Many businesses proudly say they have a backup internet connection.
Far fewer have ever tested whether it actually works.

On paper, having a secondary connection sounds sensible. In reality, we often find it’s little more than a box on the wall that nobody has touched since it was installed. When the main connection fails, that’s when the uncomfortable questions start.

The most common assumption

The biggest mistake is assuming that a backup connection is “always on” and ready to take over automatically. In many cases, it isn’t.

We regularly come across backup services that:

• Haven’t been powered on for months
• Rely on a SIM card that’s expired or capped
• Need manual intervention to switch over
• Have never been tested under real working conditions

A backup that hasn’t been tested is not a backup — it’s a hope.

What actually happens during an outage

When the main line goes down, staff expect everything to keep working. Phones, card machines, cloud systems, remote access — all of it.

If the backup hasn’t been configured properly, you may find:

• Phones stop ringing
• VPNs won’t reconnect
• Cloud applications crawl or fail
• Only one or two devices can connect

At that point, the damage is already done. Lost time, frustrated staff, and unhappy customers.

Mobile backup isn’t a silver bullet

4G and 5G backups can be excellent — when they’re set up properly. But they are not a “fit and forget” solution.

Things that need checking include:

• Signal strength inside the building
• Network congestion at busy times
• Data limits and fair usage policies
• Router configuration and failover rules

If you’ve never tested your mobile backup during working hours, you don’t really know how usable it is.

Testing is the only thing that matters

A proper test doesn’t mean “the lights came on”. It means:

• Physically disconnecting the main line
• Making and receiving phone calls
• Logging into cloud systems
• Checking speeds and stability
• Confirming staff can actually work

This should be done periodically, not just once at installation.

A quiet question worth asking

If your main internet failed right now — would you be confident everything would keep running?

If the honest answer is “I’m not sure”, then it’s worth reviewing your setup before you’re forced to do it under pressure.

#BusinessContinuity #BackupInternet #BusinessBroadband #Failover #Connectivity #Telecoms #HullBusiness #HumberBusiness #ReliableInternet

Rod Walker
Tel: 01482 291292
Email: rod@ktgl.co.uk
Web: http://www.ktgl.co.uk