Updated September 2026: in 2018 I wrote about the 2015 Chennai floods, when I kept online by running my broadband from my MacBook Pro as a hotspot and then shut my office laptop at 30% battery, only to regret it later. I have rewritten it into a guide to staying connected during a power cut, including where I went wrong.
With no electricity, I connected the modem's cable directly to my MacBook Pro, then turned the Mac into a hotspot for my phone and office laptop. I spent the day on social media and YouTube while showing myself as working. By around 4pm, with the rain still heavy, I told my team lead the power had been out a long time and I would not be available, and I closed the office laptop with about 30% battery left. Only later did I realise how valuable that 30% was.
Can you keep broadband running in a power cut?
Only if the whole chain has power: the modem or ONT, the router and, for fibre and cable, the equipment in the street. A small UPS for the router keeps home Wi-Fi alive for a few hours, but during a citywide outage the network itself may go down. Mobile data is usually the more reliable fallback until towers lose power too.
What is the best way to share a connection?
- Use the phone as the hotspot: phones use far less power than laptops.
- Connect only what you need: each device drains the hotspot faster.
- Avoid video: it uses the most data and battery.
- Keep one device fully charged and switched off: as a reserve.
Should you tell your manager you are unavailable?
Yes, and honestly. In a real outage, saying so early is the right thing to do, and managers understand. Presenting leisure time as work, as I did that day, is not something I would recommend; it wastes the battery and the trust you may need later.
What would I do differently now?
Keep the office laptop's charge for work that matters, use the phone for news and messages, and treat every percentage point of battery as something to save, not spend.
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