What if the power or internet goes out?
Without power or internet access, the Konnected device will not be able to communicate with SmartThings. Since SmartThings acts as the brains of the security system, without communication your alarm system will not work. As with any security solution, there are weaknesses and ways to mitigate them. This article will cover the best ways to ensure your smart home continues to work when there is a temporary power or internet outage.
Backup Batteries
If you are powering your Konnected device(s) from an existing alarm panel 12VDC AUX output, and the alarm panel has a working backup battery, then the Konnected device will receive backup power in an outage.
When powering the Konnected device directly with a 12VDC power adapter, protect from a power outage by installing a 12V backup battery UPS device. It’s also important to have a battery backup for your wireless router and modem. If these are installed in a different location than your Konnected devices, you will need multiple backup batteries.
Konnected recommends the following battery backup products for both your Konnected device(s) and routers, modems and networking equipment:
Backup Internet
Your smart home depends on the SmartThings cloud for many things to function. Konnected recommends that you have a backup internet service connected at your home WiFi router in case your primary ISP goes down. One economical way of doing this is with the following 4G LTE modem from Netgear:
You can connect this device between your broadband modem and router for automatic internet outage failover protection. You can often add a data-only plan for this device on to your mobile phone bill for a small additional monthly charge.