When the WiFi goes out, I phone the provider, while waiting for a human the recording tells me I can go online to report it.
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Year when the power goes out which is rare, you don’t know if it’s local or global so need to report it on line. My battery back up now at least allows limited Wi-Fi. Never had to test how long it would last.
Judge Judy’s thoughts: If you have a smart phone, end the call and use your cell phone’s online access to report the problem.
I as well as the wifey and kids all have unlimited data, so that is never an issue, we only have WIFI for the TV’s and computers…
So going online makes perfect sense to me…
I’m stuck in an area where my only real choice is still DSL. I’m like 6Mb down and .3-.7 up. But being hard phone line stuff it used to still work during a power outage - phone always, and internet if I could power the modem (which I can as I have a generator).
Then Brightspeed (up there on a list of worst customer service companies ever) bought things out and in the process of “improving” the network (NOT!) did something so that now when the power is down, so is my phone and internet - even if I can power the modem. WT…!#@$!
I now have a hotspot as a fallback which is fine, but not overly reliable. I’m thinking I have to go Dave’s route and just switch my phone to unlimited data. (I’ve always been super-cheap about phone plans…)
Whew … are we off-topic.
Here’s a dumb parts store topic. I needed an HVAC actuator for my '02 Envoy. Sorting out the part #'s for those things is nearly impossible (for me at least). I was on RockAuto being confused - sent a tech support inquiry. All I got back is that they don’t know sh**, and won’t help you figure it out. All they have is whatever the manufacturers gave them to put on the website. Gee…thanks for nothing.
My WiFi is from my cable provider. Totally separate from power provider. Yes, WiFi is plugged into a UPS.
I, if I absolutely have to use my phone to access the web, but some much better on a tablet.
Same with streaming, I prefer watching Star Wars on a 50 inch screen than a 5 inch screen.
Bottom line sometimes providers do not know their service has been interrupted. Even had problems paying provider, they had problems on their end do to the hurricane.
To bring it back to cars, systems in my car update via my WiFi.
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Global? When did that ever happen?
Easiest thing to do is create a hotspot on your phone then connect laptop to phone to use the hotspot. It’s acceptable at 4G speeds. You probably won’t know the difference between home wifi and the phone hotspot if the phone is connected as 5g (10 -20 Gbps) which is 1 million times faster then the old dialup 9600 baud modems.
Many cars have wifi and the ability to create a hotspot.
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That is why I report outages immediately, weather cable provider or power provider. If cell provider, then online, or drive three minutes to the cellphone store. Which just happened in September. Cell provider had a problem that affected phones, mine could receive texts but not calls. Required tech at the store to fix.
To make it car related, dog was at groomers, me, why hasn’t groomer called to tell me dog was ready?
Drove to groomers, was sitting in my car waiting for their call, when the groomer tapped on my window. That is how I found out cell phone had been corrupted.
My car updates via my home WiFi.
But it does not cost me anything to report outages via 5G phone.
Had to call WiFi provided for sign in problem related to the hurricane. You can’t report a problem online if you can’t sign in. The representative said he was receiving many calls related to the problem. Turns out he was in Clearwater FL that was hit, not his house, but houses around him.
Yeah, yeah, I know, all he talks about is TIE-YUHZ. 
My biggest gripe with chain auto parts stores, and really one of my only gripes, I mean the staff are generally friendly and helpful with getting you what you need, and checking you out quickly, etc. And the stores themselves are generally clean and bright.
But the tire maintenance section, be it Advance, Auto Zone, O’Reilly, etc. has been completely ‘Sliiiiimed’!
Why?
Why do these chains stoop to the lowest common denominator regarding tire care - gauges, patch kits, pumps?
I do take that back though: generally, NAPA and Car Quest (for the few remaining), stock their in-house brand of tire accoutrements, and maybe one or two of the better selling slime items.
I know, I’m spoiled. I spent a total of $200 of my Coronavirus stimulus payments on gauges costing $50 and north - and I never looked back. Brands like Auto Meter and Longacre racing, that you’ll never see in an automotive or hardware chain.
Kudos to indie Reliable Welding, if you’re ever just north of Hartford in Connecticut, they proudly sell half a dozen Longacre items: Two deluxe and two Magnum tire gauge models, a durometer, and I think a pyrometer. I picked up a spare Longacre Deluxe low-pressure (5-40psi) gauge there earlier this year.
One Advance store in southern CT, which was converted from CarQuest, still has a decent stock of Milton tire gauges, from passenger basics to heavy duty dualie jobs - behind the counter if you know to ask!
Out on the main floor though, it’s the same cookie-cutter Slime plan-o-gram you’ll see in Auto Zone, Walmart, or elsewhere. The quality of the gauges just ain’t there: Their brass 0-60psi dial gauge, similar to ones made by Meiser(Acuu Gage) held the indicated pressure for three tires, on the fourth, the pointer would slowly drop down once the gauge was removed from the tire valve.
I will admit though, I have two Slime digital 12v air pumps in service, one 6 years old and the other, 3, and they are chugging along fine. They do get a little warm from airing up an Econoline van, for instance, so give em a break in between tires, even if just adding 10psi to each corner.
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Is this Post the same as Tilting at Windmills?
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Yeah, the ‘big box’ car parts stores are selling what people want to buy. The 1% interested in commercial-grade tire pressure gauges can find them on Amazon or maybe the NAPA shops.
Here’s a tip: Don’t tell anyone that you shop for automotive supplies at AutoZone, flea markets or yard sales.
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The staff at a nearby NAPA auto parts store didn’t stock the carb accel pump rebuild kit I was asking for, but they looked around the store & found another kit spec’d for a different car, but side by side inspection showed it being an exact replacement. That extra effort on their part brought them a good deal more of my future business. Unfortunately the store has since closed.
None of the national chain parts stores seem willing to do this sort of task. The locally owned parts store has done this for me, but only if it is related to a part I’ve already purchased from them. The most recent example was I purchased a replacement water pump which I knew required 2 o-ring seals, but the box only had one seal. They looked around the store until they found the missing seal in a separate package. The staff fellow was planning on charging me for the 2nd seal, but the manager stopped him, said “no charge”.
Global, when referring to a cable or phone provider, means system wide failure as opposed to a failure that only affects your account.