LOADSHEDDING: No internet during lights out? Here's why this happens...
What do you do during loadshedding?
Yes, we are tired of hearing the words loadshedding, but the reality of the situation is that we have to come to terms with it, especially because of the unstable nature of the service provider as well as the upcoming peak holiday season.
We have found that during loadshedding it was a time that we could rely on the sturdy and trusted internet connection, that admittedly assisted many families when we went into lockdown.
But it seems that we cannot even rely on having a stable internet connection during loadshedding. So it has now become clear that loadshedding impacts our internet connections and this is why...
"When load shedding happens, many fibre users lose their network. This is because when the electricity comes back, too many users try to reconnect at the same time. This causes a significant delay because the systems that control the network become overwhelmed. It might take two to three hours for everyone to be connected again." (IOL)
It seems the trouble stems from the insufficient time that loadshedding presents when it comes to the charging of the back-up batteries at the cell towers. And here we thought that we were the only ones who had to charge and re-charge our batteries for loadshedding...
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These batteries generally have a capacity of six to 12 hours, depending on the site category, and require 12 to 18 hours to recharge. The constant outages are starting to have a direct impact on the performance of the batteries. If outages continue, the battery’s integrity is compromised because of insufficient time to recharge and due to the excessive drain on the battery.
According to the experts, once the battery power is depleted, the cell tower stops working entirely. Which is why we are all left without internet. It's all well and good when you are hit during the day, there is the outdoors which can be a great relief for parents and caregivers.
But when it comes to the night time outages, we would suggest pulling out story time for the family, or even tuning into the radio, because most radios work on batteries and are a great way of substituting for the silence. You never really realise how much white noise your appliances are responsible for, until you have loadshedding.
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