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You have two fixes. Keep the router powered, which is cheap and covered in the internet guide. Or have a second way online that doesn’t depend on your house at all, which is this page.
In a hurry? The one I'd buy from each shelf.
- 4G and 5G routersTP-Link M7350 4G MiFi£40–70
- A radioSony ICF-P27Under £25
4G and 5G routers
These take a SIM card and turn the mobile network into wifi.
TP-Link M7350 4G MiFi
Power cuts specifically
Pocket-sized, with its own battery that lasts most of a working day. No mains needed at all, which makes it the right answer to the actual problem.
TP-Link Archer MR600
A standing backup for the whole house
A full-sized router with a SIM slot and sockets for external aerials. Needs power, so pair it with a power bank or UPS.
TP-Link Archer NX200 5G
Working from home on it
If you have decent 5G at your address this can be faster than your broadband. Check coverage on your network’s map before you spend the money.
Which SIM
You want a 30-day data SIM with no contract, on a different network from your mobile. If your phone is on EE, a backup on EE fails at the same moment your phone does.
There are only three physical networks now. Budget brands rent space on them:
| Brand | Runs on |
|---|---|
| giffgaff, Tesco Mobile | O2 |
| Smarty, VOXI, Lebara | VodafoneThree |
| 1pMobile | EE |
Buy the SIM, activate it, test it in the router, and then top it up only when you need it. I’m not paid by any of these.
In a wide-area power cut, mobile masts lose mains too. Many have little or no battery backup, so mobile data can fade within an hour or so. A cut on your street alone usually leaves the mast working. Plan for backup internet to cover local cuts, and a radio to cover the big ones.
Digital landlines
If your landline plugs into your router, it stops in a power cut. Providers must offer a way to call 999 for at least an hour during a cut to customers who depend on their landline, which usually means a free battery backup unit. If that’s you, or a relative, ring the provider and ask for it now. They don’t always volunteer.
A radio
The government checklist asks for an FM radio that runs on batteries or a handle, and for you to write the frequencies down. BBC Radio 4 is on 92 to 95 FM across the UK. Add your local BBC station.
Sony ICF-P27
The emergency box
FM and AM, two AA batteries, weeks of listening. No screen, no menu, no firmware. A radio.
Duronic Apex wind-up radio
Never needing batteries
Wind the handle for a minute, listen for a while. Also has a small solar panel and a torch, and will give a phone an emergency trickle.
Roberts Play 11
Daily use that happens to be emergency kit
DAB and FM on four AAs. Sounds like a proper radio because it is one. Lives in the kitchen and earns its keep.