What to do when a cyclone up-roots your rural nbn internet connection
Cyclone season in Australia officially runs from November to April each year according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
As I write this post, there are no cyclones on the radar, thankfully.
If that changes, however, and your home is affected by a cyclone, the last thing you want to worry about is your internet connection.
Here’s what you can do and how we can help in these situations?
Humans in the Western world rely heavily on the internet for sourcing the latest information in a hurry, especially in an emergency.
Across Australia, mother nature regularly shows us all how quickly an emergency can become an outright disaster and we all turn to the internet to know what to do and when.
Right now, for example, the North of Australia is in the middle of cyclone season.
Even if a cyclone doesn’t hit land, this season is full of big storms that can knock out your satellite dish or fixed wireless antenna (depending on which service type you have).
So, there are some things we need to tell you in case that happens to you.
Before a cyclone hits your area
If you’re experiencing bad storms in the lead up to a cyclone, we strongly recommend you switching off your network determination device (NTD) and router to save them from being fried if lightning hits your house.
We’ve written a whole post on your protecting your rural nbn internet connection during storm season over here. It’s worth taking a look at this as well.
PROTECT YOUR CONNECTION THIS STORM SEASON
When a cyclone has hit your area and all is safe but damaged
Obviously, your internet connection is going to be one of the last things on your mind if a cyclone does hit your house.
There is not much you can do to resurrect your service yourself if a cyclone has taken out your satellite dish or fixed wireless antenna.
Please do not try to reinstall these yourself.
Just call us as soon as possible on 1300 759 637 so we can get help to you as soon as it’s safe to do so.
“The Sky Muster™ satellite is 36,000km in space and is the size of a double decker bus. Hitting that with a laser pointer from the ground is very hard without the right tools. Best we leave that to the nbn™ appointed technicians.”
Shamrock Cossar, SkyMesh Customer Engagement Team Member
If your house has become unliveable following a cyclone, call us on 1300 759 637 as soon as you can. We’ll cancel your service and waive the 30-day notice period.
We don’t want you having to deal with charges for a service you can’t use as a result of a natural disaster.
When you’re back on your feet, we can help you get reconnected.
“Your nbn™ fixed wireless connection relies on a good line of sight between the antenna and the tower or else you will suffer poor speeds and dropouts. If a cyclone moves your antenna, please just call us so we can get a tech to make sure it’s realigned correctly for you.”
Ben Davis, SkyMesh Customer Engagement Team Member
Aside from it being difficult to realign a satellite dish or a fixed wireless antenna, it’s also actually dangerous.
We never encourage you to get up on the roof and try to adjust your nbn™ equipment yourself.
If your internet connection is impacted by a cyclone, the absolute best thing to do is contact us and we’ll organise a professional to sort it out.
Call us on 1300 759 653 if you need assistance with your internet connection
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