My internet went out during a client call in a coffee shop in Lisbon

I was sitting at this tiny cafe in the Alfama district, feeling pretty good about life. Mid-sentence explaining a design revision, the wifi just died. The owner shrugged and pointed at a construction crew that had cut a line down the street. My client was waiting on the other end of the Zoom call, and I could see the delayed "hello?" pop up in chat. I ended up tethering off my phone for 15 minutes, which ate through half my data plan for the month. The call dropped twice, and I had to resend the files three times before they went through. Has anyone else had a panic moment like this where your backup plan just barely saved you?

2 comments

2 Comments

anthony_campbell881mo ago

Ever tethered off my phone in a Paris metro tunnel, barely worked.

-1

harperg761mo agoTop Commenter

My buddy tried the same thing in a London tube station and just got the spinning wheel of death for five minutes before giving up. He said it was like the phone knew he was underground and just laughed at him.