That jobsite in Austin where the wifi went down for 3 days changed how I plan everything now

Back in 2019 I was running a mid-size commercial project in Austin and the ISP had a outage that lasted 3 days. Couldnt access any of our cloud-based blueprints or daily logs from the trailer. Had to drive 20 miles to a coffee shop just to email the GC our update. After that I started keeping offline backups of the key files on a rugged USB stick and now I make every new PM do the same. Any of you guys still running totally cloud-dependent or do you keep a contingency?

3 comments

3 Comments

michael_jenkins391d ago

Man that Austin outage sounds like a NIGHTMARE. I totally feel you on the coffee shop run, I did the same thing last year when our site trailer lost internet for two days during a punch list walkthrough. Had to print out 40 pages of punch items at a FedEx just to keep the trades moving. My old super used to call it the "digital anchor" problem once you're hooked on cloud everything you're dead in the water when it goes down. That USB stick idea is solid, I started keeping a physical binder with the last 30 days of submittals and RFIs after a similar scare. Its saved my butt twice now on projects where the wifi was spotty at best.

the_thea15h ago

Double down on that binder idea and throw a cheap battery pack for your phone in there too. The coffee shop runs are a band aid but when you're stuck waiting for a file to download on 3 bars of LTE you'll thank yourself for the offline backup.

reesel5013h agoOG Member

The binder hack is legit. My crew started keeping a "dead zone kit" after we lost power and internet for three days during a wildfire season. Its just a three ring binder with the last 2 weeks of daily reports, safety forms, and a laminated site map with utility marks. Plus a cheap hotspot that sits in the truck. The battery pack idea from the other comment is smart too, I added one of those jump packs that doubles as a phone charger. Saves you from hunting down an outlet in a half finished building. Anyone else have a go to item in their emergency kit?