The fallback everyone has.
WHAT IT PROVIDES
Immediate availability Portability No installation
WHAT IT COSTS
Higher cost per unit of data Variable speed Congestion in busy areas
WHAT TO ESTABLISH
Which network performs best at your location.
HOW
Test each, rather than assuming.
WHY LOCATION-SPECIFIC TESTING
Coverage varies enormously street by street.
WHAT EQUIPMENT OPTIONS EXIST
Phone tethering, for occasional use A dedicated mobile router, for regular use A router with a built-in mobile connection, for failover
WHAT A DEDICATED ROUTER PROVIDES
Better antennas, more connections, and it does not depend on someone's phone.
WHAT TO CONSIDER ABOUT ANTENNAS
An external antenna substantially improves weak signal.
WHAT TO MONITOR
Data consumption.
WHY
Costs accumulate quickly when it becomes the main connection.
WHAT TO CONFIGURE
Alerts at consumption thresholds Restrictions on what uses it during failover
WHAT TO RESTRICT
Backups, updates and streaming.
HOW
Policies on the router, applied when the backup link is active.
WHAT TO KEEP
A spare data plan or line, tested.
WHY TESTED
An unused line may be deactivated without you knowing.
WHAT TO DO PERIODICALLY
Use it briefly, to confirm it works.
