When the internet drops, make sure your office keeps working
Cloud phones, card terminals, your accounting or practice software and email all depend on one internet line. When that line goes down, in a storm or on an ordinary Tuesday, they all stop at once. A second connection that takes over by itself fixes that, but only if it is the right kind, has power and has been tested. We plan, configure and test it, and you buy the equipment and the second line directly.
A backup is a second path that works without you, with power, and that you have seen work
Most small offices have one internet line, and everything that matters now rides on it: the phones if they are cloud VoIP (calls over the internet), the card terminals at the counter, the cloud practice, scheduling or accounting software, and email. The NOAA National Hurricane Center puts the Atlantic hurricane season at June 1 to November 30, with the peak on September 10 and most activity between mid-August and mid-October. It is mid-October as we write, so this is the time to plan for next season, not to react to this one.
The FCC publishes the outage data that carriers file during a disaster (the Disaster Information Reporting System). After Hurricane Ian, its October 5, 2022 report counted 334,708 cable and wireline subscribers out of service across the affected area, a figure that may include lost telephone, television or internet service. In Lee County 40 of 394 cell sites were out (10.2 percent); in Collier County 4 of 219 (1.8 percent). After Hurricane Milton, its October 14, 2024 report counted 411,360 subscribers out, down from 517,221 the day before, with 8 of 457 cell sites out in Lee County and 6 of 276 in Collier. The FCC also notes that a cell site count does not exactly match what customers can use, because networks overlap and carriers bring in temporary equipment.
The lesson for an office is narrow and practical. Wired service and cellular service fail in different places for different reasons, so a backup on a different technology and a different path is worth more than a second line that shares the same pole, cable or building entrance. Nobody can promise that any line stays up, and we do not. What you can do is stop depending on one.
Not all outages are storms. A cut cable, a carrier fault or a power problem on your own street does the same damage on a clear day, which is why a backup pays for itself outside the season too.
A modem with no power is not a backup. Plan the power first, then the second line, then test the switch.
How phones fail over is its own topic and is covered on the business phone and texting page
Three kinds of second connection, and what to use each for
You buy the line and the equipment from the carrier or vendor. We help you choose, set it up and prove it works. Which one fits depends on your building, your carriers and what has to keep running.
A second wired provider on a different path
A cable line plus a fibre or business DSL line, ideally entering the building by different routes and not sharing the same upstream carrier. It is the best match for an office that needs steady speed and many users. Ask each carrier plainly whether the two lines share a pole, a trench or a building entrance; if they do, one event can take both.
5G or LTE fixed wireless (cellular internet)
A cellular router or gateway on a carrier's data plan carries your traffic over the mobile network instead of a cable. It rides different infrastructure from your wired line, which is its main value as a backup. Signal strength at your exact desk matters, so we test placement before relying on it, and a plan with a data limit needs a look at how much an outage day would use.
Satellite
A satellite dish and a service plan work where neither wired nor cellular service is dependable. It needs a clear view of the sky, a sensible place for the dish and its own power. It is a legitimate last resort or a choice for a remote site, and it should be tested like the others.
A dual-WAN or failover router that ties them together
This is the box in the middle. It watches the main line, and when the line stops passing traffic, it moves your office onto the second one, then moves back when the first recovers. A router with two internet ports, or one that accepts a cellular modem, does this; the exact settings depend on the model you choose.
Labour only, at the published hourly rates
There is no fixed price because the work depends on how many lines, which router and how much of the office has to follow the switch. We quote the hours in writing first, and nothing starts until you approve.
| Planning and design, done remotelyEngineering rate. We list what must keep working (phones, card terminals, cloud software, email, remote access), read your current setup, and write a short plan you can take to the carrier and the equipment vendor. You buy the equipment and the second line yourself. | $155 an hour |
|---|---|
| Router and failover configuration, done remotelyEngineering rate. Both lines set up on the router, the failover rules, the phone system and any VPN adjusted to survive a switch, and the settings written down. | $155 an hour |
| Failover test and written test record, remoteRemote rate. We pull the main line on purpose, in a window you agree, and write down what kept working and what did not. | $125 an hour |
| Work that needs someone at the office (cabling, placing an antenna, plugging in a UPS)Visits in Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Estero, Bonita Springs and Naples only. In Cape Coral and Fort Myers the minimum is 1 hour and there is no travel charge. Visits in Estero, Bonita Springs and Naples have a 2-hour minimum, which covers the drive. Time past the minimum is billed in 30-minute steps. Everywhere else the work is remote with someone at your office following our steps. | $150 an hour |
| Equipment, the second internet line, the cellular or satellite plan, a UPSDirectly from the vendor or carrier. We do not sell or ship hardware or service. | Bought by you |
| Anything whose size cannot be known before we lookNothing starts until you approve the quote. | Quoted in writing first |
We do not sell or supply routers, modems, cellular gateways, satellite kits or batteries, and we do not resell internet service. You buy them directly, so the warranty and the contract are yours.
From a single line to a failover you have tested
Do this outside the season. The sequence below is the one that avoids the common ways a backup turns out not to work.
List what must keep working
Write down the phones, the card terminals, the cloud software your staff cannot work without, email, and anything that connects to the office from outside (a VPN, remote access). Everything else can wait for the main line, which keeps the backup small and the cost down.
Choose a second path that fails differently
Prefer a different technology (cellular or a second wired provider on a separate route) over a copy of what you have. Check the signal at your desk for cellular, and ask the carriers where each wired line physically enters the building.
Plan the power first
A router, a modem and a cellular gateway all need electricity, and so does the box your wired carrier installs. A battery backup (a UPS) that keeps them running for the length of a short outage is part of the backup. Put the router, the modems and the phone adapters on it, and check what else shares that outlet.
Configure the failover and the things that follow it
Both lines go on the router with a rule for when to switch and when to switch back. Then we check each thing from your list: cloud phones may reconnect on their own after a short pause, a VPN may need to be told it can come up on either line, and a card terminal that connects over the internet needs its own check.
Test it on purpose, then write it down
Unplug the main line in a window you choose. Make a call, run a card, open the cloud software, send an email, connect from outside, and note anything that did not follow. Plug the line back in and confirm it returns. Fix what failed and test again, then keep the record.
Test again before June 1, and after every change
A new router, a new carrier, a moved desk or a replaced phone system can quietly break the failover. Put a test on the calendar before the season starts on June 1 and repeat it whenever the network changes.
Why Appluex for backup internet
We test the part that fails
A backup that has never been switched over is a guess. We run the failover on purpose and write down what continued and what did not, so you know before the outage.
You own the equipment and the contracts
You buy the router, the second line and the power from the vendors and carriers, so nothing is tied to us. We do the planning, the configuration and the testing, at published hourly rates.
Honest about limits
We do not promise uptime or a recovery time, because outages come from carriers, power and weather that nobody controls. We make sure your office does the sensible thing when they happen.
Written, so the next person can run it
Each job ends with documents, not a verbal all-clear.
Plan
- What must keep working, in order of importance
- The option chosen for the second connection and why
- What to buy from which vendor or carrier
- The power plan: what runs on the UPS
Configuration
- Router settings for both lines and the failover and fail-back rules
- Changes made to the phone system or VPN so they survive a switch
- A one-page diagram of the lines, the router and the power
Test record
- Date and window of the test
- What kept working and what needed a fix
- The retest result after any fix
- The next scheduled test date, before June 1
Backup internet. Questions owners ask
Do we really need a second internet line?
If your phones, card terminals and main software all run over one line, an outage stops the whole office, so a second path is the single change that removes that risk. It is not for everyone: an office that can close for a day without losing money may reasonably decide to accept the risk. The honest test is what a day offline costs you in sales and in clients you cannot reach.
When is hurricane season, and when should we set this up?
The NOAA National Hurricane Center defines the Atlantic hurricane season as June 1 to November 30, with the peak on September 10 and most activity from mid-August to mid-October. The best time to set up and test a backup is outside that window, so the winter and spring months before June 1 are the right ones. Setting it up in the middle of a storm is too late.
Is cellular internet good enough as a backup for an office?
Often yes, for the things that matter most: phones, card terminals and cloud software. It depends on the signal at your desk and on the data plan, so we test placement before you rely on it and look at how much data a day of outage would use. The FCC's storm reports show wired and cellular service failing in different places, which is why a different technology makes a good backup.
Will our phones and card terminals switch over automatically?
Cloud phones usually reconnect over whichever line is working, sometimes after a short pause, but it depends on the system, so we check the actual phones. Card terminals that connect over the internet need a test of their own, and some terminals can use a cellular connection built into the device. A VPN may need a setting so it can come up on either line. This is exactly what the test is for.
Why does power matter if we have a second line?
Because a router, modem or cellular gateway that has lost power is not a backup, and a wired carrier's own equipment in your office also needs electricity. A battery backup (a UPS) that keeps the router, the modems and the phone adapters running through a short outage is part of the design. Plan the power first, then the second line.
Can you sell us the router, the cellular modem or a satellite kit?
No. We do not sell or supply hardware or internet service. You buy the equipment and the second line directly from the vendor or the carrier, and we plan it, configure it and test it for you. That keeps the warranty and the contract in your name, and it is why our part is priced only at the published hourly rates.
What does your part cost, and where do you do the work?
Our part is labour only, at the published hourly rates: $155 an hour for planning and configuration, and $125 an hour for remote testing. We quote the hours in writing before anything starts. Most of it is remote. A visit is $150 an hour. In Cape Coral and Fort Myers the minimum is 1 hour and there is no travel charge. Visits in Estero, Bonita Springs and Naples have a 2-hour minimum, which covers the drive. In-person visits are for addresses inside the city limits of Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Estero, Bonita Springs and Naples. A nearby address outside those five cities, even one whose mail says Fort Myers or Naples, such as Lehigh Acres, Fort Myers Beach, Gateway or Golden Gate, gets remote support.
How often should we test the failover?
Before the season starts on June 1, and again after any change to the network: a new router, a new carrier, a new phone system or a moved desk. A backup that worked last year can stop working after one of those changes without anyone noticing, so the test is cheap insurance. We write the result down each time.
Does this help in an ordinary outage, not only a storm?
Yes. A cut cable, a carrier fault or a local power problem causes the same stoppage on a clear day, and a second path on different infrastructure covers all of them. The storm season is simply when the stakes are highest, which is why we suggest finishing the work and the test before June 1.
Other ways we can help
Something isn't working?
Email stopped, a computer will not start, the internet is down at the office: call and tell us what is happening, in English or Spanish. You will know the price before any work starts.
In person in Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Estero, Bonita Springs and Naples. Remote support anywhere.