Every winter, the same internet problems start appearing again and again.

As the weather turns colder and days get shorter, businesses often experience slowdowns, dropouts, and unexpected faults — not because their service has suddenly become unreliable, but because winter exposes weaknesses that have been quietly building all year.

Here are the most common issues we see every winter — and, more importantly, what can be done to avoid them.

1. Failing or Poorly Located Routers

Cold temperatures, damp conditions and poor ventilation all take their toll on networking equipment. Routers tucked away in cupboards, lofts, garages or near external walls are particularly vulnerable in winter.

How to avoid it:
Make sure routers and switches are kept in a dry, ventilated, temperature-stable location. If equipment is several years old, a proactive replacement before winter often prevents failures later.

2. Loose or Degraded Cabling

Temperature changes cause materials to expand and contract. Over time, this can expose weaknesses in internal cabling, wall sockets, or patch leads — leading to intermittent faults that are hard to trace.

How to avoid it:
Check visible cabling annually. Replace worn patch leads, avoid tight bends, and ensure external cables are properly secured and weather-proofed.

3. Increased Network Load

Winter often means more people working from home, more video calls, and more reliance on cloud systems — especially during poor weather or travel disruption.

Connections that cope fine in summer can struggle once usage increases.

How to avoid it:
Review whether your connection still matches how your business actually works. Upload speed, contention, and reliability matter just as much as headline download figures.

4. Power Interruptions and Electrical Noise

Storms and poor weather increase the likelihood of brief power interruptions or fluctuations. Even short blips can cause routers to reboot, lock up, or drop connections.

How to avoid it:
Use surge protection and consider a small UPS (battery backup) for critical equipment. It’s a simple step that can prevent repeated outages.

5. Slow Fault Resolution in Winter

Winter is a busy period for network providers and engineers. Faults can take longer to resolve — especially if responsibility is unclear or support is remote and fragmented.

How to avoid it:
Know who to call before something goes wrong. Clear ownership, proper documentation, and local support all reduce downtime when faults occur.

Prevention Beats Panic

Most winter internet problems aren’t sudden surprises — they’re predictable. A short review of equipment, cabling, and usage ahead of winter can prevent weeks of frustration later.

At Kingston Technologies Group (KTGL), we see the same seasonal issues every year, and we help local businesses address them early — with practical advice rather than unnecessary upgrades.

If your internet struggled last winter, it’s usually a sign worth listening to. Fixing the cause now is far easier than firefighting when the weather turns again.

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