We are at the time of year when winter weather in the form of snow, ice, rain and even heavy clouds can disrupt your internet service. The likelihood of this happening depends on where you live and where type of internet connection you have
Internet satellite is most vulnerable to service outages due to weather. Those with fixed wireless or 5G home internet the connection may also have weather-related internet issues.
Cable, DSL and optical internet connections are much more reliable in the face of winter weather, but a particularly bad storm could make an impact internet in your area and in your house.
Before an internet outage hits your parade, it’s important to know what to expect from your services ahead of impending bad weather and what precautions you can take to reduce the likelihood of experiencing problems.
Satellite Internet is most vulnerable to bad weather
It’s probably no surprise that satellite Internet users are most likely to experience service outages due to snow and ice, heavy rain and heavy cloud cover.
Geostationary satellite signals such as those of Hughesnet and Viasattravel quite a distance, approximately 22,000 miles, to and from your home. Any obstacle in the way, such as rain or heavy clouds (and the associated water droplets that scatter the signal) can disrupt your Internet service.
The food itself can become caked with snow and ice, which is less likely to cause problems than heavy rain or cloud cover, but can still affect your service.
Will your internet survive another snowfall?
What to do with snow and ice
Rain and clouds will eventually pass, but snow and ice may linger in some areas for days or weeks. A light dusting of snow or a thin layer of ice will probably have little or no effect on your internet service, but a significant accumulation of an inch or more (where I’m in the South, an inch is really significant) could cause a problem.
When snow or ice builds up on your satellite dish and affects your Internet service, you can remove it yourself—as long as you can do it safely. It is not uncommon for satellite dishes to sit on a roof, deck rail, or other hard-to-reach location, which can make access and cleaning difficult and difficult, especially in icy conditions. Do not attempt to remove snow or ice from dishes unless you have safe access to it.
If you can safely reach the dishes, try removing the snow by hand or with a soft-bristled brush such as a hand broom. Be careful and try to avoid pushing or moving the dish, as this, even by a few centimeters, can throw the dish out of position and reduce the quality of the connection or lose the signal altogether. Do not use anything that can scratch the surface, such as a windshield scraper, to avoid damaging the dishes.
In case of ice build-up, using a small amount of warm water will usually solve the problem. For best results and to avoid shifting dishes or damaging any internal components, use a sprayer to apply a light stream of warm water until the ice is gone or Internet service is restored. Again, you’ll want to avoid using anything that could damage or move the dishes, such as an ice scraper.
Will they keep satellite dish heaters or covers clean?
It is often said that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. I don’t know if this is fully the case with dish heaters and covers, but it’s worth a shot.
The Starlink works great until the cats find that the bowl gives off some heat on cold days. pic.twitter.com/uyH3Kbqrie
— Aaron Taylor (@Tippen22) December 31, 2021
You’ll probably get the best results with a dish warmer. The Starlink dishes come with a built-in heater, which will please the cold-weather cats pictured above, but you can also buy them online for Hughesnet or Viasat for a few hundred bucks.
Keep in mind that they will also add a bit to your electric bill, but most units have a thermometer and will automatically turn on when needed to prevent snow and ice build-up, helping to keep energy consumption low.
Satellite dish covers are a cheaper option, but are usually less efficient. You’ll have no problem finding a dish cover online for less than $50, but the results may be short. Dish covers can collect dirt, dust and pollen, creating a prime surface for snow and ice, so you can still clean dishes by hand, even with a dish cover.
You will have to wait for clouds and heavy rain
Installing a rain cover to protect your satellite dish may seem like a simple solution to prevent temporary outages, but unfortunately it probably won’t help.
Because satellite signals must travel miles to reach your home, they can encounter service-disrupting conditions anywhere along the way, not just near your dish. Therefore, you may experience weather-related Internet outages even if it is not raining or cloudy directly above your home. This is also why a rain cover will not help prevent connection problems. If anything else, installing a solid surface above or around your dish can also block the signal, leading to even more service disruption.
In the event of an Internet outage due to rain or cloud cover, there is nothing left to do but wait for it to pass and the service to be restored. It’s not all bad news, as satellite service providers have made improvements in recent years to minimize the impact of bad weather on your internet connection.
Design and technology improvements from Hughesnet and Viasatsuch as smaller, sleeker dishes and stronger Internet signals have helped reduce satellite Internet’s vulnerability to rain and cloud cover. You will also find innovative satellite technology here Starlinkwhich is characterized by an improved tableware design along with low-orbit satellite technology to help reduce weather-related outages. This does not mean that satellite Internet will not experience weather-related service interruptions; they are just not as common as they may have been in the past.
Fixed wireless and 5G internet are not entirely clear
Wireless Internet services, such as fixed wireless Internet and 5G home Internet, are prone to many of the same service outages as satellite Internet, but on a smaller scale.
With both services, internet signals travel much shorter distances, usually 5 to 10 miles at most, so there’s less chance of encountering bad weather along the way. Additionally, the fixed wireless and cell towers used for 5G are not miles above the Earth, meaning strong cloud coverage should not affect service.
Heavy rain can be another thing. Fixed wireless internet works by sending internet signals in line of sight between the tower and your home. Anything that disrupts this signal, such as a seasonal downpour, can disrupt the signal and thus your internet connection.
Rain is less of a problem with 5G home internet services AT&T InternetAir, T-Mobile home internet gold Verizon 5G Home Internet because unlike fixed wireless internet, 5G works by sending signals in all directions. Even if some signals are blocked or diverted due to rain or snow, others will still reach your device and keep your internet running, although the signal may not be as strong.
Snow and ice are also less of a concern for 5G because there is no external receiver. Fixed wireless service may require mounting a dish or receiver (although often much smaller than a satellite dish) that could collect frozen precipitation. Heaters and covers are harder to access for fixed wireless devices, so you may need to manually remove any build-up if it’s interfering with your internet connection.
What about cable, DSL and fiber?
Cable, DSL, and fiber optic lines run directly into your home, so they’re not nearly as sensitive to weather fluctuations as wireless delivery methods like satellite, fixed wireless, and 5G. Rain, snow and cloud cover will not affect your internet service, except in extreme cases where the line becomes damaged over time due to exposure.
The biggest threat to your cable, DSL or fiber internet during bad weather is a power outage. Losing power in your home will likely render your modem and router inoperable, meaning that even if your home still has an internet signal, you won’t be able to use it unless your device has a battery backup.
If your provider is hit by a blackout, you might be out of luck. Inclement weather can knock out servers or provider systems that deliver the Internet, resulting in widespread outages. So even if you don’t have electricity at home, bad weather can still affect your internet connection. Even worse, there is nothing you can do about it other than wait for the service to resume.
There is also a small possibility that electrical surges interfere with cable or DSL Internet signals that are carried over highly conductive copper cables. The chances of this happening are higher with older DSL networks compared to newer cable Internet systems, but the risk is still relatively low for both types of service.
How Weather Affects Your Internet FAQ
Can I use weatherproof sprays on my satellite dish?
It is not recommended to use any type of chemical coating on the satellite dish, including weatherproof or cooking sprays, cooking sprays to prevent snow from sticking, or anything else not intended for use on the dish. In addition to potentially damaging the surface of the dishes, many sprays could attract dirt, dust and pollen, making the surface more prone to snow or ice accumulation.
Do I need to clean the satellite dish?
Cleaning your dishes is often not necessary other than to maintain their appeal. As mentioned above, cleaning dishes of dirt and other deposits can help prevent snow and ice build-up, but otherwise usually won’t improve performance.
If you decide to clean the satellite dish, do it gently with a soft sponge and warm water. Do not use any cleaning agents other than mild dishwashing detergents, as harsh chemicals can damage the surface of your dishes. Ideally, you wouldn’t want to clean your dishes with something you wouldn’t use to clean your TV screen.
Will extreme heat affect my internet service?
As with bad thunderstorms, extreme heat has relatively little effect on Internet signals, but it can affect the systems that transmit them. Increased energy demands during a heat wave also put a strain on power grids, which could affect internet services at home or somewhere on the road.
