Power company shows your outage status - on the web

[ElFenix]

My cable modem and router are attached to a UPS so our laptops would have internet access for a couple of hours or more.

this was how i posted when ike blew out every transformer in the city.

 

[SunSamurai]

Is there a number I can call to see if my cell service is out too?

 

[Pantlegz]

Its like when the IT department mass e-mails everyone to tell them the e-mail system isn't working.

:awe:

Or the genius that sets an SNMP trap to send an e-mail when the e-mail server goes down...

 

[daw123]

Its like when the IT department mass e-mails everyone to tell them the e-mail system isn't working.

:awe:

They do that where I work, then send another e-mail to tell you when its working again.

No shit sherlock :facepalm:

 

[InflatableBuddha]

Um, use battery power on your laptop? Of course that doesn't work if you only have a desktop.

 

[rockyct]

I'm hooked up the same way, but my ISP's systems don't last as long as mine. The interweb is down in minutes.

Yeah, unless it's a very localized blackout, I could see cell towers and ISPs losing power as well. Even though a land line phone would work, I wonder if a power outage would take out the DSL. Those sub stations have to be pretty close to your house and I can see it getting power from the grid.

 

[hanoverphist]

ummm, no. Most people don't even know what a UPS is.

big brown truck?

i thought it was painfully obvious that it was meant for mobile users or (at very least) people that go elsewhere during the outage and want to check the status of the issue.

 

[Rubycon]

SNMP traps are great and can send to a text on a cell number or PIN if you have a Blackberry.

UPS is common but UBS is not. (Uninterruptable Battery System)

Used with ferroresonant UPS' basically you are generating DC power to keep your batteries charged. Works well if your genny is dirty as the ferro will be far more burdensome to clean up the power rather than using a simple bank of rectifiers as battery banks could not care less about ripple!

 

[BurnItDwn]

as others have said ... Laptop (assuming your network equipment is on a UPS), or Phone both would work for me .... or I could just call a friend and have them check, or use computer at the library, or at work, or use a generator ....

There are a good number of options.

That said, I would prefer not to have the outages.