With the impending 2016 blizzard in the mid-atlantic region, many of you have already stocked up on canned goods and toilet paper. But as technology plays an increasingly important role in our lives it's a good idea to make sure your electronic devices are ready for the storm.
- Charge your devices. Make sure your phones, tablets, Kindles, computers, and backup batteries are topped off.
- A charged power bank is a better first choice for keeping your phone available during an outage. If you use a car charger, follow the vehicle manual to avoid draining its battery. If the engine must run, move the vehicle fully outdoors, at least 20 feet from windows, doors, and vents, with exhaust directed away from people and buildings. Never run an engine in a garage or other enclosed or partially enclosed area, even with doors open. Keep the exhaust pipe clear of snow and debris. Engine exhaust contains carbon monoxide, which can kill without warning.
- Download some offline entertainment. If you don't lose power but you lose internet service, it might be a good idea to have a few movies or TV shows available for offline use. Movie rentals, video purchases, and music on iTunes can download to your local storage on computer, iPad, and iPhone, which can then be AirPlayed to Apple TV.
- If the power goes out, disable WiFi and Bluetooth, enable low power mode.
- If your iPhone battery dies use your MacBook as an external battery charger.
- Cell towers may have backup power, but its duration and service availability vary by tower, carrier, outage, and backup source. Do not plan on several days of cellular service during a power outage.
- Remember that texting will often be more reliable than phone calls and doesn't strain the cellular network as much.
- If you lose hardline internet access, be courteous of the bandwidth needs in your neighborhood. It's not normally something you need to worry about when you have cable or DSL, but if your whole neighborhood's internet access goes out, that could mean that the cellular network has to pick up the slack. If cellular feels slow or unreliable, be a good citizen and back off of the Netflix binge.