not just talking about giving us the means to call our Internet Service Provider and have a rant; after all, you can do that on any phone. But what if you don’t have your ISP’s telephone number? How do you obtain it?
Epic fail
Well, obviously you Google it (other search engines are available). Doh! No Internet connection. Ding! (Light bulb moment) Smartphone to the rescue.
It’s second nature to go online and seek the information we require. Whether we’re looking for a phone number, an address or retail opening times, that’s where we head and fortunately our mobile phones can take us there.
Just as looking up cheap holidays on Ceefax has fallen by the wayside, thumbing through the Yellow Pages or calling Directory Enquiries doesn’t even register as a go-to source for telephone numbers. No, instead we turn to Google or our favourite search engine. When our home pc is shunned by the Web, our smartphone is the saviour. Cue angelic music.
Tips for restoring your home Internet connection
Use your mobile phone’s Internet access to...
- ...check your ISP’s service status in your area. If there’s a fault it will be listed, plus details of whether engineers are addressing the fault. It should also provide the estimated time that your Internet connection will be restored
- ...find your ISP’s technical help centre’s telephone number. Not only can you report the fault, but your ISP should be able to check your modem or hub’s status there and then. If your equipment is faulty they will book an engineer to fix the issue. If they’re at fault, they may be able to advise you on how long your Internet connection will be down. Don’t forget to ask for compensation for the period of loss of service, which should be reflected in your next bill
Ooh, the irony
Have you noticed how your ISP’s automated telephone message advises you to troubleshoot online in preference to speaking to their call centre? Um, not ideal…but thanks anyway.
And the moral of this story is...
If losing our Internet access at home teaches us anything, it’s that our smartphones are crucial in retaining our connection to the digital world. Be it for work or social purposes, we’d be lost without them, which is why
mobile phone insurance is so important.
Could you imagine NO Internet access at all? Shudder.
*The information in this blog is designed to provide helpful information on the subjects discussed. Please seek a professional for expert advice as we can not be held responsible for any damages or negative consequences upon following this information.