Re: Spectrum Router

Nuttmeg · ‎03-09-2010

@SilleeMee wrote:
I was buying my own router until I realized just how quickly they can become obsolete or even stop working. Routers in general are sensitive pieces of electronics and they can get damaged very easily by the slightest surge of electrical power or static electricity. For those reasons I now have one I rent from my provider so when it breaks or becomes obsolete then they will give me an updated new one.

Some routers contain a backup battery so when your electricity gets shut off for some reason then the router will still work. But if it doesn't have a battery then you might want to consider buying an uninterrupted power supply (UPS) so that your router will always be on. These UPS devices are usually integrated into a surge protection unit so that part helps even more if surges are a concern for you.

Routers need to be powered down intermittently so that they can update their firmware and clear out unnecessary junk data which accumulated inside the router over time. That kind of data has the potential to be dangerous by allowing it to remain inside your router where the data can be used by crooks to break into your network. Just unplug your router from the electrical outlet in the wall, wait about 15 seconds, plug it back into the wall outlet then wait for it to reboot/reset/update which will usually take several minutes. That will also improve your router's performance in speed and reliability.

@SilleeMee

A VOIP that runs cable phone uses a backup battery.

SilleeMee · ‎05-22-2016

@Nuttmeg

I am a Ooma VoIP customer and I have my regular phone connected to the Ooma device but there is no UPS for it so I bought one for that. I have my router and desktop plugged into the UPS also. So when my electricity goes out, I'll still have a working home phone.

Before I bought the UPS, I had a power outage and lost my wi-fi and subsequently my phone. That's what prompted me to buy a UPS. It was a wake-up call.