Will my fiber connection fail under severe weather conditions?

Fiber internet is known for excellent reliability, even in severe weather. However, no internet technology is completely immune to the effects of harsh weather, and fiber connections can experience service outages under certain conditions. Let’s look at when that might happen, why, and how you can handle the impact of an outage.

Fiber is widely recognized as the most reliable internet technology available, especially when it comes to holding up under severe weather.
 

Because fiber-optic cables use light rather than electricity as a transmission medium, fiber internet is immune to the effects of electrical interference from storms. Fiber also does not experience the signal loss that can occur when other internet technologies are used in cold or wet weather.

Finally, fiber cables are also often buried underground and designed for weather resistance, which allows them to avoid many of the worst effects of rain, snow, and other rough weather conditions.

Under some circumstances, severe weather can still cause service outages for fiber internet customers.

Storms may bring high winds, falling trees, flying debris, or flooding, all of which can potentially damage fiber cables. This can be an especially relevant concern if many fiber cables in your area are above-ground rather than buried.

Even when fiber lines stay intact, a storm can knock out the electricity that powers network equipment. This can happen at the neighborhood level, such as when a storm damages a local fiber-optic node, or at the individual level, such as when a customer loses power in their home.

We know that internet access is critical for staying safe and connected during severe weather, and we strive to keep our fiber networks running at full capacity. Some of the measures that we take include:

These tips can help you protect your electronics and your data during storms: