Internet Outage

Anyone reading this who’s also a Facebook friend knows that I had some Internet issues earlier this week.  Our Internet service provider is Time-Warner, and we’ve had cable issues with them now and then.  This time, the problem lasted for more than a day.

Fortunately, my husband, who decided we needed smartphones a few months ago, knew how to hook up our phones to the Internet so I was never without any service.  Plus, even I know how to look up a few things on my phone.

But I’m teaching an online class this month and needed to post a lesson and responses to students’ correspondence.  I had some writing business issues that needed to be discussed, preferably by email, including downloading some important comments and revisions. 

I needed my regular Internet service.

So what did I do?  The logical thing: I tried calling Time-Warner.  Their phone number recognized my phone number and put me into an impossible ongoing situation.  The recorded voice told me each time I called, which over a couple of days was a lot, that they were experiencing outages in my area, their service people were working on it, and I could ask them to call me when the service was restored.  I could hold on if I had another issue and wanted to talk to someone, but whoever answered would have no further information than the recording.  I decided to give it a try, to ask where the outage actually was since my next door neighbor was having no trouble at all. 

I waited.  And waited.  And finally got only dead air, not even any music.  And of course no one answered. 

There’s not really any better alternative for Internet access around here, although the idea of changing definitely tempted me.  I just figured that, whether or not there really was some kind of technical difficulty, Time-Warner didn’t want to talk to any customers. 

Fortunately, my husband, an engineer by background, eventually figured out that the problem wasn’t our Internet hookup but our router.  He unhooked the router and voila!  I was back on the Internet.  Now we just need to add another router to allow remote access.  My husband attempted that today... but unfortunately was not successful.  Yet.  But our regular service is okay for now.

I’m writing about this--again--because it’s at times like this that I realize how dependent I am on the Internet.  For one thing, I need it to post this blog!  For another, it’s critical to my writing career.  I send what I write to editors and my agent.  I receive their comments as well as other important communications.  I keep up with what’s happening in the dog world outside my own home and beyond my two adorable pups.  I stay in touch with friends, including figuring out when my critique group is next going to meet.

And of course I do a couple of daily crossword puzzles online.

What’s your Internet experience?  Do you like your provider, and does it work well?  What do you use the Internet for?