That "always have a backup plan" advice from a Bali coworking owner saved my ass

I was working out of this spot in Ubud for 3 months and the owner told me to keep a local SIM card and a prepaid hotspot device for when the fiber goes down. Laughed it off until last Tuesday when some construction crew cut the main line for the whole area around 2 PM. My project deadline was 6 PM that same day. Popped in my Telkomsel SIM, tethering from my phone like a caveman, and finished that report with 20 minutes to spare. Has anyone else had a situation where a remote area's internet went down at the worst possible time?

3 comments

3 Comments

king.robin13d ago

@xenaf51 that Starlink backup is pure genius. Bet that coffee shop never loses a customer now.

xenaf5113d ago

Did you try using a mobile hotspot from your phone before the SIM card trick? I had a similar panic in a tiny mountain town in Costa Rica where the only internet was satellite and it died right before a video call with a client. I ended up driving 20 minutes to a coffee shop that had a generator and a backup Starlink dish, and finished the call from their parking lot using my laptop on battery. The owner told me later they keep that Starlink specifically for when the main line gets knocked out by storms or landslides.

ninas6713d ago

Driving 20 minutes for a coffee shop with a generator AND a backup Starlink sounds like a scene from an action movie, not a work call! You're basically a digital nomad action hero now, @xenaf51. I'm picturing you typing furiously while dodging falling coconuts. My hotspot trick just feels so boring compared to that Costa Rica adventure.