Internet outages can happen to ANY internet supplier -- AT&T T1, AT&T DSL, Comcast, Wowway, etc. -- affecting thousands of customers. But end user outages and interruptions can also occur, making you think your ISP(internet service provider)'s service is less reliable than it really is.
To the average person, "internet infrastructure" is about as sexy as the plumbing at home. But I think the time has come to pay some attention to it, as your internet infrastructure will be your 21st Century foundation. If it doesn't work well, then all the things you'll want to connect to it won't work well -- or at all! And it doesn't have to be costly -- doing a few things right will enable you to enjoy all those useful 21st Century technologies which are becoming available.
First of all, you need high speed internet from Comcast, AT&T, or Wowway. With AT&T, make sure your DSL is a minimum of 3Mbps download so you qualify for free security software (for 4-10 PCs). If you have Comcast or AT&T U-Verse, you're all set.
Then, most people will want a wireless (WiFi) router to give fast wireless internet to laptops, netbooks, iPod Touch, Kindle readers, and wireless printers. Again, this is included with AT&T U-Verse. For AT&T DSL users, get one of AT&T's 2Wire Gateways. For others, the best router I like right now is the Netgear WNR3500L. About $80, has gigabit ethernet, and fast wireless N300 capability.
Plugging your internet infrastructure (cable/dsl modem and router) into a surge protecting power strip protects your equipment against damaging surges or over-voltages of electricity. But while electrical undervoltages can also damage the equipment (particularly power transformers), they can also cause your networking gear to lock up and stop working. The usual solution to this is to unplug the equipment for 5-10 seconds, and then plug it back in.
But as the number of wired and wireless devices in your home or office grows, the best solution is to get a small battery backup UPS (uninterruptible power source, starts about $50 for 200 watts) to plug your networking equipment into. This will feed a constant stream of power to your devices, regardless of whether or not the battery is being recharged from wall power. Your networking devices will sail uninterrupted through power surges, brownouts, "blips", and even short duration outages (ie 30-45 minutes with a small battery).
With a UPS Battery making your infrastructure reliable, you can confidently add 21st Century internet devices and services (ie digital phone service, iPod Touch, streaming NetFlix to your HD-TV) to your home or office, knowing that your internet signal will be there for them.
Note: You CAN get larger capacity UPS units which will power a PC or server along with your networking gear. Larger units also include a monitoring cable and software, so that when the battery has 5 minutes of capacity left, it will automatically (and gracefully!) shutdown your PC. See your Professional Nerd for more details and answers to your questions.
